Alternative Bedside Table Ideas for a Stylish Bedroom
Interior Styling Blog for Real Homes: Ideas, Advice & Inspiration
Hi, I’m Sandra, this blog is about interior styling for real homes. If you love interiors and want your home to feel stylish, pulled together, yet still personal, you’ve come to the right place. I’ll be sharing styling advice to help you edit, layer, and finish your home with confidence, alongside articles on what’s happening in the interiors world — from design events and colour stories to features on interior gurus - so you get the full picture.
I also take you on tours of beautifully styled homes from around the world, offering inspiration and styling ideas to steal for your own space. Ultimately, I’ll show you how a little bit of styling can be transformational and take your home to a whole new level.
In today’s post, I’m going to show you a few creative alternatives to a traditional bedside table or nightstand, from vintage hat boxes and upholstered pouffes to simple tree trunks.
Photo credit: Hovia
Bedside tables - or nightstands as they are also called - can add that touch of style to your room and complement any interior scheme. However, they do not need to be actual tables in the traditional sense. Picture a classic wooden bedside table with a single drawer and space underneath for books, and you’ll know what I mean. My own bedside tables have been an eclectic mix over the years, including a metal stool, drinks cabinet and tray table. At the moment, I use an upholstered pouffe topped with two white lacquered trays where I keep books and magazines organised, and display a scented candle and a couple of other decorative pieces.
Over the years, I’ve photographed all sorts of creative alternative bedside tables, from an old wooden crate to a silver birch tree trunk brought in straight from the garden. In this article, I’ll share some of my favourites, along with DIY options to spark your creativity. These bedside tables become a focal point in the bedroom and, like the one pictured here, can be a design element in their own right. What could feel more in keeping with the interior style of this bedroom than the gorgeous rattan tray side table shown here?. It works beautifully with the Glow wallpaper mural by Hovia, which pairs vintage palm tree illustrations with warm, earthy tones.
The benefits of a beside table
A bedside table is place for you to keep all your night-time essentials within easy reach. Even a small surface is often enough for a book, glass of water and other items such as reading glasses, phone, earplugs or medicines you might need during the night. Keeping everything in one place can help create a more restful environment, without the worry of knocking things over on the floor. A larger bedside table can be more convenient if you need a lamp as your main source of reading light. Aside from being functional, it provides a surface to display decorative pieces, small plants and books. Depending on the design you choose, you can keep items organised both on top and stored within it, making it a very useful piece of furniture.
Should your tables be a matching pair or individual piece?
Unless you particularly favour symmetry, bedside tables don’t need to match. This is especially true when buying a one-off vintage piece that cannot be found as a pair. I always have different tables on each side of the bed, including a vintage tray table and small drinks cabinet in my last home, both painted grey for a more cohesive look. Together with my pouffe on one side, I currently have an air purifier with a wooden lid on the other.
What you can use as a bedside table
Small stools - simple and ideal if you are limited for space or want to bring in a rustic touch with vintage-style pieces.
Hat boxes - vintage or new, stacked up in twos or threes for a truly individual look.
Tree trunks - make your own DIY table with a simple tree trunk or purchase a purpose-made version.
Small side tables - wood, metal and classic or modern, these work well as a beside table.
Tray table - lightweight and versatile, these make really interesting bedside tables.
Vintage tables - painted or left natural - these add charm and character.
Vintage wine crates and wooden food storage boxes - turned on their side, these can look great even in a modern bedroom.
Wooden ledges - a shelf or ledge is a great option in a bedroom without the floor space for a bedside table.
Built-in bedside tables - whether concrete or wood, these create a minimal look.
A chair - a small chair with a flat seat can double up as a table, especially retro types.
Stacks of books or magazines - a casual or temporary solution to put your drink and lamp on.
Old travel case or trunk - useful for storage as well as displaying a lamp, books and other items.
Hat boxes stacked up for a unique bedside table
Vintage hat boxes are a clever way to create your very own bespoke bedside table, like the ones shown here, which I photographed for an interiors magazine. The homeowner, interior stylist Clare Southcombe-Holmes, found the hat boxes in a vintage shop and loved the touch of nostalgia they brought to the room. We kept the styling simple, using a small vase with a single flower and a scented candle. Vintage cases can work just as beautifully, while also providing useful storage for books and practical bedside essentials.
