I have to agree with your husband on this. If this was any other room, I’d likely keep them but not in the bedroom!!

@Beth H. : I can’t find any examples in a master bedroom though to show him. he’s a fan of built-ins (we are going to have some floor to ceiling ones in his office and in the living room), but it’s the fact that it’s in a master bedroom that’s putting him off. I tried googling some photos but can’t find anything unless they’re across from the bed or framing a bed, which we can’t do because of the layout of the room. I’m keeping some of your photos as inspiration for the living room and office ones though, beautiful!

I would add lots of books.Yes, keep them.

Maybe we are outliers, but we have bookshelves in every room of the house except the bathrooms and the guest bedroom where the shelves are covered with doors.

maybe You can keep one side to display pics , books etc.... but if your not using it for a tv or anything I would get rid of it . I also hate clutter and how much stuff can you display and it also means a lot more dusting . 😁 good luck !

I agree with your hubby, they remind me of an office and look out of place in such a nice bedroom. What about replacing with a fireplace?

It's a good wall for a nice piece of art.

can't you just show him the book shelf pictures? he can imagine how they'll look, no?

Not many people have the room in a bedroom to do full on built in's

here are a few more examples.

how many you want to see??

Keep them and put chairs in front of them. Use it as a reading nook.

@mariamiro cant do that with layout of room, there’s a reading nook on other side of bed with a fireplace.

@shirlpp fireplace is on the other side of the bed, there’s a cute sitting area.

@BeverlyFLADeziner oh that’s really lovely!

@Beth H. : hmm, thanks for all those. Even the professionally styled ones look cluttered to my eye. I think we will drywall and do the large artwork there, looks so much cleaner.

IMO unless you have amazing items to need a place for display all the builtins I see are just a binch of stuff to fill them so I am all for drywalling over them and hanging a great piece of art there instead.

Your bedroom should be the most serene place. If the professionally styled shelves read as "cluttered" to you then I would drywall over them or add doors.

Hi I am going off topic I am afraid. I am curious - how will you control daylight streaming in from the top window ? I would be more concerned about being able to sleep in -:) Congrats on your beautiful new home.

I’d remove and add a bench and large art, based on your room’s decor

My vote is drywall, add large art and maybe a bench under it. Reads clutter to me too.

@Maureen those are all beautiful but sadly not enough room to put in a bench. That side will only be able to hold some art as the bed is close. The layout won’t permit the bed to be moved to a different area, there’s a sitting area with a lovely fireplace across from the built-ins. I am going to use the wall art for inspiration though!

@Patricia Colwell Consulting thanks, I don’t own much knicknacks, just enough to fill in the wall to ceiling built-ins in my husbands office area, so looks I’ll be doing a lovely gallery wall in the master with some art I really like.

Your dilemma made me think of a home that I almost bought a few years ago. It had 12" concrete block exterior walls and instead of typical built in bookshelves they had unique nooks.

I think that your space may be able to be partially drywalled and creatively designed to hold a few amazing items. I hate to miss an opportunity to create something unique and wonderful instead of simply keeping plain drywall or plain bookshelves.

Here are a couple of photos from that home to give you an idea of what I am talking about.

@Jeanne J I don’t know yet! It’s on my list to figure out haha, the room faces north so hopefully it won’t be too bright.

Drywall over them. All of the pictures Beth H posted above (and the one you posted in the original post) look cluttered. that's the last thing you want in a master bedroom.

I would keep them for a while and put less on display. Doors would not work because the shelves are too shallow for anything but books or small decorative items. Drywalling will require removal of all trim and shelves, the addition additional 2x4 uprights, and careful filling of any seams for a smooth finish. Less required dusting is a big plus.

@felizlady we want them done before we move into the house because we want everything painted as well after flooring is done.

