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Comment by kriro | Hacker News Reader

Still looking for a board game friendly bookshelf from one of the major chains. Depth is the problem, need roughly 30cm of usable depth. I'm currently using IVAR but it's more of a temporary solution. I own about 4 Billy for books they are decent but not great. One thing in their favor is that you can easily add another one. I'd also like it if IKEA would report the usable depth of the shelves in addition to the total depth.

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As a record collector, I feel your pain. For depth I'd look at the Galant shelves. Even the shallower upper units are 40cm deep, and it's wide enough for games in the way that Expedit wasn't.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S59184629/

The open backed Kallax units are the ideal size for storing 12" vinyl, and the vertical dividers mean you don't have too many records leaning on each other. They are also good for larger items that need to overhang the back of the shelf a bit.

I really like Kallax, there's something really neat about your storage being composed entirely of cubes of 33 (or 1 cubic ft cube in freedom units).

Sure, and I have two 5x5 Expedits (modified) nearly full of records, but the shelf dimensions are not good for boardgames.

Every branch of IKEA is littered with tape measures, and every product they sell is on display somewhere, so you can check practically every dimension of their products. They encourage customers to be hands on with the furniture. That's one of the most brilliant bits of their design thinking when it comes to their stores. I've never seen it anywhere else.

Only if the store is close by or you're willing to make a somewhat spontaneous decision. Imagine driving 3h+ to the nearest store, measuring the stuff not being 100% sure if it actually has enough space etc. etc. Also the IKEA in store experience is a total nightmare for me (it sucks all energy out of me and sometimes even creates mild anxiety depending on how full the store is) so I'd rather get as much preplanned as I possibly can to minimize in store exposure.

The prototypical board game bookshelf is still from Ikea, the KALLAX. They've got the deep square shelves that can hold six or seven square box board games pretty easily. If you look at almost any board game reviewers, behind them is nothing but Kallax shelves (especially Dice Tower).

I've got 1 2x4 and 2 2x2s and they hold about 90 games total. On the 2x2s I have about 10 of the small box (Kosmos sized) 2 player games and on the other I have 2 baskets for tiny card games that holds about 30 more games). I also keep some games on top of my 2x4 Kallax. So they probably hold about 125 games total.

Too bad I own about 200 games. :/

Another option is FJÄLKINGE (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60221683/)

I recently got one of these for the kids room. It's all steel construction, the shelves actually seem pretty solid, they seem to have a lattice or some reinforcement inside. Depth of 13 3/4 inch / 35cm is perfect for board games.

Make one! Bookshelves are pretty easy to make and don't require a lot of tools, knowledge, or skills. Plan the dimensions, buy the boards, cut them, screw together.

If you can't make one at home look into joining a hackerspace.

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