diff --git a/src/bggpipe/static/app.css b/src/bggpipe/static/app.css
index 77425a2..291c3b8 100644
--- a/src/bggpipe/static/app.css
+++ b/src/bggpipe/static/app.css
@@ -556,6 +556,12 @@ select {
   margin-bottom: .8rem; }
 .orow { display: flex; gap: .5rem; }
 .formlabel { margin: 1.2rem 0 .35rem; }
+.unitdesc { margin: -.3rem 0 .7rem; display: flex; gap: .6rem;
+  align-items: center; flex-wrap: wrap; }
+.unitdesc .descform:not([hidden]) { display: flex; gap: .4rem; flex: 1 1 16rem; }
+.unitdesc .descform input { flex: 1 1 auto; font: inherit; font-size: .85rem;
+  border: 2px solid var(--board-edge); border-radius: var(--radius);
+  padding: .25rem .45rem; }
 .formlabel.small { font-weight: 700; font-size: .85rem;
   color: var(--ink-soft); margin: .8rem 0 .3rem; }
 button.opening {
diff --git a/src/bggpipe/templates/pages/shelves.html b/src/bggpipe/templates/pages/shelves.html
index 4bccac5..10006fa 100644
--- a/src/bggpipe/templates/pages/shelves.html
+++ b/src/bggpipe/templates/pages/shelves.html
@@ -19,6 +19,9 @@
     <label>D <input name="depth_in" size="5"></label>
   </span>
   <label>Zone <input name="zone" placeholder="party games"></label>
+  <label class="wide">Description
+    <textarea name="description" rows="2"
+      placeholder="the wall behind the couch — main game storage"></textarea></label>
   <span class="editactions">
     <button type="submit" class="primary">create</button>
   </span>
@@ -113,6 +116,16 @@ function unitBlock(u) {
       <span class="editactions">
         <button class="delunit danger" data-unit="${esc(u.name)}">remove unit</button>
       </span></div>
+    <p class="unitdesc">
+      <span class="meta">${esc(u.description || "")}</span>
+      <button class="linkish editunitdesc" data-unit="${esc(u.name)}">
+        ${u.description ? "edit description" : "add a description…"}</button>
+      <span class="descform" hidden>
+        <input class="unitdescinput" value="${esc(u.description || "")}"
+               placeholder="the wall behind the couch">
+        <button class="primary saveunitdesc" data-unit="${esc(u.name)}">save</button>
+      </span>
+    </p>
     ${unitRows(u.openings)}
     <p class="formlabel small">Add an opening</p>
     <form class="editform addopeningform" data-unit="${esc(u.name)}">
@@ -275,6 +288,17 @@ function wire() {
       if (confirm(`Remove "${b.dataset.unit}" and its openings? Its games become unshelved.`))
         post("/api/furniture/delete-unit", {name: b.dataset.unit});
     });
+  document.querySelectorAll(".editunitdesc").forEach(b =>
+    b.onclick = () => {
+      const form = b.closest(".unitdesc").querySelector(".descform");
+      form.hidden = !form.hidden;
+      if (!form.hidden) form.querySelector("input").focus();
+    });
+  document.querySelectorAll(".saveunitdesc").forEach(b =>
+    b.onclick = () => post("/api/furniture/edit-unit", {
+      name: b.dataset.unit,
+      description: b.closest(".descform").querySelector("input").value,
+    }));
   document.querySelectorAll(".addopeningform").forEach(form =>
     form.onsubmit = async e => {
       e.preventDefault();
@@ -410,7 +434,9 @@ unitForm.addEventListener("submit", async e => {
   // half-failure) is fine to fill, so a 409 on step one does not stop us
   const existing = SHELVES.units.find(u => u.name === f.name.value.trim());
   if (!existing || existing.openings.length) {
-    const made = await post("/api/furniture/add-unit", {name: f.name.value});
+    const made = await post("/api/furniture/add-unit", {
+      name: f.name.value, description: f.description.value,
+    });
     if (!made && !existing) return;
   }
   const filled = await post("/api/furniture/add-openings", {
diff --git a/src/bggpipe/webreview.py b/src/bggpipe/webreview.py
index d1b588d..1fbf0e7 100644
--- a/src/bggpipe/webreview.py
+++ b/src/bggpipe/webreview.py
@@ -228,6 +228,7 @@ class ResearchBody(BaseModel):
 
 class UnitBody(BaseModel):
     name: str
+    description: str = ""  # free text: "the wall behind the couch"
 
 
 class OpeningsBody(BaseModel):
@@ -1098,6 +1099,7 @@ def create_app(
                 located_keys.add(key)  # rides with its container
         out_units = []
         for unit in units:
+            unit = {**unit, "description": unit.get("description", "")}
             out_openings = []
             for opening in unit.get("openings", []):
                 here = residents.get(opening["id"], [])
@@ -1121,7 +1123,13 @@ def create_app(
                         ],
                     }
                 )
-            out_units.append({"name": unit["name"], "openings": out_openings})
+            out_units.append(
+                {
+                    "name": unit["name"],
+                    "description": unit.get("description", ""),
+                    "openings": out_openings,
+                }
+            )
         unshelved = []
         for key, entry in sorted(
             games.items(), key=lambda p: (p[1].get("name") or "").casefold()
@@ -1198,10 +1206,26 @@ def create_app(
         def add(units):
             if any(u["name"] == name for u in units):
                 raise HTTPException(409, f"a unit named {name!r} already exists")
-            units.append({"name": name, "openings": []})
+            units.append(
+                {
+                    "name": name,
+                    "description": body.description.strip(),
+                    "openings": [],
+                }
+            )
 
         return _mutate_furniture(add)
 
+    @app.post("/api/furniture/edit-unit")
+    def api_edit_unit(body: UnitBody) -> dict:
+        def apply(units):
+            unit = next((u for u in units if u["name"] == body.name), None)
+            if unit is None:
+                raise HTTPException(404, "no such unit")
+            unit["description"] = body.description.strip()
+
+        return _mutate_furniture(apply)
+
     @app.post("/api/furniture/delete-unit")
     def api_delete_unit(body: UnitBody) -> dict:
         def drop(units):
diff --git a/tests/test_shelves.py b/tests/test_shelves.py
index 604b112..0ed202e 100644
--- a/tests/test_shelves.py
+++ b/tests/test_shelves.py
@@ -820,3 +820,23 @@ def test_opening_descriptions_round_trip(tmp_path):
 
     saved = _json.loads(cfg.furniture_path.read_text())["units"][0]["openings"][0]
     assert saved["description"] == "tall bookcase by the window"
+
+
+def test_unit_descriptions_round_trip(tmp_path):
+    web, cfg = _web(tmp_path, {})
+    web.post(
+        "/api/furniture/add-unit",
+        json={"name": "Den", "description": "the wall behind the couch"},
+    )
+    assert (
+        web.get("/api/shelves").json()["units"][0]["description"]
+        == "the wall behind the couch"
+    )
+    web.post(
+        "/api/furniture/edit-unit",
+        json={"name": "Den", "description": "now in the study"},
+    )
+    import json as _json
+
+    saved = _json.loads(cfg.furniture_path.read_text())["units"][0]
+    assert saved["description"] == "now in the study"