Billy is Timeless

"Some furnitures come and go, but Billy always stays," said Tomek.

Tomek, late twenties, is now working as a IT consultant. I found him through a friend. He lives alone in this apartment. This apartment was built in the 1930s; the windows and the floors are preserved as it were original built. Tomek chose this particular apartment for its location and its environment nearby; it's close to the city, metro station and it's quiet.

The Billy bookcase was bought when he moved in four years ago.

Why Billy?

Billy is timeless. Some furnitures come and go, but Billy always stay. It's never out-dated. When we [my friends and i] think of furnitures, it's always Ikea, and Billy is always the name we all know. I am not familiar with other names, but I always know the name, Billy... I know this name since I was around ten year-old.

Why brown wooden Billy?

This color fits the wall color (light orange) in this apartment. I also like wood as a material, it feels more natural to see the wood instead of the painted Billy.

[Looked around his apartment, I found that his dining table, his desk and his bedside table are all wooden-like.]

Why placed it in the corner against the wall?

It's the first place that I put it, I haven't changed its location since then. I think it fits there perfectly, and it's the only place that I thought of when I first moved in.

Why this size?

I added an extra part on top because I am tall, and it fits the height of this apartment. I think it looks quite strange if I didn't add the extra shelf on top. Originally I planned to have the full-sized Billy, but then I thought my apartment is quite tiny and I didn't have many books to put there, so the half-sized Billy should be enough.

How do you organize the space of the shelves?

Basically the books are sorted according to subject and size. The middle shelves are used most frequently since it fits my eye levels. The top shelf and the bottom shelf are books that I don't often use.

The meanings of Billy and Space

Tomek's apartment displaces a cozy and natural feeling, the light he chose is yellowish, and he chooses green carpet with a flowery patterned curtain, and mostly uses wooden-like furnitures. The meanings of Billy do not only inscribed in the bookcase but are also embedded in the whole space. There's a harmonious idea of where to place the Billy, what color of the Billy to choose and which size to pick.

What Billy offers to its customer is its variety of colors and sizes, the flexibility of Billy contributes to its timeless-like feature. Billy is both a classic and modern bookcase.