While they may not possess the same gravitas as the mattress, bed sheets, or pillows in your bedroom setup, the best nightstands help tie the room together to make it a prime place to retreat after a day of nonstop grinding. Sure, all a bedside table does is store your glass of water, the stack of books you’re pretending to read, and your phone, but it’s probably one of the last things you’ll see before you drift off to snooze town and the first thing you see once you’re back in reality. We’re gassing up the humble nightstand quite a bit, but c’mon, you didn’t spend all that time shopping for a sexy bed frame only to park a subpar table right beside it.
In our search of the best nightstands, we wanted to think outside the typical all-wood, midcentury-leaning nightstand that so many retailers offer in favor of thoughtful, flex-worthy designs. Luckily, design brands know you’re in your funky era just as much as we are, so we surfaced 15 swervy nightstands (and versatile side tables) that’ll easily boost your bedroom aesthetics.
The Best Nightstands, at a Glance
It’s time for bed right now, and that means you want your nightstand right now. Skip the lullabies and get straight to the sexiest nightstands in the land.
The Best Nightstand, Overall: TOOU Tomo End Table
Its roomy surface, affordable price point, generously sized interior, compact size, and sleek cutout design make TOOU’s Tomo our pick for the best nightstand. This GQ Sleep Award winner is definitely not the staid all-wood nightstand you’re used to. Instead, it’s sourced from recycled plastic (which is TOOU’s calling card, and helps keep costs low despite its elegant, expensive-looking design). This guy doesn’t even have drawers—but we like how the open storage allows you to display your favorite reading materials, and that the table even has space underneath to stuff your slippers or hide an unsightly power strip. The Tomo comes in four muted colorways, and it ships in one piece, so there’s no Ikea-esque assembly required. For around $100, you won’t find anything swervier.
The Best Splurge-y Nightstand: USM Haller P Bedside Table
For over 60 years, USM has been producing its Haller bedside tables alongside its coveted modular collection of bedroom and office furniture. Those six decades of production underscore how well these designs have aged, and they’re still wildly popular today among deep-pocketed vintage furniture collectors. The chrome steel frame construction paired with any of the six available finishes makes this one of the most attractive nightstands around. In fact, it’s such a lauded piece of furniture that it’s even part of the Museum of Modern Art’s permanent collection. Oh, and that bottom drawer locks for keeping your, uh, personal items (i.e. sex toys) under wraps.
The Best Acrylic Nightstand: MoMA Design Store Two-Way Side Table
Clear, translucent nightstands can take the pressure off of color-matching by easily blending into their surroundings. Or, in the case of this acrylic MoMA number, they become the accent piece in your space. This splashy side table, which comes in a variety of other color-blocked options, is best suited for roomier bedroom arrangements (the thing clocks in at 18 inches wide) but it’s certainly a conversation-starter wherever it’s parked. Used upright or turned on its side, it’s also got enough storage to display your latest reads. Just be careful with the material itself, which can scratch easily if you’re not careful.
The Best Wood Nightstand: Article Falco
Fine, fine. You still want a wooden side table. At least go for something a little playful like Article’s elegantly designed Falco. Its geometric, sculpted base subtly nods to Noguchi’s school of sculptural furniture, albeit at a much lower price. Its solid construction also means it’ll be durable over the years,
The Best OG Nightstand: Kartell Componibili
If you see a Kartell Componibili storage unit in someone’s home, you can assume they have solid taste—and that they’re a keeper, friendship-wise. Like the USM collection, Kartell has been producing Anna Castelli Ferrieri’s Componibili for literal decades because of its timeless design and endless functionality. The Componibili actually comes in various sizes, depending on how many drawers you want, but we opted for the modest three-drawer model, which is sized just right for a nightstand. Sliding open the doors almost feels like a game of hide and seek with your own belongings, though we do wish the circular handles were sealed so that the entire drawers were fully covered when closed.
The Best Oversized Nightstand: Blu Dot Li’l Something Side Table
Blu Dot is producing a bounty of singular contemporary designs from its Minneapolis HQ, like this Li’l Something side table that has a lotta big things (sorry) to offer. The 17-inch wide nightstand is essentially a double-decker side table for twice the storage space. Along with the Componibili above, it’s also one of the more functional side tables for guys with a lot of gear to keep straight. Listen, some assembly is required, but it’s going to be worth it, especially for the little added detail of the cord management system (because our tech has to be charged day and night).
The Best Pedestal Nightstand: Urban Outfitters Huron
Its round edges and pedestal shape elevate this piece over the dozens of other midcentury wood nightstands you see at big box retailers. The modern-rustic design is solid mango with built-in storage for personal items and umentionables. Even if you’ve aged out of the Urban Outfitters clothing section, the brand’s in-house furniture includes some surprising gems.
The Best Floating Nightstand: Curvature Wall Table
Floating nightstands are a helpful option if you have limited floor space and prefer a more minimalist aesthetic, and this stripped-down wall table certainly qualifies. Built more like a sculpture than a regular side table, it’s certainly an upgrade on typical shadow boxes, while still laying out enough space for your phone, a glass of water, or an analogue alarm clock.
The Best Squiggly Nightstand: Areaware Splat Side Table
This squiggly side table earned a nod in our most recent GQ Home Awards for its bright, bubbly design that would perk up any bedroom nook. Created by artist Sophie Collé in collaboration with Areaware, the Splat comes in a slew of vibrant hues like this pale blue that resembles a cloud. Like the rest of Areaware’s designs, it’s also got plenty of personality at a relatively inexpensive price if you blew the rest of your budget on a mattress.
Plus, 6 More Nightstands We Love
This Umbra side table is part of a larger Bellwood collection that features the same gentle curves and subtle colorblocking. The design forgoes traditional legs over elliptical bends, with two tiers of storage that keep everything you need within arm’s reach.
If you’re into mod Space Age design or just want to imbue your place with more color, this kooky acrylic nightstand has a lot of things going for it. The bended legs give you room to slide your slippers underneath when they’re not in use, while the interior cubby gives you some prime real estate to display your half-finished reads. The price is just right at under $150, and they’d never guess you panic-bought this on Amazon.
Hem’s design-forward furniture gives emerging designers a spotlight for their work. The Hide, designed by Karoline Fesser, is one of the brand’s most popular items, with vibrant color to help you wake up in the morning and ample storage for shelving your essentials. If you need something even taller, the Hide also comes in a larger three-shelf option.
Frama’s shelving is beloved by design nerds who covet a certain barebones, brutalist look. Made from laser-cut aluminum, the Rivet Box shares the same ethos, with sharp edges that can be turned vertically or horizontally.
This Bauhaus-inspired stainless steel side table combines curvaceous storage slots with a flat surface for balancing drinks and collectibles on. Though the slim open design only holds a few select items—books, magazines, maybe a laptop and tablet—we think less clutter might help you sleep a little easier anyways.
At first glance, this table looks like it could be crafted from ceramic, stone, or concrete, but it’s actually made from tiny specks of recycled plastic. Built like a splashy pedestal, it comes from design studio Normann Copenhagen and is lightweight enough to transport from room to room depending on where it’s needed: as a bench, a side table, or a bedside table.
Read the full article here