Photo credit: Sandra van Aalst photographed and featured in Coast magazine.
Organic wooden tree trunk bedside table
Carved from a solid piece of wood, this tree trunk table is quite an imposing piece, yet still feels beautifully understated. It’s one of my favourite alternative bedside tables as it brings nature and an organic shape into the room in a sophisticated way and looks especially striking next to the beetroot-coloured linen by The Secret Linen Store. It has been styled with a few carefully chosen pieces, including unusually shaped ceramic vases and foliage. The table also works perfectly paired with the wooden headboard, helping the whole scheme feel cohesive.
Photo credit: The Secret Linen Store
Cloud-like poured-plaster bedside table
Designed by host and owner Natalie to feel cloud-like, this custom poured-plaster bed frame incorporates bedside tables as one seamless piece. This is such a simple yet elegant way to combine the tables, headboard, and bed frame as one. Natalie has kept the styling to a minimum with a magazine and vase of dried flowers, allowing for a woven pendant light to be a focal point. This bedroom is part of a stunning vacation rental in Joshua Tree that I wrote about a few months ago. If you’d like to see more images of Desert Wild, check out Stunning Moroccan-Inspired Desert Home Tour Packed with Styling Ideas.
Photo credit: courtesy of Desert Wild
An upholstered pouffe bedside table
A pouffe like the one shown here makes a lovely alternative bedside table. It adds colour, texture, and warmth to the room and is a useful place for hidden storage. Because it is upholstered, it works best teamed with a decorative tray, especially if you want to place a cup or glass on top and avoid spillages. For a more personal and considered look, a couple of books and a candle can also be added. The fabric of the pouffe can tie in with the wider interior scheme like it does here, contrasting with the vibrant mustard walls painted in Three Bears Earthborn paint. Notice how the stripes of the pouffe echo the blue in Avery’s Sky (also by Earthborn) which has been painted on the shelves and cabinet, making the room feel more pulled together.
Photo credit: Earthborn
Repurposed old crate as a rustic-style bedside table
This old wooden crate, repurposed by homeowner Clare Southcombe-Holmes as a bedside table for her daughter’s bedroom, is a piece that she believes was originally used for produce. It’s another one of my examples of budget-friendly yet characterful alternative bedside table. Clare, who is also an interior stylist, worked together with me to get a great shot that appeared in Dutch Magazine Ariadne at Home. For the styling, we added books, a jar with feathers, some flowers, and a quirky hand sculpture. It’s rustic at its best, bringing texture and individuality to the room, while proving that a bedside table doesn’t need to be an expensive designer piece to make an impact. If you’d like to see more of Clare’s styling ideas, I featured her in An Interior Stylist’s Vintage Filled Vacation Home.
Photo credit: Sandra van Aalst
Classic side table as a timeless bedside table
This classic round side model works well as an effortless bedside table. Because there is an alcove shelf displaying books and flowers, the table itself can remain small, with just enough space for the table lamp by Oka, to make a statement. Finished in antique gold, the table is decorative in its own right and pairs beautifully with the metal of the bed frame and the richly patterned soft furnishings, also by Oka. It often works well to have one metallic element, like the table, in a room, which adds warmth and texture. If you’d like to explore this further, you might want to read my feature on stylish interior elements to elevate your home, which includes introducing metallics into an interior.
Photo credit: OKA
Silver birch tree-trunk bedside table
This table is a wonderfully simple solution and completely individual. It’s nothing more than a tree trunk taken straight from the homeowner’s grounds and placed beside the bed. Small but practical, it provides just enough space for your book or glass. Like the bed frame, which the homeowner crafted himself, the trunk, which is from a silver birch tree, has been left completely untouched, with the raw bark adding texture for that organic feel. If you like the look, tree-trunk tables can be found in home stores.
Photo credit: Sandra van Aalst for Seasons Wonen, 25 Beautiful Homes and Modern Farmhouse magazines
Streamlined sleek bedside table
An elegant side table like this one, with its white stone top and slender steel legs, works beautifully as a bedside table. A pared back design with no drawers or shelves, is ideal if you want a more streamlined look. Keeping the table more discreet, like in the bedroom pictured here, allows for the beautiful cushions and bedspread in the Perth Bedroom range by Ian Mankin to be the main attraction This richly textural fabric has also been used to upholster the headboard and pendant lights, which in a group of three hung slightly staggered, create a striking feature above the table. It’s an example of how a bedside table does not need to be the key feature in a room to still look stylish and thoroughly considered.
