If want a unique way to organize your bedroom, check out these 13 handy over bed storage ideas.
There is a lot of room over a bed that can be used to provide storage and organization opportunities. (This space can be so important for a tiny bedroom.) ?️
In this article we’ll look at:
- over the bed shelf ideas
- over bed storage units
- headboards with storage
- and more…
This article contains affiliate links. If you click a link and buy something I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more information please see the Disclosure page.
Please note:
This article contains Instagram photos from companies that made their pics publicly viewable. If one of the photos is from your company and you do not want the free exposure, please let me know and I’ll replace it. Thank you.
13 handy Ideas for Over Bed Storage
The available space above a bed is pretty-much wasted space…especially if you have a small room. The bed is taking up valuable floor space. But that vertical space can be used well and doesn’t need to look cluttered or stuffed.
For instance, if there isn’t enough space at the side of the bed for a bedside table, then having a spot to put your books, glasses, etc… above the bed is important. Sure, you could tuck this stuff under the bed, but then you don’t have as easy access to it.
Not all of these storage ideas will work for you and your room, but hopefully at least one will help you take advantage of this vertical space.
Let’s start the list of ideas.
1) Over Bed Shelving Unit – Particle Board (Amazon)
This over the bed shelving unit is marketed towards college students and kids because it fits over top of a TWIN sized bed. (It straddles the sides of the bed.)
They suggest to put only lightweight items on it – just in case something falls on your sleeping head – and it is made of particle board.
I’ve shown this product to give you an idea of what is possible with a shelving unit like this.
You could place some nice wicker baskets on these shelves so not all of your personal items are out in the open and visible. This could be important if you share the living space like in a shared dorm room.
(Some people say this particular product – which is made of particular board – may not be worth the money. I’ll let you decide that. Click here to see on Amazon.)
2) Over Bed Shelving Unit – Metal wire (Walmart.com)
I think this looks like a cool shelving unit!
This is designed to fit over a Twin sized bed frame (which has the same width as a Twin XL but the XL version is about 5-inches longer).
The vertical metal posts stand 67-inches tall. It comes with the two wire shelves and it has a swiveling cup holder and some hooks to hang towels, a hanging laundry hamper, backpacks, etc…
It is marketed towards college students living in a dorm room, but it would work well for children or anyone else with a twin-sized bed.
You could place an alarm clock (or most likely a phone) on the shelf and have it within easy reach to press the snooze button.
You May Also Like – these Under Bed Storage Ideas (get your bedroom organized)
3) Over the Bed Storage Cabinets
Below is an Instagram photo showing some cabinets installed above a bed. Looks very cool. You could fit a lot in there.
And I like how there are doors so you don’t see the mess that likely lurks inside those cabinets.
And I like how you could mount the cabinets to the wall at a height that works for you. So you could still have plenty of sleeping space, and if you woke up with a jolt, you wouldn’t smack your head of low shelves.
4) Headboard with Shelves (a built-in bookcase)
A bookcase headboard like this reminds us that over bed storage doesn’t have to be too fancy.
A headboard with some built-in shelves can go a long way to keeping your room tidy by giving you a spot for books, pictures and decorations.
CLICK HERE to see this particular headboard on Amazon.
5) Headboard with Storage Cabinets (for full size bed aka double bed)
You can use the top shelf of this headboard to hold your books, and you can put items you don’t want visible behind the sliding cabinet doors.
I like the idea of the sliding doors. It is hard to open a swinging cabinet door if your pillows are in the way, so this bookcase uses sliding doors instead.
CLICK HERE to see more details about this headboard.
6) Around and Over the Bed Storage Shelves and Cabinets
Isn’t this over the bed shelving unit amazing! It is from the British company Shelved.
With a system like this you wouldn’t have any excuses for a messy bedroom. I like how it has a combination of open shelves and doored cabinets. (And having no cabinet hardware makes it look sleek.)
7) Over the Bed Storage Cubbies
The Instagram photo below is from a company that custom made this over the bed storage unit for a boy’s bedroom. The open cubbies provide the perfect place for him to display his favorite things.
