Yes. The base game altmer furniture with the stylized trees are lovely and really evoke a sense of Elder Scrolls, speaking to the Ayleid aesthetic.
My guess is this was one of those "let's not give it to them and hope they demand it, then we'll throw them in the crown store" decisions.
I ended up using the inferior Alinor bed in my MM. Which doesn't look dreadful but I would prefer what you suggested.
As for the headboard shelf, I'd guess this was one of those "let's give them lots of empty spaces to fill in furniture so they have to subscribe for more furnishing slots" decisions.