Then what is your decision...keep or wallboard up?
Here is a third choice: remove most of the shelves from each side to allow you to hang art or framed photos in each opened area and display just a few decorative pieces and perhaps some books on the remaining shelf or two. You rarely see so many bookshelves or decorative items in a bedroom, but this may work because the art pieces will be set back from the narrow walking space beside the bed (you won’t bump them with your shoulder) and the room will feel that little bit larger. That is what I would do.

You commented several times that there is only one place to put the bed. What if you take the shelving out and use the recess for your bed?

@felizlady thats a great suggestion, kind of do a half and half look, I’m going to see if I can find some photos for inspiration. If that doesn’t work, I’ll be drywalling it.

@kbixler4 Im going to measure it again, but I’m pretty sure if I place the bed that way, there wont be any room to put in a nightstand on the side closest to the wall.

Or maybe you can put a dresser there?

Breathing clean air when you sleep is so important. When you are up and moving around your lungs can expel bad air but not so much when you sleep. So drywall it up to keep from dusting. No books piled up in bedroom ever.

If this were my home, I would keep the built-in but pair the clutter way, way down. Light, neutral ceramic pieces, black and white family photos. Cut it back by at least 2/3's.

You could remove the moulding or keep it, install glass shelves and the bottom could be closed cabinets, for storage. All painted a light color, white, off white, touch of grey, your choice. Install lighting for glass shelves for display.

jhoff86.....I searched Houzz for “bookcases with space for art” and there was at least one example with art hung within a bookcase with most of the shelves removed. I can’t figure out how to get that picture into this comment, but you could try that search.

That search was “bookcases with space for art” in Houzz photos.

@kbixler4 unfortunately It’s way too shallow for a dresser. The depth is kind of a weird in between, you can stack paperbacks and knicknacks and photos but not much else. And if you try to put anything in that space, there’s no room to get to the bed.

@Color Zen i think that’s where I’m leaning towards drywalling. The thought of getting ceramic pieces that have no meaning to me to fill up a wall space seems pretty dated. I feel like the older generations kept a lot of stuff around and the younger ones are definitely more into the minimalist/marie kondo movement.

@felizlady thank you, I will check it out, also see if Pinterest has something interesting.

As an avid reader, I would be thrilled to have additional space for my books. I think your bookcase is beautiful and I'm seriously jealous. I have 10 bookcases in my home that are completely packed with books and nothing else, no clutter to dust. My bedroom has bookshelves as well; nothing is more relaxing to me than settling in bed with comfy pillows, a puffy down comforter, a cup of herbal tea and a good book!

I am not good at designing shelves either. If you can’t turn it into a closet (is there space behind it?) then dry wall it.

@Linda Renzulli I would totally agree with you but we are going to have a floor to ceiling bookcase spanning the entire wall of my husbands office, as well as gorgeous built in bookcases in the living room and converting one of the two butlers pantries into a place to hold some books/knicknacks, so thats why I’m leaning towards drywalling.

@RedRyder not enough space behind it for a closet sadly.

This Robeson design may suit your space. Convert the built-in to mirrored storage.

Robeson Design Master Bedroom with Mirrored Closet Storage Ideas · More Info

I would vote to keep them. They look like they really suite your space. You could play around with what's on the shelf to make it more of a match for the look you want.

@Mike D none of that is our stuff. I really don’t own that many tchotchkes! haha.

@jhoff86 - I also own very few things that I would describe as tchtchkes, but my bedroom is the room where I display several pieces of Murano glass and the Joel Myers/Blenko Glass cobalt blue decanter that I inherited from my mother.

I love that my home is not just a house that leaves one feeling as though they are drowning in a sea of neutral nothingness, but reflects my personality and is a wonderment of displayed art and colors that reflect my personality and my journey through life.

I would keep the shelves. What about displaying personal items like family photos, vacation photos, awards, etc.

I think if you choose to keep them, the Houzz community will help you design the things you put on the shelves. But no one here is gonna dust them... :)

Another vote for keep the shelves and display a few carefully selected items.