Boost Your Bedroom Style with Creative Shelving Above Your Bed

Tired of a boring, blank wall behind your bed? Or perhaps you need more storage but floor space is limited. Installing shelving over the bed is an excellent solution for both style and function.

Wall mounted shelves above your bed frame open up a world of possibilities. They provide extra space to organize items attractively. You can also create a striking focal point by displaying artwork, greenery and accessories. This DIY project is easier than you may think too. Keep reading as we share everything you need to know about boosting bedroom style with creative shelves above your bed.

Why Add Shelves Above Your Bed?

Before diving into the inspiration, let's look at some of the benefits shelving over the bed provides:

Maximize Storage in Small Bedrooms

Lacking closet space or other storage furniture? Installing shelves directly over the bed optimizes every inch. Tuck away extra linens, clothing, books and more. For small studio apartments, this opens up precious real estate for other furniture or walking space.

Floating shelves maintain cleaner lines and visual space as opposed to bulky storage units. A streamlined silhouette feels lighter and less crowded. Even in larger master suites, the area over the bed often gets wasted. Now you can utilize it in a stylish way.

Display Decor While Keeping Floors Clear

We all love showing off travel trinkets, family photos and favorite reading material. But sometimes tabletops and dressers start to get cluttered. Mounted shelves allow you to highlight these special decor items while keeping floors neat and tidy.

By organizing your ornate vases or pile of books on shelves above eye level, you prevent flat surfaces from feeling overly crowded too. This creates a calmer, more peaceful ambiance below.

Create a Focal Point and Accent Wall

Plain, neutral walls vanish into the background. But shelves full of your beautiful things transform any ho-hum space. Use shelves above the bed to build a charming accent wall or eye-catching focal point.

Group treasured items that show off your personality. Include accent lighting as well to highlight this creative display. The overall effect turns an unused space into an artistic feature that reflects your signature style.

Bedroom Shelving Ideas and Inspiration

Ready to imagine the possibilities? Browse these gorgeous bedrooms with mounted shelves over the bed for inspiration:

Floating Wall Shelves

Also called ledge or bracket shelves, floating shelves make a huge visual impact. Their streamlined silhouette keeps sightlines clean. You'll enjoy the modern, minimalist look floating shelves create.

Position them slightly higher than eye level over the bed. The negative space around and between each plank provides balance. Then artfully arrange your decorative objects and accessories. Keep things sparse for a breezy, carefree feeling. Or pack the shelves with vivid colors and rich textures.

Floating shelves work especially well over platform beds in contemporary spaces. They allow more of the beautiful wall color or paper to shine through too. Mixing wood tones, like light shelves over a dark upholstered headboard, makes for striking contrast.

Box Shelves or Ledges

For a touch of traditional charm, consider box shelves or ledges. These built-in style shelves often feature ornamental trim details. Surround them with crown molding or columns for added dimension. Paint or finish them in a dynamic shade to contrast the wall color.

The cubbies on box shelves allow you to conceal items you don't necessarily want on full display. Or group together collections for artistic appeal. Their cozier, built-in look provides a sense of permanence and history. Position tablet-shaped box shelves over a padded headboard for eclectic contrast.

Curved Designs

Make a statement by installing shelves with sensual, swooping lines. Curved shelves soften hard edges for a more organic feel. They make an intriguing alternative to straight brackets or boxes.

Try artistically leaning books at different angles along wavy shelves. Or trail delicate vines from your botanical accents. This enhances the free-spirited vibe. For bohemian or shabby chic spaces, faded, white-washed curved shelves tie everything together beautifully.

Factors to Consider When Choosing Shelves

Narrowing down design options means taking stock of your existing space. Measure carefully and think through how you'll use the storage shelving over your bed. Key aspects to consider include:

Bed and Mattress Height

Allow adequate clearance between the top of your mattress and the underside of the shelves for making the bed. Account for pillows and bedding thickness too. Most experts recommend at least 18-24 inches of space here. This gives you room to fully lift and replace linens when changing sheets.

