Sicotas was kind enough to gift us this Helio 2-Door Arched Bookcase for our master bedroom and overall we’ve been really happy with it. Once fully assembled, it honestly looks much more high-end than I expected for the price. The wood color looks really nice in person, and the arched top design gives it a softer, more elegant look compared to the typical square bookshelves you see everywhere. It ended up fitting our bedroom aesthetic really well without feeling overly trendy or cheap.
The overall style actually reminds me a lot of Ikea furniture, but nicer. The finish feels a little more elevated, and the final product looks more expensive than it actually is.
Assembly was very much an Ikea-style experience, which personally doesn’t bother me since I’m already used to building furniture like that. Every piece was clearly labeled with removable letter stickers, and the instructions were straightforward and easy to follow. I never really hit a point where I felt confused or had to backtrack because the directions were unclear.
That said, there were definitely a couple sections that took patience.
The hardest part by far was assembling the two arch pieces at the top. Everything has to line up almost perfectly for the screws to thread correctly into the receiving inserts, and because you’re mostly tightening with an Allen wrench using slow quarter turns, it can be a little tedious getting everything aligned. It wasn’t impossible or poorly designed necessarily, just the kind of thing where you need to slow down and not force anything.
The back panels were also a little time consuming because they use a bunch of small screwed in clips to secure them in place. I think there were around 25 of them total. Again, not difficult, just repetitive. If you rush through that part it would probably get frustrating, but taking your time made it manageable.
Total assembly time for me was right around 2 hours working alone. (Though I needed my wife to help me lift the assembled top half onto the bottom half. Apart from that, it was a one-man job).
Once everything was together though, the finished product felt worth the effort. After securing it to the wall it feels sturdy, and I really like how tall it is without looking bulky or oversized. The proportions work really well in our space, and the cabinet storage at the bottom is nice for hiding random items and keeping things looking clean.
Overall, very happy with the finished product. I think this is a great option if you like modern furniture with a softer, more elegant look and don’t mind spending some time assembling it yourself.
Curious if anyone else has tried Sicotas furniture before? Let me know in the comments!
