Shelves above the bed: design ideas, color solutions, types and materials.

Design Features

The main design nuances:

• It is very important to think over the mounting location so as not to hit your head on the shelf. Products with rounded corners are considered safer.
• For placing books or other heavy objects on a hanging model, you should choose strong wooden products with a metal frame.
• In a small room in a Khrushchev-era building, you should use the space as rationally as possible, so it would be better to replace the bedside tables with tall narrow shelves connected to each other using a transverse shelf.
• If the bed is placed with its headboard against a narrow wall, you can visually expand the space due to an elongated hanging structure.
• According to Feng Shui, shelves hanging above the head contribute to constant tension, pressure and thereby interfere with comfortable sleep. Therefore, this philosophy does not recommend such placement. In addition, open horizontal structures cut up the space and do not have a positive effect on the atmosphere in the room. For this purpose, it is recommended to choose closed models.

Types of shelves

There are several varieties of these products.

Built-in

Due to the fact that built-in models externally represent part of the wall, they blend especially harmoniously into the interior space.

Hanging

They are the most traditional, universal and quite reliable option, which is hung on the wall with the help of fasteners or even mounted to the ceiling with special cables, ropes, chains and other materials.

The photo shows wall shelves without fasteners, located above the bed in the bedroom interior.

Open

Such designs are chosen to decorate the room, as they focus attention on their content. Open shelves can have different widths and depths, they look quite light and do not clutter the space, which is especially important for small rooms.

The photo shows a teenage girl’s room with open shelves above the bed.

Closed

Such shelves allow you to preserve the aesthetics of the environment and rid the room of clutter. Closed models perfectly protect things and prevent dust from accumulating on them. These products can have doors, textile curtains or be glazed.

Combined

They combine several materials at once, such as wood and glass, metal and plastic, or simultaneously combine open and closed facades. Combined designs have a very interesting appearance, which adds originality to the interior.

Material

The following materials are most often used in the manufacture of these pieces of furniture:

• Glass. They are made of ordinary or organic glass, which can be matte, transparent or colored. Stained glass shelves have a particularly bright design.
• Wooden. Such products always look very stylish, expensive and, due to their naturalness, fill the space with energetic warmth.
• Plastic. They are distinguished by their modern and high-tech appearance, have a wide range of colors and are considered to be quite unpretentious in operation.
• Fiberboard/chipboard. They are mechanically strong, have a very attractive and elegant appearance and, thanks to perfect processing technology, can reproduce the textures of a wide variety of materials.
• Made of plasterboard. They can be a fairly convenient structure of any shape, which can be easily assembled by hand.

The photo shows a bedroom interior with shelves above the bed made of natural wood.

Combined materials are also often used in the manufacture of shelves, thus you can give the products a truly original look.

The photo shows multi-colored plastic shelves placed above the bed in the interior of a children’s room for boys.

Location

Popular placement options:

• In a niche. Such a recess provides a very functional and practical arrangement of shelves. In addition, the niche can be supplemented with a mirror, different lighting, original lamps or sconces.
• At the head of the bed. Basically, the shelves at the head of the bed are attached at a convenient distance or built directly into the back, which allows you to store an alarm clock, gadgets, books and other necessary things at hand. Most often, these models have an elegant, laconic design and have a calmer color scheme.
• On the side. This arrangement is especially appropriate if the structure above the headboard causes discomfort and fears of falling during sleep. The shelves on the side of the bed look no less interesting and can be placed in a rectilinear or asymmetrical order.
• In the corner. Corner shelves with fastening on two adjacent walls are an unusual solution that allows you to rehabilitate useful space and significantly transform the environment.

Shelves should not only have a beautiful design, but also be cleverly located. This way, you can provide convenient access to things, and also turn the shelves into a decorative finishing detail of the entire interior.

Design and decor

Sometimes, shelves for books are placed above the bed, which can be open, glazed, have a laconic design or an original execution. Thanks to the huge designer imagination, the products can be made in the form of a tree, a ladder or a honeycomb. They also hang structures for paintings or photographs, which are framed in different frames with a passe-partout. Such decor can give the space a special aesthetics and style.

The photo shows a bedroom with bookshelves above the bed, equipped with spotlights.

Shelves complemented with lighting, small LED lamps or other types of lighting, as well as corner models, which have different functional loads and have excellent decoration, look very original.

Color scheme

The color of these products is mainly selected to match the color scheme of the bed and wall decoration. The shelves can be contrasting or, on the contrary, blend in with the surrounding design. Bright colors will help to highlight the structure against the general interior background, and the design in discreet tones will create the feeling that the decor placed on the shelf is floating in the air.

The photo shows white hanging shelves above the bed in the interior of a teenage girl’s bedroom.

The classic solution is white models, which are suitable for decorating any interior space. They do not visually clutter the room and contribute to a lighter and more spacious atmosphere. Shelves in black, chocolate-brown tones or wenge-colored structures look very advantageous, giving the room a special graphic quality and brightness. To create interesting accents, choose colored products in blue, yellow, red, green and other colorful designs.

Bedroom Ideas

The interior of the bedroom for adults is distinguished by particularly careful planning and attention to all minor elements. The area above the bed is especially popular, here the shelves are most often a decorative item, which is complemented by various photo frames, souvenirs, books, beautiful candles, elegant vases or other cute trinkets.

The photo shows the interior of a bedroom with a double bed, equipped with open shelves around.

Shelves can be not only an aesthetic element of the bedroom design, but also represent a fairly capacious structure that can easily replace a bedside table. A particularly practical and interesting solution are modular overbed units that allow you to arrange items in separate sections.

Photo in the children’s room

In the design of this room, first of all, attention is paid to the safety and functionality of the structure. For children, they mainly choose brighter and more colorful models, and for newborns, shelves in the shape of a cloud, a house or letters. Such items are placed on top, on the side or in the corner, both in a linear order and at different heights.

The photo shows a teenager’s room, decorated with white long hanging shelves above the bed.

Shelves placed in a niche are also quite popular for children’s rooms. It will be convenient for a girl to place dolls, plush toys and other cute things here, and for a boy to place a collection of cars, airplanes or various construction sets. In a school-age child’s room, these products are perfect for storing favorite books, photo frames or other necessary and essential items.

The photo shows wooden shelves in a niche located above the bed in a room for two children.

Teenagers prefer more spacious models or designs that have an original and stylish design, for example, in the shape of a fish, a fire escape or a guitar.

Examples in different styles

In a modern interior, it is appropriate to use laconic shelves of geometric shapes made from a variety of materials. Closed models with matte, transparent or patterned glazing, as well as stylish designs with backlighting, will be an excellent addition.

For a classic design, products made of natural wood are preferred, which can be located in a niche or simply hung on the wall on beautiful brackets. In terms of color scheme, more calm and neutral shades are selected.

The photo shows light-colored shelves on the side of the bed in the interior of a bedroom in the attic in a minimalist style.

Scandinavian style is characterized by hanging open shelves above the bed, which are decorated with live plants, black and white posters or photographs, adding an atmosphere of special coziness and romance to the environment.

Provence or country, mainly decorated with wooden structures, decorated with an openwork ornament or panel, and for minimalism, the most simple and monochromatic options are selected, made of wood, plastic or transparent glass. Models made of wood or metal, with primitive processing and a deliberately aged surface will fit harmoniously into an urban loft.