Over the Bed Shelf Ideas
In this section I’ll share some over the bed shelf ideas I’ve come across. Most of them are just regular shelves you could use anywhere in your house. But putting these shelves above your bed will give you some extra options for organizing your bedroom.
8) Three pack of Wood Shelves with Metal Brackets (Amazon)
I came across this 3-pack of shelves on Amazon. Each shelf is a different size (small, medium and large), and the largest one is 16.9-inches wide.
So these aren’t very big, but because they claim each shelf can hold 39 pounds you should be able get creative with your above bed storage.
For instance, this could be a great place to store your collection of favorite novels.
CLICK HERE if you want more details of these shelves.
9) Wood Bookshelves for Above Bed Storage (Amazon)
Once again, these are wall shelves that could be used anywhere in your house. But because the ends of the shelves are like book ends, I think they’d work well for storing stuff above your bed.
You can get these shelves in a few different colors.
Click here to see other colors.
Are you from the UK?
10) Sleek Over Bed Shelving Unit
I came across this impressive over bed shelving unit on Instagram. The glossy look and lack of cabinet hardware makes this look like a modern, sleek unit.
But when I went to the company’s website I couldn’t find this unit on their site. Maybe they renamed it?
11) Fancy Corner Shelves
Is your bed in the corner of your bedroom?
If so you could mount this fancy wall shelf in the corner above your bed to provide a place to put small items like your phone, glasses, novels, etc…
It takes advantage of wall space and that’s important in a tiny room.
This popular corner shelf is available on Amazon (where it has lots of reviews).
12) Ikea Bookcase Hack to Make a Bed Bridge Over Bed Shelving Unit
A man named Chris Heider has a YouTube channel called “HandyDadTV” and he has an incredible video where he creates an over bed shelving unit using IKEA furniture. It is called a bed bridge because it spans the bed.
Click the picture below to see it on YouTube.
It is amazing how well his bed bridge bookcase turned out. That HandyDad is definitely handy. (From watching his video I learned the trick of putting masking tape on particle board before cutting or drilling into it.)
13) IKEA Platsa Over the Bed Storage Unit
I found this YouTube video where Sarah & Rhys designed this bed bridge unit using the Platsa line from IKEA.
They call it an over bed wardrobe. And whatever you call it it makes an impressive over bed shelving unit.
This would be a great option if your room didn’t have a built-in closet.
With so much added storage you could likely store your seasonal clothing and bedding in those cabinets too.
I think it is pretty cool what they did.
14) Overbed Table / Desk (for Queen size bed)
This rolling overbed table is a great way to make the most out of a small space.
(But be careful…you shouldn’t work in bed unless you absolutely have to. Or else you may start to associate your bed more with work than with sleep. It disrupts good sleep hygiene.)
You don’t have to put a computer on here though. You can put your books, journals, and more.
Because this rolls you could regularly keep it against a wall, but if you need that space – say to do some exercise in your room – you could roll the table over your bed to get it out of the way.
I hope you’ve found some inspiration in these handy over bed storage ideas.
This space above the bed is often under-utilized and it can be a great way to add some additional storage to your bedroom. It can work especially well in a small bedroom.
Though you do risk making the room look crowded or cluttered by having your over bed storage area crammed with stuff. That’s why using storage baskets to reduce visual clutter can work well.
Utilizing one of these storage options along with making the most of your under-bed storage space can go a long way towards helping you organize your bedroom.
Will one of the above ideas work for you?
Up Next:
17 clever Under Bed Storage Ideas (check these out to really maximize storage in a small room)
13 space-saving Small Bedroom Organization Ideas
Twin Bed with Storage Options (13 great examples of space-saving twin beds)
13 awesome Daybed with Storage options [get seating and storage in one piece of furniture]
9 well-rated Bedroom Storage Chest options [store your stuff out of sight with one of these]
13 lovely Queen Daybed options [it surprised me, but yes, they make daybeds this big]
Pin this to Pinterest if you want to find it later.
