Styling a nightstand can feel like a daunting task. But, it’s often a focal point of a room and is the first thing you see beside the bed. In this post, I’ll walk you through practical but visually appealing ways to decorate your bedside table and how to improve the overall appearance of a nightstand.
In my home, I have nightstands to decorate in my bedroom, my kids’ rooms, and the guest bedroom. I try to keep things practical while also adding my grandmillennial style. A bedside table is one of those pieces of furniture that you know you need to style, but you aren’t quite sure how to.
I’ll show you some of my favorite pieces and how I use them. By the end of this post, you’ll have ideas to style your own nightstand in a way that’s both useful and pretty. If you have a small room or large space, I’ve got something for you!
Why Decorate a Nightstand?
While the main concept of a nightstand is to serve the purpose of holding your alarm clock, phone charger, and other essential items, it’s a good idea to also make it decorative. I think it’s very important to decorate your nightstand (without going over the top!) to help you feel like you’re walking into a well put together space each time you enter the bedroom. After all, this is where you are going to relax and rewind! A plain, uncoordinated nightstand can leave you feeling less than enthused to step foot into your room.
Whether you have a small bedroom or a large bedroom, styling your nightstand can take your room from boring to uplifting pretty quickly!
What Items are Essential for a Nightstand?
Of course, this isn’t a one size fits all question. Everyone will have unique needs and different styles. However, I can provide a general list of things that most people find helpful. These are the bedside essentials that you most commonly find!
- Lamp
- Phone Charger
- Small Basket
- Candle
- Picture Frame
- Vase and Faux Stems
- Decorative Books
- Coasters
- White Noise Machine
- Trinket Trays
What to Put on the Bottom Shelf of a Nightstand?
Not many do, but some nightstands only have one drawer and then have an extra shelf at the bottom instead or two main drawers. If you’re faced with styling the bottom shelf of a nightstand, fret not!
For the bottom shelf, my tip is to find one large item. That’s right, you just need ONE thing! Especially if your small bedside table is being properly decorated on the top, you don’t need to get carried away with a bunch of decorative elements on the bottom shelf.
Here are some ideas on what you can place there. A large decorative basket is a good choice. You get extra storage space and it fills up the extra room. It’s a great opportunity for open storage that doubles as decor!
A stack of decorative books that start large and gradually get smaller as you work your way up the stack is also a stylish pick. Finally, a small throw blanket folded up is an uncommon but the perfect solution for styling the bottom shelf of your nightstand. Choose one in the color scheme of your bedroom and fold it up neatly.
How to Style a Bedside Table
It’s not hard to style a small nightstand. It just takes a little bit of intentionality. I’ll walk you through my process!
First, consider whose bedroom this is. I like to first think about if this my bedroom, my guest bedroom, or my child’s bedroom. This is important because for obvious reasons, the decor you select for an adult and a child will greatly vary. In addition, while personalized photo frames may be great for your own bedroom, it’s not really the most appropriate for a guest bedroom.
Next, run through the list above and select about 3-5 must haves. I recommend three items for a small side table so it does not become overwhelming. A reading lamp of some kind is almost always a great option. A phone charger isn’t necessary for kids (most likely).
Once you’ve sourced your three or four pieces, it’s time to arrange them! I like to keep them somewhat central so there is some enough space left for a phone or glass of water. If it fills up the entire nightstand it could become cluttered looking.
Now that you know how to style a small bedside table, let’s run through key elements that could be apart of your end table design! I’ll also show you a peak at all of the different nightstands throughout my home. Let’s explore these beautiful bedside table ideas together.
Reading Table Lamps
A source of light is a fantastic way to bring more ambiance to the room and take up vertical space. Especially if you have a narrow bedside table like this one, that is important. I decided to make this rattan scalloped lamp the focal point of this nightstand so added in just a few other small pieces beside it. Since the lamp is made from a natural material, it doesn’t look overly flashy.
This is my husbands side of the bed so a trinket tray for his watch or ring is so handy. I love our Snooz machine also, it’s the best white noise sound machine out there.
In this display, the reading lamp is the star and the small trinket tray, sound machine, small candle and family photo frame help bring it all together. Notice how the majority of the elements are towards the back allowing a nice clean space in the front right section of this white nightstand. This white section helps avoid the messy look and also doubles as somewhere he can put his phone.
Pretty Vase with Florals
Another great way to bring the eye upwards is with a tall vase. Add in some pretty flowers (real or fake!) for the sweetest touch. If your decor style is more neutral, a white vase of flowers is perfect. I love pops of color so this stunning green vase caught my eye. Filled with pink and blue flowers, it’s a real show stopper!
This is the perfect guest room nightstand layout. There isn’t anything too personal (just swap the candles for ones that are generic) but it still looks warm and inviting. A bedside lamp, vase with flowers, and a couple of candles is all it took!
Trinket Trays
Trinket trays or small little baskets are perfect for housing all the miscellaneous items that are sure to find their way out of your pockets and onto your table! Of course these are practical, but can also be so fun and stylish if you pick one that matches your bedroom theme.
While this one is my husbands, a white scalloped trinket tray or one with block prints would be more up my alley! Even super small spaces can benefit from a tiny little storage basket or tray. This simple design is perfect.
Personalized Photo Frames
Picture frames are a go-to for bedside table decorating. They add such a personal touch! In children’s bedrooms or adult bedrooms they make a heartfelt design statement.
Since this lamp is what I want the eye drawn to, I strategically placed two lower frames beside it to finish off the look. Instead of going over the top with jewelry trays or decorative books here, I choose to keep it a minimalist design.
Decorative Books
If you have the space, decorative books are perfect for bringing together your rooms color scheme. It’s so easy to add in books that coordinate with the other colors of your room to create a cohesive look.
One tip I have is to purchase a set for your bookshelf, coffee table, and nightstands. Then you can swap out the location of each at various points throughout the year to create a new look without having to buy new items each time!
For this room, we’re combining lighting, a pretty vase, a personal frame and decorative books for a traditional bedside table. It’s perfect since the walls around it are white and the bedspread is white. This bedside table needed to bring some “life” into the space. It totally does!
Kid Friendly Decor
If you are styling a nightstand for a little one, be mindful of the fact that they might want some fun additions to their bedside table. A dinosaur figurine or tonie box might be just the ticket. The key to maintaining a visually pleasing nightstand when using toys or other child approved gadgets is to keep it minimal.
Three items on this table is more than enough for this compact space. Also note how they are all clustered together in the middle. This is so there is still plenty of empty space so we can see the rattan.
My little boy loves having these fun items on his bedside table and could care less about faux flowers, frames, or pretty trays. He needs just the bedtime essentials!
Pretty Trays
An incredibly easy way to take up space and nail your bedside table decorating in one swoop is to use a decorative tray. This doubles as somewhere to house your small items like chapstick, keys, etc. but also makes a pretty statement.
Color Coordinated
If you’re still stumped for ideas, choose one color and base the majority of your decor on that. In this room, I went with pink for a creative bedside table! By bringing in several pink pieces it now looks like a well thought out decorative table.
For a couple’s bedroom, I’m always partial to light blue or green. It embodies the grandmillennial theme I have throughout the rest of my house.
Final Thoughts
We’ve talked about different ways to style your bedside table, like using lamps, trinket trays, picture frames, trays, and books. These tips can help you make your nightstand both useful and nice to look at. Remember, it’s about balancing what you need with what you like. With a little effort, you can make your bedside table a great part of your bedroom. Now, start decorating the perfect bedside table for you!
Leave a Reply