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Updated: Jun 10, 2022 by Kris Jarrett

Unique Nightstand Ideas

Looking for unique nightstand ideas? Try one of these!

When buying furniture for a bedroom, it’s tempting to buy a matching set where the headboard, nightstands, and chest of drawers are all the exact same color and style. It’s a quick and easy way to furnish an entire room and you can often get furniture sets for a super low price. But the truth is that most beautifully decorated rooms have pieces that feel like they’ve been collected over time rather than purchased in a single visit to Furniture Fair. A good start to having this “collected” feel would be to have nightstands that are unique and “non-matchy”. You could buy a typical nightstand in a different finish or material than the rest of your bedroom furniture or you could try out one of these unique ideas! (post includes affiliate links – full disclosure statement available {here})

Use a Step Ladder as a Nightstand

A small step ladder with wide rungs that you can stack a lamp, clock, and a few bedside books on can work well as a nightstand. You can find a vintage step ladder such as this cute painted wood one found at {this Etsy shop}:

A short vintage step ladder makes a great unique nightstand!

By searching antique stores, flea markets, eBay, and Etsy you’ll find lots of unique vintage options but if you want something more modern and fresh, check out {this cute white ladder shelf}:

This darling ladder shelf would make the perfect unique nightstand!

Create a Nightstand from Stacked Vintage Suitcases

Stacking 2-3 suitcases makes a beautifully unique nightstand, especially if they’re vintage Louis Vuitton suitcases like these that are propped on wood blocks:

Stacked vintage Louis Vitton suitcases create a gorgeously unique nightstand!

House Beautiful

You could create a nightstand on a much smaller budget by spray painting old suitcases white like this:

Paint a pair of old suitcases and stack them to create a unique nightstand!

A Beach Cottage

Turn a Folding Tray Table Into a Nightstand

A folding tray table can be a stylish, inexpensive stand-in for your typical nightstand:

A stylish folding table can double as a unique nightstand!

Horchow

You can use a simple, clean-lined folding tray table like {this one}, a more ornate folding tray table like {this one}, or even {this teak beauty}.

A Small Desk Can do Double Duty as a Nightstand

This is one of my favorite unique nightstand ideas because it’s such a smart one! A small desk such as {this one} can serve as a works space or vanity along with functioning as a nightstand:

One 2021 design trend is double duty decor like this small desk that doubles as a nightstand

Image courtesy of West Elm

Sources:  Desk  |  Black sconce  |  Mirror  |  Chair

These are a few other small stylish desks that would make great nightstands:

Favorite small desks

Sources: 1. Mid-Century Mini Desk (3 finish options) |  2. Livingston Writing Desk (4 finish options) |  3. Beadboard Classic Desk  |  4. Quinn Fluted Desk (2 finish options)  |  5. Simple Parsons Desk (multiple color options)  |  6. Haywa Desk (4 color options)  |  7. Folsom Writing Desk with Drawer (2 finish options)  |  8. Homfa Writing Desk  |  9. Parsons Mini Smart Desk  |  10. Tilden Small Space Desk  |  11. Casada Desk (4 color options)

Use a Rolling Cart as a Nightstand

Yet another option is to use a rolling cart such this IKEA kitchen cart:

This rolling cart makes a unique small space nightstand

The Freelancer’s Fashion Blog

or {this rattan bar cart}:

This rolling rattan bar cart makes the cutest unique nightstand!

A Small Chest of Drawers As a Nightstand

My last idea is a practical solution that’s especially smart when space is tight – place a small chest of drawers next to the bed to do double duty as a nightstand. I did this in my girls’ bedroom, using a small chest between their two beds as a nightstand:

Along with our new wallpaper, there are a few other additions to my girls’ room that I’m happy to share sources for. We already had {these cute twin beds} (they’re no longer available in the Driftwood finish that I have but are still available in French White) but I upgraded the small nightstand that was previously between them to a larger white chest found {here}:

This small white chest is perfect or a bedroom nightstand

Sources:  Chest  |  Rattan lamp  |  Peel & stick wallpaper  |  Twin beds  |  Blush tasseled duvet cover

I hope you found a few ideas and inspiration for changing up your bedroom in ways that you’ll love!

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Categories: Bedrooms

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Comments

  1. Stacey {steward of design} says

    December 19, 2012 at 1:22 pm

    Yes, I committed this sin as well and am slowly trying to fix this error.
    Good luck on your last minute to do’s, I will be doing the same.

    Reply
    • Kris @ Driven by Décor says

      December 19, 2012 at 10:17 pm

      Thanks Stacey, I’m off work tomorrow and hoping to bang out my 20+ item to-do list! Hope you get yours done too and have a great Christmas!

      Reply
  2. Jill says

    December 27, 2018 at 3:01 pm

    I have also seen a designer’s small New York apartment where he used a stack of large books as a bedside table. It was a great way to store the books yet be able to see them while also using them as a small piece of furniture in a tight space.

    Reply
    • Kris Jarrett says

      January 02, 2019 at 1:00 pm

      That’s so smart!!

      Reply

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