Shelves above my head always make my allergies so much worse. Too many places for dust!

We've been thinking about doing this, but I've worried about the dust and clutter as well - we're not great housekeepers, but we're serious bed readers so I like the idea.

Another idea we had is putting shelves on either side of the bed, possibly with the shelves facing in toward the bed, and then maybe some sort of art on the side of the bookshelves facing out, so when you walk in you see the art first and it's sort of like a little nook with shelves hidden inside. You could even make a curtain then from one shelf to the other for a sort of canopy.

My other worry with either idea is the feeling like something is looming over me while I sleep - not very restful. I think #4 and #5 handle this well.

Looks nice, but not safe for anyone who lives on the Pacific Rim. One little earthquake and...*bonk!*...

I think bookcase nightstands might be a happy compromise for people who want the space but don't like the idea of something hanging over their head, particular if they are lower 3- or 4-shelf cases.

For some reason these stress me out. I love to read and almost always read in bed but the idea of keeping a bunch of books in the bedroom doesn't appeal to me. Also, I'd be afraid of hitting my head and hurting myself. I want my bed area to be soft and comforting not hard with sharp angles.

I tried it, and while it looked nice, it was extremely uncomfortable to sit up in bed and read -- which sort of defeats the purpose.

Yeah -- earthquake hazzard, no where to lean when you want to sit up, and if you are a restless sleeper there's always the risk of hitting something off in the middle of the night.

Not the best option I think.

I was about to say what Lisa(Montreal) said. Not comfy.

The aesthete in me likes it, the OCD in me would be bothered by the inaccessible shelves at mattress level. The recessed wall shelving in the second to last photo is a nice solution.

Also, sugarbakers - nice screenname, wish I had thought of that.

I have one small low two high bookcase on one side of the bed as a small table on the other side. The bookcase is nice to have to keep all my current books and magazines I am reading and holds a larger lamp. However, I have to dust it twice a week, it REALLY collects dust bunnies and thinking about going back to a simple end table just because of the dust.

If one has the space I love the way this room is arranged, the bed turned the opposite way facing the window with the cabinets that could easily be bookcases behind that separate and make a dressing area.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/44713708@N00/4168811713/

i think i could live with #2. #4, however, is a guaranteed trip to the emergency ward. no thank you.

You similarly but a little different from this, I had a storage problem in my room, and had a great bookcase with no uses. Instead of putting the bookshelf facing forward, I turned it around with the open shelves facing the wall. I draped a pretty tablecloth with a runner over it so that it just looked like a headboard to the common eye. I couldn't get to the stuff on the shelves every day, but it was a great place to store winter clothes and xmas ornaments, which freed up closet space for things I need more often.

I don't care for it. A bookshelf isn't comfortable to lean against when reading, and I don't find it restful to have shelves of items looming above my head.

I live in SF. **NEVER** gonna happen! LOL

I find these pictures unsettling. It just doesn't seem restful or comfortable to lean against a bookcase or bookshelf.

Bad, bad, feng shui.

When I couldn't sell my rolling shelving, I had no choice but to make it work in the bedroom. While it took me a couple of weeks to sleep with my head right next to the shelves, I'm glad I made the choice to use it. I moved my mattress a few inches away in case something falls, but nothing so far has fallen. Its been a great space saver and it forces me to keep it tidy since I have to have it over my head every night.

I love the Idea! Don't have a lot of space in my room and that looks like a great option... There are other things you can display that aren't books like hats, use it to store duvet covers, clothes, ofcourse you would have to be super organized... I live in central america and earthquake hazzards are not an option... but I think u can make this work.

We use an Ikea Expedit shelf (4x4) behind the bed. The shelves are deep enough to keep things from falling out, and we've got the door and drawer inserts to lean against. The lower shelves have bins with not-much-used stuff. Clip on lights work very well as reading lamps.

I like it a lot, but since the Expedit is over a foot deep, it takes up a lot of space. Not something for a small bedroom! We've got a long, odd shaped room, so it works.

I would caution anyone thinking about bookcases near the bed who also has cats--our last cat LOVED jumping down from the top shelves onto the bed--and sometimes onto us! A 14 lb cat descending from 6 feet high onto your stomach is not a good feeling!

I've tried it, and it looks good, but as Lisa (Montreal) and Sugarbakers noted, it's terribly impractical. You'll find that the pillows tend to migrate backwards into the shelves during the night, and you'll be constantly tugging them back into position. You can also forget about just tumbling into bed - as your head hits the pillow, it'll sink down and crack your skull on a shelf.