The bedside table is the most personal piece of furniture in the home. It holds the objects you reach for half-asleep, it is the last surface you see before sleep and the first on waking, and it says something specific about how you inhabit your bedroom. Getting it right is small in scale but significant in daily quality of life.
Getting the Height Right
The single most important specification for a bedside table: it should be at or very slightly above the height of the top of the mattress when someone is lying in bed. This allows you to reach items without lifting your arm at an awkward angle and ensures the lamp on the surface throws light at a useful height.
Standard mattress-and-base combinations sit at approximately 60–65 cm. Platform beds sit lower, at approximately 45–50 cm. Measure your mattress height before purchasing a bedside table.
Size and Proportion
The bedside table should be approximately 40–60% of the bed's height in visual mass — substantial enough to feel purposeful, not so large that it dominates. In a bedroom with a large bed, a bedside table that is too narrow or fragile looks lost.
Proportion to the room: in a large master bedroom, a substantial bedside table with drawers reads well. In a smaller bedroom or a room with a single bed, a more slender option — or a floating shelf — preserves floor space. See the luxury bedroom design guide for the complete bedroom picture.
Style Approaches
Matching pair: Two identical bedside tables either side of a double or king bed. The most formal and resolved approach — pairs read as designed. Pair with matching table lamps for the maximum effect.
Complementary mismatched: Two different bedside tables that share a material, colour or metal finish. More personal and collected in feel. Each side of the bed can reflect the individual sleeping there.
Single bedside: For a single bed or for a bed positioned against a wall. In this case, make the single bedside table count — a more significant piece is appropriate when it has no partner.
Floating shelf: A wall-mounted shelf as a bedside surface. Ideal for small bedrooms where floor space is at a premium. Pair with a wall-mounted lamp to free up shelf surface entirely for personal objects.
What to Put on It
The bedside table requires ruthless editing — it is a small surface in constant use, and it will accumulate objects quickly if not deliberately managed. The essential objects: a lamp, a small tray to contain phone, keys and glasses, and one decorative object.
The lamp: Provides reading light and creates the final mood before sleep. A table lamp with a warm-toned shade at 2700K on a dimmer is the gold standard. See the table lamp guide.
The tray: A small tray that contains the functional objects — phone, glasses, lip balm — and prevents them spreading across the surface.
The decorative object: A small vase with a single stem, a small candle, a single meaningful object. One is enough — more creates visual noise at a surface viewed at close range from a supine position.
The book: The current book being read. Not a stack of books — that is a statement of aspiration rather than reality and takes up disproportionate space on a small surface.
Alternatives to Conventional Bedside Tables
- Small stool: A side stool (used as a table) adds warmth and an unexpected material to a bedroom.
- Crate or trunk: Provides storage and surface simultaneously.
- Stack of quality books: A considered stack of art books as the surface itself, with a tray on top.
- Hanging bedside caddy: For very small spaces where even a small table is impractical.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What height should a bedside table be?
- At or very slightly above the top of the mattress. Standard beds sit at 60–65 cm; platform beds at 45–50 cm. Measure before purchasing.
- What should you put on a bedside table?
- A lamp, a small tray for functional items, the book you are reading, and one decorative object. Edit ruthlessly — it is a small surface in constant use.
- Should bedside tables match?
- Not necessarily. A matching pair is formal and resolved; different bedside tables with a shared element (metal finish, wood tone) is more personal and collected. Both work.
