Working with a small bedroom, every inch counts. In lieu of a bedside table, we chose this desk after weighing the other "ladder-desk" options. Every shelf is functional! Some of the other styles we looked at had super-shallow upper shelves that are almost unusable. The main desk is 30 inches wide and fits my daughter's 17 inch laptop and usb lamp. The upper shelves are perfect for displaying special things, books, art/photos, etc. It isn't shown on the picture, but we've since put a few decorative magazine holders on the top upper shelf to organize comic books/magazines. Since there are two instead of four legs, this desk takes up little floor real estate. I purchased a little stool that slides under the desk and completely out of the way when not in use. Extremely happy with this purchase.