15 beautiful nightstands to wake up next to

Nightstand or bedside table. However you say it, it’s hard to make them sound interesting. Bedside storage is often created in correspondence with the bed itself, flat and square, while for the few who dare to walk the creative tightrope away from the norm, there’s a hazardous drop in functionality awaiting below.

Whether specifiers want their nightstands to stand up and ring the morning bell, or if they want a bedside table to quietly snooze unnoticed in the background, there are those that sit at both sides of the form/function scale, as well as both sides of the bed.

Nightstands are like frames that surround the artwork of the bed. For example, the rounded curves and intricate detail of a vintage bedside table — or even a newer version like Marioni’s Fes, with its strong rounded shoulders — can sit comfortably in bedrooms with intricate carvings and mouldings. Reseda’s TreDue Sfera nightstand’s modern combination of clean lines and smooth curves in natural wood and vibrant colour alternatively represents the simplicity of youth. Never be afraid, however, to contrast one style with another, enabling both to stand out. F.LLI BOFFI’s (W)hole Commode presents two contrasting styles all by itself, with a bullet wound through its mahogany form proving it, like its owner, bleeds individualism.

Because beds are generally formed from quadrangles, adding similar shapes to each side gently continues the landscape, with no need for drama. Sudbrock’s modular storage furniture system, Fokus, for example, includes right-angle nightstands and beds at the same height for ease of use, as part of a storage furniture masterplan including wardrobes and shelving too. If you believe nightstands need to stand out to be counted, however, contrasting circular tables like DRAENERT’s NIGHT IV make their presence felt, glamorously introducing the bed as a focal point.

It doesn’t matter what shape the nightstand is, as long as it’s flat. Or so seemingly is the opinion of AllesWirdGut Architektur and their client, the magdas hotel in Vienna, where various rooms feature nightstands made from flat-top stools or even half a chair, stuck in a wall. Forgo this golden rule of table design, and somehow things get a lot more functional. Strackk’s Micro bedside shelf features a deep well for open bottles, shielding them from stray arms or pillows, while Mobilfresno’s Supernatural range features small, recessed storage compartments, perfect to lock away distractingly flashing electricals.

A little bit of under storage helps keep a nightstand’s surface clean and clutter-free, but too much storage only brings the temptation to use it. So how much is too much? It may look like a workplace photocopier, but for those who like to keep their life in order even when they’re asleep, the answer to be found in B—Line’s Boby trolley is that it’s never too much. Alternatively, by restricting oneself to just the one open shelf, minimal options like Vintage Side from Karpenter or Romeo from Giorgetti hide a few, and only a few, objects from sight.

A clear nightstand settles the mind before bed, but one object imperative on many (mine included) is a light. While I can’t drift off without reading, it’s a different story on the other side of the bed, where my wife needs complete darkness. Seemingly made for this specific dilemma, OLIGO’s A Little Bit luminaire has adjustable positioning, direction, intensity and radius, while the wall versions don’t even take up table space. Certain products, however, like GUBI’s elegant Multi-Lite lamp with manually adjustable shades altering light intensity and direction, are worth making room for.

Thinking outside the two-drawer box, the final type of nightstand is none at all. Caccaro’s Groove bed features a slim, wide shelf to keep nighttime essentials like drinks and spectacles close, while quadrupling up as a headboard, ambient light and speaker. As thin as they can get, however, some small bedrooms literally have no space to spare. This literal box room in Flat 35 m2 wastes absolutely nothing by opening up a neighbouring cupboard to use as a shelf, while Craftwand’s versatile blocks can construct a headboard with shelves just by forgetting a block or two.

© Architonic