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This is a shallow, plywood-backed box that sits on top of a headboard and gives you open cubby storage right at pillow height — books, a lamp, a phone charger, whatever a nightstand usually holds but out of the way of a bed with no floor space beside it. It's designed as a companion to a storage-bed headboard, so the two size options (twin and full) match those bed widths exactly; measure your actual headboard before cutting; the brief itself calls this a tight fit.
Construction is dead simple: a plywood-backed box with seven evenly-spaced dividers that create the cubby openings, trimmed out front and sides with 1x2/1x3 so the plywood edges don't show. Build it as a nailed-and-glued box if you have a brad nailer, or use screws throughout if you don't — either way, check for square before the glue sets, because a shallow box like this has almost no depth to hide a racked frame.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| 1x12 board, 8 ftTop, bottom, and the seven cubby dividers. | 2 each |
| 1/4" plywood, hardboard, or beadboard, 4x8 sheetBack panel — any of the three works; beadboard reads more finished. | 1 each |
| 1x2 board, 8 ft | 2 each |
| 1x3 board, 8 ft | 1 each |
| Finish nails, 1-1/4" | 60 each |
| Wood glue | 4 oz |
| Wood screws, 2"Optional, for anyone building this without a nailer. | 20 each |
Overall cost: $$. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L |
|---|---|---|
| Top and bottom (twin)1x12Use these lengths for a twin headboard; see full-size lengths below. | 2 | 3/4" × 11 1/4" × 39 1/4" |
| Top and bottom (full)1x12 | 2 | 3/4" × 11 1/4" × 54 3/4" |
| Cubby dividers (twin)1x12 | 5 | 3/4" × 11 1/4" × 10 1/2" |
| Cubby dividers (full)1x12 | 7 | 3/4" × 11 1/4" × 10 1/2" |
| Plywood back (twin)1/4" plywood | 1 | 1/4" × 12" × 39 1/4" |
| Plywood back (full)1/4" plywood | 1 | 1/4" × 12" × 54 3/4" |
| Front top/bottom trim (twin)1x2 | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 39 1/4" |
| Front top/bottom trim (full)1x2 | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 54 3/4" |
| Side trim1x2 | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 9 3/4" |
| Bottom face trim (twin)1x3 | 1 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 54 3/4" |
| Bottom face trim (full)1x3 | 1 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 54 3/4" |
Buy 10 boards at 8 ft.
4 boards
Cut the top, bottom, and dividers to length for whichever size (twin or full) matches your headboard, then assemble into a simple box: dividers sandwiched between the top and bottom boards, evenly spaced to create equal cubby openings.
Glue every joint and, if you have a nailer, tack it together with 1-1/4" finish nails while the glue sets — otherwise pilot-drill and drive 2" screws. Check the box for square with a diagonal measurement before you move on; there's no frame to hide a racked box behind here.
Cut the 1/4" back panel to match the outside dimensions of the box and nail it on with 1-1/4" finish nails and glue, keeping edges flush. The back is what keeps the whole thing square long-term, so make sure it's actually cut square before you tack it down.
Attach the 1x2 top and bottom trim across the front face, then the 1x3 along the very bottom edge, all with 1-1/4" finish nails and glue. This covers the raw edges of the top/bottom boards and gives the front a finished face-frame look.
Add the two side trim pieces the same way, flush to the top and bottom of the box.
Sand every edge, especially the cubby openings — hands and books go in and out of these constantly. Set the hutch on top of your headboard, check it's level side to side, and screw down through the bottom into the headboard framing.
Measure your actual headboard width before you cut anything: this is a tight, matched fit by design, not a generic shelf.
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Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →