The two questions that decide most bedside table purchases are how tall it needs to be and what has to fit inside it. Match the top surface to the height of your mattress, then choose drawers or shelves based on what actually lives beside your bed. Everything else, from finish to shape, follows from those answers.<\/p>\n
A bedside table is a small piece of furniture that you interact with more often than almost anything else in the house: last thing at night, first thing in the morning, and in the dark in between. Getting it right is worth a few minutes of thought. Here are the fifteen questions worth asking.<\/p>\n
Aim for the top surface to sit level with the top of your mattress or up to 5cm above it. Most bedside cabinets fall between 45cm and 65cm tall, and mattress heights vary considerably once a divan base or topper is involved. Measure from the floor to the top of your mattress before shopping, not the bed frame.<\/p>\n
Measure the gap between the bed and the wall or wardrobe. Leave at least 5cm clear on each side so the cabinet does not scrape when you move the bed to clean. In tight rooms, 35cm to 40cm wide is manageable. Where space allows, 45cm to 55cm gives a more generous surface.<\/p>\n
Depth should roughly match the bed, so the front edge aligns with the mattress rather than projecting into the walkway. Around 35cm to 40cm suits most rooms. Deeper cabinets hold more but are easier to catch your hip on when passing.<\/p>\n
No, but it should relate to it. Repeating the wood tone, the leg style or the handle finish is enough to make the pair look intentional. A contrasting bedside cabinet can look deliberately collected, provided the contrast is repeated elsewhere in the room.<\/p>\n
Drawers hide what you would rather not see. Open shelves are easier to reach into and suit books and a folded item or two. A combination of one drawer over one shelf covers most needs, which is why it is the most common configuration.<\/p>\n
List it honestly: phone, charger, book, glasses, water, hand cream, medication, remote. If that list is long, one small drawer will not cope and you will end up with a cluttered surface. Two drawers, or a cabinet with a door, may serve better.<\/p>\n
Chargers are the most common source of bedside mess. Look for a cabinet with a cut out at the back, or plan to run the cable up behind it. Some designs include integrated charging, though a simple cable tidy inside a drawer works just as well.<\/p>\n
If you read in bed, the lamp takes priority and the remaining surface needs to accommodate a glass and a book. A cabinet 40cm wide with a large lamp base leaves almost nothing. Either choose a slimmer lamp or a wider cabinet. Our modern table lamps UK sale<\/a> range includes compact designs intended for exactly this situation.<\/p>\n Wood adds warmth and hides marks well. High gloss reflects light and suits darker rooms, though it shows fingerprints. Mirrored fronts add sparkle and disappear visually, which helps in small rooms. Painted finishes give you colour without committing the whole room to it.<\/p>\n If you prefer natural materials, browse our wooden bedside cabinets UK sale<\/a> selection, where oak and walnut tones sit comfortably alongside most bed frames.<\/p>\n A glass of water beside the bed will eventually be knocked over. Lacquered and gloss surfaces wipe clean easily. Untreated or lightly oiled wood is more vulnerable to water marks. If you drink tea in bed, a coaster and a wipeable finish will save you regret.<\/p>\n Check for smooth drawer runners, ideally with a soft close mechanism, and a solid back panel. Small furniture takes more handling than large furniture, and cheap runners in a bedside drawer become annoying quickly because you use them every day.<\/p>\n A pair either side of the bed creates symmetry that most bedrooms benefit from. If only one side is available, consider a slightly larger single cabinet and balance the room with something of similar visual weight opposite, such as a chair or a floor lamp.<\/p>\n If the gap beside the bed is under 30cm, a standard cabinet will not work. Options include a narrow console style table, a wall mounted shelf where fixings are allowed, or a compact round table that removes the sharp corner from the walkway.<\/p>\n Most cabinets are symmetrical, but if you are buying a design with an asymmetric door or an angled top, check which way it opens. A door that swings into the bed is a daily irritation.<\/p>\n Bedside cabinets outlast most other bedroom furniture because they are useful in any room and easy to move. Choosing a restrained design in a versatile finish means the piece survives changes of bed, house and taste.<\/p>\n Square and rectangular cabinets are the default, and they use the space efficiently against a straight wall. Round tables suit narrow walkways and soften a room full of straight lines, though they offer less usable surface. Cabinets with tapered legs sit lighter in a room and make the floor visible beneath.<\/p>\n Where the bed sits close to a radiator or a window, a low profile design keeps sightlines clear. In a room with dark corners, mirrored or gloss finishes catch the light. Our range of high gloss bedside cabinets UK<\/a> is worth a look if the bedroom sits on a north facing side of the house.<\/p>\n A bedside surface looks best with three or four items, not eight. A lamp for height, something low such as a book or tray, and one small object with personality is enough. A small dish for rings and keys prevents them scattering.<\/p>\n If your surface tends to collect things, the cabinet is probably the wrong configuration rather than you being untidy. Adding a drawer solves it far more reliably than resolving to keep the top clear.<\/p>\nMaterials and Finish<\/h3>\n
9. Which finish suits the room?<\/h3>\n
10. How will it handle spills and marks?<\/h3>\n
11. Is the construction sound?<\/h3>\n
Layout and Practicality<\/h3>\n
12. Do you need one or two?<\/h3>\n
13. Is the room too narrow for a standard cabinet?<\/h3>\n
14. Which side does the drawer suit?<\/h3>\n
15. Will it still work in your next home?<\/h3>\n
Shape Options Worth Considering<\/h3>\n
Styling the Surface<\/h3>\n