Elegance and personalisation: make your bookshelf look its best with a Samoussin reading cushion
Design your own unique library where each object has been chosen and each shelf tells a story. Today, we invite you to discover how we’ve transformed our bookcase into a veritable showcase for our reading, a space where design meets functionality. Let’s explore some tips for personalising your IKEA Billy bookcase and making it a living space in its own right.
The IKEA website says: ‘It’s estimated that a BILLY bookcase is sold every five seconds worldwide. This is all the more impressive when you consider that BILLY was launched in 1979. A piece of furniture that’s always in tune with the times, and a favourite with book lovers.
In other words, BILLY is one of the great basics of the IKEA HACK trend, and we’re not the first, or the last, to adopt this model, which is ideal for small budgets.
Chez Aricomagic, we believe that the library is much more than just a piece of storage furniture. It’s a space that reflects your personality, your passions and the way you see the world. By personalising your Billy IKEA bookcase, you can give it a soul and make it a central part of your interior design.
les astuces Aricomagic pour une bibliothèque sur mesure
If you have a lot of books, make an effort to keep only the ones you really care about and be happy with the others.

- Declutter and air out: If you have a lot of books, make an effort to keep only the ones you really care about and be happy with the others. There are plenty of book boxes all over the place, and sites like Recyclivre allow you to sell your second-hand books in good condition. On the other hand, if you don’t have many books, now is the time to build up your collection and treat yourself.
- Pace your shelves: By alternating heights and widths, you create dynamic visual movement and a sense of depth. It’s important not to follow the assembly manual, but to adapt to the formats you want to showcase. Depending on the size of your items, you can change this rhythm as you go along.
- Organise by world and type of book: Group your books by looking for commonalities. This can be by theme, colour, format or type of publication. Don’t hesitate to create thematic universes. It’s much more pleasant than alphabetical filing.
- Enhance it with personal accessories: Beyond the classic green plants and scented candles… Arrange objects here and there that tell a story for you and have been acquired separately. This isn’t a problem if they don’t make up a coherent whole. These items will add a touch of elegance and warmth to your reading corner.
- Create offbeat labels: To give an example instead of ‘recipe books’, we’ve named the shelf ‘ Yummy!!!! ‘To keep things simple, we used letter stamps on leather strips that we spray-glued together. It’s just an idea, but the field of possibilities is vast: why not use noble materials (copper, wood) or embroidered labels?
More than a library, think reading corner
Here, we’re lucky enough to have a dedicated room that doubles as our library and office. It’s a luxury that’s easier to afford in the countryside. However, even if you live in a small flat, that’s no reason not to clearly define your cocooning space for reading.
The essential ingredients :
- Appropriate lighting that doesn’t interfere with reading, but is still sufficiently muted, warm and friendly.
- an armchair you feel comfortable in and want to spend hours in.
A samoussin book holder, of course.
Here, we opted for an old, timeless Togo and the Sagan samoussin. Everyone ends up taking turns on these few square metres. It’s a privileged place where you can settle down a little away from the others and recharge your batteries.
However, we love the idea of offering you the chance to create unique designs using your own fabrics. Don’t hesitate to contact us directly to share your desires and ideas at contact@aricomagic.fr