Book shelves above a sofa.

[KingscoteStaff]

Obviously they'd need to be really secure...

How far above the sofa back would you put the lowest shelf? I'm worried about it feeling as though you were in a cave.

I think they need to be behind it rather than above it, or you’ll feel like it’s a bit of a den.
If it’s your main/only sofa I probably wouldn’t do it.
If it’s a sofa in a bedroom for example it may feel like a cosy reading nook so it’s ok.

It does make me a bit nervous though!

I wouldn't but that's because I'd worry about them falling on somebody's head

Is there room for a free standing bookshelf behind the sofa pulling the sofa away from the wall a bit? Or to the side?

I'm wondering about cheating the sofa out a bit with one of these - I know it's dead space, but it might make the area work.

Better than the second picture I think?

We have a wall of bookshelves behind the sofa in the playroom, the lowest shelf we us is just behind the top of the sofa. It's screwed into a solid wall so very secure, never worry about it falling off.

@JaninaDuszejko so is your lowest shelf even lower then the one in my second picture? Don’t you clonk your head on it when you lean back?

Yes, our lowest shelf is lower, but the sofa is pulled out slightly so you don't whack you head, see the picture. The shelves are 25cm deep (Ikea svalnas), the sofa is a click clack sofa bed so the base goes slightly further back than the top so the sofa is only pulled out about 15cm (so base is below shelves).