Reaching and Accessibility

The items you'll store above your bed should remain easily reachable, even for shorter people. Don't position shelves so high that they turn into wasted space. Standard guidelines suggest installing shelves 60-72 inches above floor level.

Also consider if you'll access items frequently or simply display them. Frequently handled items should sit nearer to the bed's edge. While displayed decor can live further back on deeper shelves. Just ensure the arrangement allows you to maintain and dust with minimal frustration.

Available Mounting Space on Wall

Take measurements to ensure you have adequate physical space for the shelves you want. Measure wall area width above headboard. Account for nightstands, sconces or other bedside items too.

Mark stud locations and make sure shelves will stretch across at least two studs for security. Lay out desired shelves on floor and hold up to wall as reference. This helps visualize fit and scale before installing.

Weight Capacity and Durability

Consider what you'll be loading onto the shelves. Solid wood or steel brackets can handle more weight than floating glass or acrylic. Just don't overload shelves to the point they bow or become hazardous.

For heavy items like books, declining shelves that tilt slightly backwards distribute weight better. Securely bolted metal supports provide necessary reinforcement too. While delicate glass vases or accessories don't require ultra-sturdy builds.

Desired Style and Visual Appeal

Lastly, choose shelves to match your room's aesthetic. Rustic wood brings warmth to modern spaces, while painted boxes offer flexibility. Curvy brackets make a playful style statement as we mentioned earlier. Just ensure your design choice syncs with your existing headboard and decor.

Shelving Materials and Styles

Now that functionality is covered, it's time for the fun stuff! Bring your vision to life by selecting creative shelving materials and configurations to install over your bed.

Wood Shelves

A natural material like wood infuses cozy, timeless appeal. The organic grain and variation of solid wood shelves makes a wonderful contrast to drywall, brick or other bed walls. Go with blonde maple or driftwood for breezy, casual spaces. While warm walnut and espresso stained wood communicate sophistication.

Or combine painted shelves with exposed stain on the underside for an ombre two-tone effect. Wood surfaces also make the ideal canvas for artwork, photos and collectibles to shine. Anchor an eclectic gallery wall over the bed with staggered wood shelves in assorted stain colors and sizes.

Metal and Wire Shelves

If you love industrial style, embrace the utilitarian vibe of metal brackets and wire storage shelves. The orderly grid pattern and matte patina plays well against exposed brick or concrete walls. Or provide contrasting texture when mounted over cozy shiplap wood.

Try open wire shelving in galvanized steel or black metal for an edgy, loft-inspired look. Fairy lights strung across them emphasize architectural drama. While slipping long panels of wood or glass on top softens the metal minimalism below. This allows you to enjoy closed storage too.

Concrete or Stone

For an earthy, grounded look, install concrete or natural stone shelves above your bed. The cool, rocky textures paired with roughhewn wood bring the outside in. Stack books between petite succulents or trailing ivy in small planters.

Or hollow out smooth white concrete for display cubbies to curate jewelry, candles and treasures discovered on your travels. This neat, bright contrast against the weighty concrete makes ordinary items into art. Creative mood lighting takes it to the next level.

Incorporating Lighting and Decor

Now comes the best part--filling the shelves with beautiful things! Carefully arranged objects,mood lighting and fresh botanicals breathe life into your new shelving feature. Some illuminating ideas include:

Bookcases with Built-In Lights

For serious book lovers, install sizable floating shelves that can handle the weight of your collection. Look for designs with attached task lighting. Flexible gooseneck lamps allow you to direct light right where needed. LED strip lighting installed under each shelf creates ambient glow for nighttime reading too.

Fill every inch with literature classics, anthologies and favorite memoirs. Stack horizontally with binds facing out. Or stand vertically to display covers. Place heaviest books on bottom shelves. Then graduate up to lighter novels, journals or poetry chapbooks that won't weigh down top tier.

