Unique nightstand ideas to make your bedroom bodacious

Unusual nightstands to make your bedroom pop

Traditionally, nightstands always came in pairs and perfectly matched the other bedroom furniture. But how boring was that?

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Thankfully, home design has evolved and modern nightstands now come in all different shapes, sizes, colors and styles. And, they don’t always hang out in pairs.

So, before you go out and buy a pair of matchy-matchy functional-yet-dull bedside tables, read on for some unique nightstand ideas that will add excitement to your bedroom.

Best for the wow factor: Terrarium Display End Table

“Best for showcasing lowlight houseplants or mementos, this terrarium-style end table lets you create a refreshing display and storage solution in any room. Great gift for Mother’s Day, housewarmings and holidays!”

Best modern: Cornelie Fashion Nightstand

“This unique “G” design contemporary nightstand not only can use as a regular bed’s closet companion but is a perfect addition to your guest bedroom or master suite ensemble — the nightstand made with black and white color faux leather.”

Best bohemian: Maysville 2 Drawer Accent Chest

“Made from sustainable mango wood and covered in gorgeous blue detailing- truly makes a statement.”

Best mid-century modern: Carneal 1 Drawer Nightstand

“Abisko is stylish with unique square knob design. A perfect piece to enhance your living and bedroom environment.”

Best industrial: Taveras Nightstand

“It also features perforated panels that create a unique visual interest and one-of-a-kind style that is sure to stand out. Constructed from powder-coated metal and finished on all sides for versatile placement, this black nightstand is just what your bedroom needs.”

Best minimalist: Morefield 1 Drawer Nightstand

“This elegant style nightstand comes with a strong and sturdy construction, it has excellent craftmanship, and it is uniquely designed to bring breadth to your decorative collection.”

Best retro: Ike 1 Drawer Nightstand

“This piece is constructed from metal and is supported by crisscross legs, providing a unique marriage of retro design and metal craftsmanship.”

Best rustic: Sazena Nightstand

“This well thought out nightstand will clear up the clutter so your room looks airier, with a more modern touch.”

Unique nightstand ideas

If you’re looking for unusual, cool and funky bedside tables, you’re in luck. We’ve scoured the internet to find some of the best unique nightstands that will make your bedroom totally bodacious.

Take a look at these novel nightstands…

Best for the wow factor

This bedside table is also a terrarium where you can display an indoor garden. It’s made from reinforced glass and has air holes so your plants can thrive. Several people on Amazon have commented that they have sealed the edges to turn this unique piece of furniture into an aquarium. Check out this video of the turtle!

Dimensions: 27” H x 18” W x 18” D

Color: Gold

Material: Metal and glass

Assembly required: Yes

Best modern flair

This nifty nightstand comes with adjustable LED lights that you can control from the comfort of your bed with a remote control!

Dimensions: 24.01” H x 14.48” W x 14.96” D

Color: Black, white or grey.

Material: Manufactured wood

Assembly required: Yes

Best bohemian style

The Bohemian decor trend is one that’s not showing any signs of waning and this Bohemian accent chest of drawers is sure to be a beautiful feature in your Boho bedroom. It’s made from mango wood with beautiful blue detailing and with two drawers there’s plenty of room for all your nick nacks.

Dimensions: 24” H x 18” W x 12” D

Color: Blue and white

Material: Solid and manufactured wood

Assembly required: No

Best mid-century modern

We love the bright turquoise color of this nightstand. The tapered legs and round knob are classic mid-century modern details. A quirky nightstand like this would look great amongst vintage 50s style bedroom decor.

Dimensions: 24.8” H x 12.99” W x 13.78” D

Color: Oaks and aqua

Material: Solid and manufactured wood

Assembly required: Yes

Best industrial metal nightstand

If you’re looking for a cool nightstand for guys, then we think you’ll love this industrial-style black metal nightstand. It has lots of storage space with three shelves, two of them hidden behind a door.

Dimensions: 24.01” H x 14.48” W x 14.96” D

Color: Black

Material: Metal

Assembly required: Yes

Best minimalist

The design of this cylindrical nightstand is just so clever! The perfect place to hide your bedroom secrets, our tip is to not let your kids know that this nightstand has a drawer and they’ll never know. As a bonus, once you open the main drawer, there’s a hidden mini-drawer within it. Genius!

Dimensions: 18” H x 21” W x 21” D

Color: Black

Material: Solid and manufactured wood

Assembly required: Yes

Best retro

Designed to look like an old-fashioned suitcase on a metal stand, this striking nightstand will be an interesting feature in any bedroom. It has a single soft-close draw to keep all your bedside necessities.