Photo credit: Ian Mankin
Repurposed and painted bedside table
This image is of my sister’s heritage-style guest bedroom and, as you can see, she has an excellent eye for sourcing and refurbishing pre-loved and vintage pieces. The delicate bedside table was a shabby old wooden side table, which she gave a new lease of life with a couple of coats of paint. It is the mixture of the anthracite grey, delicate carving, and elegant legs that works so well with, and complements, the various yellow tones in the room. She styled it with a vintage framed still life, a vase of flowers, and a couple of small books. It’s a great example of how even the most time-worn pieces can be brought to life with a lick of paint and thoughtful styling.
Photo credit: Sandra van Aalst
Simple stool beside table
Easy to move, simple, and perfect for keeping a room looking uncluttered, a stool can make an excellent bedside table. Stools come in many different forms, from rustic vintage pieces to more modern, design-led styles, and they are often the ideal height to work comfortably next to a bed as a bedside table. Here, a stool has been styled very simply, just with a plant and an alarm clock for that pared-back Scandinavian feel. The contrast between the wooden legs and bright white finish gives it a fresh, modern look that pairs beautifully with the white floral bed linen.
Photo credit: Benjamin Voros at Unsplash
Rustic vintage stool bedside table
I am especially fond of these small rustic stools, also known as milking stools, which bring charm and character to a bedroom. My friend, artist Lou Rayburn, sourced a pair for either side of her guest bed from Sunbury Antiques Market near London, where you can often find real gems. The vintage Anglepoise lamp was also found there, and Lou wisely had it PAT tested before use. Similar vintage stools in various sizes can also be seen in the home of interiors guru Katie Fischer, which I featured recently, and they are available to buy through her online store.
Photo credit: Lou Rayburn @lourayburnprints
Minimalist custom-made bedside table
This minimalist, custom-made bedside table forms part of a built-in headboard with a narrow ledge on each side of the bed ideal for placing a glass of water or phone overnight. Made from rustic oak, the design also incorporates shelving behind the headboard and a low-level shelf. The overall result is understated and stylish, yet still warm and inviting. While the ledge is best suited for placing overnight essentials, the shelf behind offers the perfect spot for decorative pieces, as shown here with concrete pots and two white peonies. I styled it along with the homeowner, artist Armi Maddison, for a shoot that appeared in Modern Rustic magazine.
Photo credit: Sandra van Aalst
Mini round ledge table complete with light
What I love about this bedside light, complete with its built-in miniature wooden table, is that it’s the perfect solution for small bedrooms where you don’t have enough floor space for a bedside table. I sourced these from La Redoute for my own vacation rental and, as the image shows, they are just about big enough for a glass of water and a phone. Installed on each side of the bed, they prove that compact, dual-purpose designs are small but stylish alternatives if space is limited.
Photo credit: Sandra van Aalst
What home decor items to use to style your bedside table?
Styling a bedside table - or nightstand - depends on both personal taste and functionality. You may want space for practical everyday essentials such as a glass of water and a reading lamp, especially if you don’t have a wall light or pendant overhead. The size of your beside table or nightstand will also influence what you place on it and whether you want it to look styled or keep it minimal. For my own bedside set up, I use a large pouffe with two white trays to display books, magazines, scented candles and a glass of water. It works well being both practical and visually considered. Here are a some of the key items you can use for stying your bedside table.
A tray - useful for keeping items such as books, candles and vases neat and tidy.
A lamp - a portable lamp is especially useful as it avoids the need for a socket or any cables.
Vase of flowers - fresh or faux depending on your preference or if you have allergies.
A plant - a small potted plant like a succulent brings in nature and greenery.
A trinket tray - ideal for keeping a watch and jewellery in one place overnight.
Books & magazines - a small stack always looks stylish and is practical too.
A scented candle or diffuser - adds warmth and fragrance.
I’ll be sharing a more detailed post on how to style a bedside table in a future post, but for info on home decor items to style a room with you might want to read my home decor items to style your home post.
LET’S SUM UP
Whether it’s a repurposed piece, I hope this article has given you inspiration and also made you realise how creative you can be when it comes to choosing or handcrafting a table to place next to your bed.
