I wanted a book case headboard, so several years ago my husband made one for our bed.  He made it of plywood, with trim moulding for a little texture and a more finished look.

It holds books, alarm clocks, lights, whatever. 

The headboard was painted to coordinate with our walls and bedding in our old house; we moved last week and the walls here are still white and I haven't found all the bedding yet, but you can get the general idea.

Here is a photo of the headboard.

Here is a side view so you can see how it looks from the side.

The book cubbies have a hole in the back for electrical wires.  We were in a hurry at the time we built the headboard and those were the only lights we could find that weren't halogen. I don't want halogen lights on my headboard - I think they would be too hot.  So, we will keep looking untl we find some lights we like better that are non-halogen.