For many hobbyists, the IKEA BILLY® bookcase is the backbone of the hobby room. It is affordable, sturdy, and offers vast amounts of vertical storage. However, using a standard deep bookcase for 28mm or 32mm miniatures often results in a "clutter cave" where your hard-painted models are lost in the shadows of deep shelves.
The Depth Challenge: Why Stadium Seating is Essential
A standard BILLY® shelf is 28cm deep. If you park your squads in a single flat row, you waste 80% of the shelf. If you pack them in, the back rows suffer a "foam case burial" while still being on the shelf—they are completely invisible. To fix this, you need stadium seating to raise the rear ranks into the light. Our own measurements show how much that helps: lifting a 20mm-tall model onto a 49mm tier more than triples its visible display height (a 245% increase), bringing the back row clear of the heads in front.
Open Shelves vs. Glass Doors (OXBERG® and HÖGBO®)
How you use your tiered stands depends heavily on whether your bookcase is open to the elements or sealed behind glass.
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Open BILLY Setup:
This offers the fastest "grab-and-play" access. Because there is no glass, you have zero glare, making it the perfect environment for a matte-finish display system. The trade-off is dust. We recommend using a tiered stand to keep models organised so that a quick sweep with an anti-static brush is effortless.
Learn how to keep open displays clean here. - Glass-Door (OXBERG®/HÖGBO®) Setup: Adding doors turns a bookcase into a proper display cabinet. While this stops dust, it introduces glare. Avoid high-cost acrylic alternatives inside glass cabinets, as the double layer of plastic and glass creates a "mirrored" effect that hides your models. A matte black stand inside a glass-fronted BILLY® is the gold standard for visibility.
Maximising Shelf Depth: The Best Stand Combinations
Because the BILLY® is deep, you can actually fit multiple rows of WarSplay® stands. Our modular miniature display system is designed to be space-efficient:
- The Single Tier: Place one WarSplay Classic at the very front for a clean, minimal look, leaving the back of the shelf for taller terrain or boxed games.
- The Double Depth: Place two rows of stands. Because our stands are only 10cm deep, two rows still leave room at the front for your centrepiece heroes (compatible with Warhammer 40,000® bases).
- The Hybrid: Use a WarSplay Hero stand in the centre for your monsters, flanked by Classic stands for the rank-and-file.
Why WarSplay® Beats Standard Acrylic Risers
Many people search for "BILLY miniature display" and find generic acrylic stairs. While these provide height, they lack the stability needed for expensive models. WarSplay® stands feature precision-cut slots and optional magnet-ready pods, ensuring that when you bump the bookcase or open the glass door, your army stays in formation. Unlike high-cost acrylic alternatives, our matte finish ensures that your shelf lighting hits the paint job, not the stand.
If you are debating between different storage styles, check out our guide on Acrylic Cases vs Open Stands to see which fits your bookcase setup best.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the stands fit on the narrow 40cm BILLY?
Yes. The WarSplay Classic is designed to be modular. You can fit a single Classic stand comfortably on the 40cm shelf or line up several on the wider 80cm version to create a seamless army display.
How do I light a BILLY display?
We recommend LED "puck" lights or strips tucked under the lip of the shelf above. Because our stands use a stadium layout, the light will reach the back row just as effectively as the front.
Can I use these for Age of Sigmar® armies?
Absolutely. Our stands are compatible with Age of Sigmar® base sizes and other major wargaming systems. The tiered design is particularly effective for large units of infantry and cavalry.
Disclaimer: WarSplay® products are independently manufactured. We are not affiliated with, authorised by, or endorsed by Games Workshop Limited or IKEA® AB. Trademarks such as Warhammer 40,000®, Age of Sigmar®, BILLY®, OXBERG®, and HÖGBO® are used solely to indicate compatibility.