Dimensions: 26.8” H x 18.9” W x 13.8” D

Color: Silver

Material: Metal and PU leather

Assembly required: No

Best rustic

This floating nightstand comes in a choice of finishes, but if you love the rustic decor trend then the weathered oak finish will go perfectly. The bottom self is a handy place to rest your phone, whilst there’s also space for books in the middle section and a lamp on top.

Dimensions: 13.25” H x 22.25” W X 11.63” D

Color: Oak

Material: Solid and manufactured wood

Assembly required: Yes

More Funky Nightstand Ideas

Bridgeport Nightstand

Tall Iron Nightstands

GDLMA Nightstand

Momme Dresser

How to choose a nightstand

The main purpose of a nightstand is, of course, to be functional – it’s somewhere to put a bedside lamp, a drink and perhaps your alarm clock or cell phone. Beyond that, the best nightstands make the most of the space with additional storage as well as being aesthetically pleasing.

There are three key things to consider when choosing a nightstand:

Size

The first thing that you’ll want to do is grab a pen, a piece of paper and a tape measure, so that you can make a note of the acceptable dimensions for your new nightstand.

Width

Measure how much space you have at the side of your bed. This is the maximum width that your nightstand can be. If possible, you’ll want to leave at least a couple of inches between the nightstand and the edge of the bed, as this will make the space look bigger and also make it less likely that you’ll knock things over in the night.

Depth

The maximum depth for a nightstand should be about 24 inches. Go any bigger than this and you’ll find that you need to shuffle down the bed to get in and out, which will be annoying.

Height

Ideally, bedside tables should be the same height as your mattress. Anything higher and you risk bashing your head on it. Anything lower just won’t look right.

Storage

Nightstands offer a great option for storage. Think about the storage that you have available already? Is your chest of drawers fit to burst? If so, you definitely don’t want to miss the opportunity to create extra storage by choosing a nightstand with drawers.

As a minimum, a nightstand should have a small drawer. Nightstands without drawers can look beautifully minimal, but aren’t practical if you need somewhere to keep your book, lip balm and tissues, (not to mention any intimacy items that you won’t want on display!)

Aesthetics

Think about the style of your bedroom – is it traditional, modern, minimalist, industrial, bohemian? You’ll want to choose a nightstand that fits in with everything else in the room.

Nightstands certainly don’t have to match your other bedroom furniture, but they should complement the overall look of the space.

Do you need two bedside tables?

You might be wondering if it’s okay to have only one bedside table. If the bed is for two people, then it makes sense to have two bedside tables, so that each person has their own reading light and somewhere to put their essentials. You definitely won’t want to be reaching across for water in the night.

If you have a double bed for one person, then it’s absolutely okay to have a single nightstand. If your bed is pushed against a wall then a single nightstand is your only option.

Should you have matching nightstands?

Whilst it’s common to have two matching bedside tables, this isn’t really necessary. If you find two unique nightstands that you love, then go for it!

Having odd nightstands adds visual interest to a room, but you’ll need to make sure that they complement each other. Read up on the rules for mismatched nightstands to make sure that your nightstands are unique enough, but also have some common details that tie them together.

What do you do if you don’t have a room for a nightstand?

If you move home and bring your king size bed into a smaller bedroom, you may find that there’s no room for nightstands. But fear not, there are lots of clever alternatives you can consider.

Try using these instead of a nightstand:

Can you use end tables as nightstands?

End tables are traditionally used next to sofas as an alternative to a central coffee table. But there’s absolutely no reason why you can’t use them as nightstands. In fact, nobody would ever know that your bedroom nightstand was marketed as an end table as they’re essentially the same thing.

How do you make a cheap nightstand?

If you have a tight budget to work to, one option is to make your own cheap nightstand. If you’re handy with power tools, there are various ways to upcycle old bits of wood into to create cool, unique nightstands.

One of the cheapest ways is to use old pallets. Take a look at this video for a tutorial.

If that seems like too much work, then visit some local yard sales, junk shop and flea markets to see if you can find any gems. Remember, that you’re not necessarily looking for a nightstand per se.

Other things that you can use as a nightstand include:

A stack of vintage suitcases
An upturned waste paper basket
A trunk
A conga drum
A stack of bricks
A ladder
A bar cart
A beer keg
A stack of books

Where to Find Unique Nightstands

Hopefully this article will have given you many ideas for unique nightstands. Once you’ve worked out the dimensions of your ideal nightstand, you’ll find lots of unusual bedside tables to buy online. Or, for something that’s truly one-of-a-kind, consider hunting for second hand items that you can convert into a nightstand or making your own from recycled wood.