Picture Lights to Highlight Displayed Items

Draw the eye upward and exhibit special mementos using adjustable picture lights. Mount discreet but powerful LED picture lights directly above wall shelves over the bed. These lights target the display area beautifully without glare.

Angle picture lamps to graze over focal pieces for dramatic uplighting. Display gleaming geodes, heirloom china or a meaningful collection in the glow. This showstopper presentation transforms ordinary objects into radiant works of art.

Greenery, Books, Photos, Art, and Accessories

For quick yet creative shelves, arrange an artful vignette mixing beloved items you already own. Make it a meaningful, curated display that sparks joy and memories. Include elements like:

• Framed photos chronicling special travels or moments with loved ones
• Quirky potted succulents or delicate hanging ferns
• Stacks of classic novels, poetry anthologies and art books
• Sentimental souvenirs, vintage curios and other found treasures
• Sculptural accents, textural ceramics and handmade pottery
• Lanterns, bud vases, pillar candles and decor in soothing nature hues

Follow general interior design guidelines as you arrange items. Create groupings of 3-5 pieces with considerations of height, shape, color and subject. But don't overthink it either--the imperfect harmony makes it special.

Installation and Placement Tips

Ready to bring this transformative shelving project home? Here are some final pointers to ensure successful installation and placement over your bed:

Allow Room for Bedding Changes and Movement

Leave enough space between the mattress top and underside of shelves (minimum 18 inches). Push bed out from the wall few inches before measuring for most accurate clearance. This ensures you won't bump shelves changing linens.

Set Back from the Bedframe Edge

Positioning shelves a bit inset from the bedframe edge is wise. Aligning them flush risks collision every time you sit up or move around in bed. An inch or two of breathing room makes coexistence more comfy.

Check for Potential Bump Spots

Scan the room to identify any tight points shelves may jut out into. Mark problem areas like pathways or points of ingress/egress. Consider if shelves might block lighting controls, vents or windows too. Adjust to prevent household hassles.

Securely Mount Into Studs

Locate studs using a stud finder before marking drill points. This ensures shelves anchor firmly to structural points as opposed to just drywall. Failure to hit studs jeopardizes safety and shelf stability.

Shop This Look: Our Favorite Shelves

Looking for shelf inspiration to recreate this trend? Here are a few of our top picks for creative bed shelving on a budget:

Mirror and Glass

• Small Space Solutions Decorative Floating Shelves - Set of 3 angled glass shelves with metal brackets and mounting hardware included. Great quality at an affordable price point.
• Umbra Trigone Geometric Floating Wall Shelves - Evocative molded glass shelves resembling futuristic architecture for the contemporary bedroom.
• Posh Series Decorative Mirror Shelf - Rectangular wall mirror 10" tall doubles as shelf when installed horizontally. Modern glam style.

• Tot Tutors White Bookshelf with Wood Frame - Cute kids room storage pick featuring three fabric bins with graceful scrolled metal legs.
• ANGLogik Declan Rustic Floating Wood Shelf - Beautiful distressed finish showcases wood grain on these angled floating shelves.
• SONGMICS Industrial Pipe Shelf - Sturdy iron pipes screwed into crossbars form handy open shelving units in trendy retro style.

The options are truly endless when designing shelving over the bed! Whether you prefer modern mirrored ledges, cozy book nooks or handmade driftwood masterpieces, use these ideas to enhance your personal haven.

Implement creative upgrades like mood lighting and special decor displays too. This amplifies visual appeal while organizing treasured belongings. Remember to measure carefully and account for comfort and accessibility over sheer aesthetics alone.

Most importantly, let the shelves reflect who you are. Showcase cherished travel souvenirs, showcase collections and family moments within easy view. This adds a joyful, personal touch you'll enjoy for years to come. Soon your bedroom turns into a welcoming retreat that friends and family adore.