The bedroom is our sanctuary. Keeping it clean offers mental benefits like better-quality sleep, more confidence, and improved productivity. However, it’s far too easy to let things slip. We forget to make the bed. We let clothes or books pile up on the floor. We let our dogs wreak havoc with chew toys. It’s enough to make anyone run for the hills. How can we avoid these types of nightmares and keep our rooms looking (and feeling) great? Simple: Bedroom storage shelves.

We often use end-tables or dresser tops to store things like loose change, receipts, deodorant, perfume, and makeup bags. While that works in a pinch, it often leads to excessive clutter in the long run as items pile up. Installing bedroom shelves can help reduce the likelihood of a messy room, giving you more space for other activities.

Here are seven great ideas for bedroom storage shelves.

1. Turn Your Headboard Into Bedroom Storage Shelves

The space right above our bed often goes untouched, but it’s actually prime real estate for extra storage. You don’t want to put too much up there, or else your room (and particularly your bed) will feel cluttered. And that’s certainly not optimal for a good night’s sleep.

The key is to avoid making shelves above the bed too wide. Otherwise, any abrupt movements—like bolting up out of a beautiful dream or getting really into a good book—will give you a conk on the head and probably knock anything off the shelf and into your lap. Keep the shelf narrow and you can still include plenty of charm, such as framed photos, hand-signed postcards, or small plants.

2. Go for Floating Shelves Bedroom Style

Floating shelves are a terrific option for bedrooms of any size. Because they’re mounted on the wall, they take up absolutely no floor room. That means you have additional space to move around the bedroom. And depending on the availability of your wall surface area, you can get super creative with your floating shelves setup.

Many floating shelves come in varied sizes, so you can stagger how they hang on the wall. Another popular trend is bedroom corner shelves. As the name suggests, you mount these shelves at the intersection of two walls. They add a cozy feel to that part of the bedroom while keeping everything out of the way.

3. Consider Floor-to-Ceiling Bedroom Storage Shelves

If you have a significant amount of items to store, you’ll need bedroom shelving to match. For bedrooms with ample space, floor-to-ceiling bedroom storage shelves are a perfect solution. You can even stop the shelving a foot or two from the ceiling, so you have room for additional items on top.

It could be worth measuring the items you plan to store in your bedroom, so you know how tall and wide your shelving needs to be. Don’t be afraid to mix and match items on the shelves, either. For example, you could put books on the top shelf, linens on the middle shelf, and shoes on the bottom. You’ll know exactly where your items are and can easily grab what you need. These types of storage shelves are also great for loft conversion projects!

4. Try a Compact Bedside Table

Do you like to keep a glass of water, a book, or even a funky alarm clock right by your bed? You might already have a nightstand, but a floating bedside table can produce a more minimal effect while still offering room for everything you need.

This setup is particularly effective in smaller bedrooms with limited space. Because the shelving is so compact, you’re creating a sleek look that can prove surprisingly effective for storing some of your most frequently used stuff.

5. Don’t Overlook the Alcoves

Many houses, particularly ones built before 2000, have random alcoves sprinkled throughout the house. Those alcoves likely extend to the bathroom, and you might be wondering what you can do with that dead space. It’s often not big enough to include something like, say, a desk to work from or a chair to meditate in, but it still seems wasteful not to use the area.

Bedroom corner shelves can help solve this issue. You can install fun floating shelves or a small space to include your bedroom essentials. Alcoves are also a prime spot for cube storage shelves, which can often be moved around to best suit your need. You might only be able to fit one cube within the alcove space, but that still helps keep several things off the floor and out of your way. And since they’re so portable, you can easily transport cube storage shelves between rooms of the house.

6. Build a Storage Wall

You may have items that serve more of a decorative purpose. For instance, framed photos of you and your friends or a cool souvenir you got from your last vacation. Rather than letting those items get scattered around the house, use a storage wall to keep them in one spot. It adds a burst of color and creativity to your room. This shelving doesn’t need to take up an entire wall, but it should be about the size of a dresser for maximum effectiveness.

For an even more quirky setup, alternate between practical and visual for your bedroom wall shelves. Keep a poster of your favorite band next to a stack of t-shirts to create a unique balance that’s also pleasing to look at. Storage walls can also work in your kitchen to hold all of your kitchen tools and gadgets, particularly if your pantry doesn’t have a lot of room.

7. Make Your Bedroom Shelving Multi-Purpose

Again, if your bedroom doesn’t have a ton of space, feel free to get creative. Building multiple purposes for your bedroom storage shelves not only adds flair, but it can also save you some room.

For instance, creating a makeshift dressing room gives you space to store all of your makeup and grooming essentials. By including a vanity mirror, you’re also providing an area to get ready each morning. If you install the dressing room within an alcove or an indent in the wall, you could build doors to seamlessly blend back in with the wall. Alternatively, you could turn a wall shelf into a standing desk—extend the top of the shelf far enough to create a surface for your laptop, then include things like post-it notes or small notepads and pens to get a little work done so you don’t have to bring it to bed with you.

Do you have any bedroom shelves inspiration? There are lots of cool ideas to be had. Now’s the best time to get started!