Upgrade Your Bedside Table: Discover the Ultimate Furniture Solution!
Today I wanted to share with you a simple trick that really makes a difference to my bedroom – for so many reasons. The trick? Well, it’s using chests of drawers for bedside tables! – an easy switch, but it makes a whole lot of sense when you think about it – so let’s delve deeper…
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If you’ve got enough room either side of your bed, then it works brilliantly to fill that space with chests of drawers instead of smaller bedside tables.
Convinced?
If you’re not sure then please bear with me – I’m pretty sure you’ll agree by the end of the post!
Why Do Chests Of Drawers Work So Well As Bedside Tables?
I want to go through the main reasons why I think this trick works so well –
#1 – You Use The Space Either Side of The Bed Much Better
Unless you only have small spaces either side of the bed (or no space at all), then chests of drawers maximise the space available so well.
If you have space for a chest of drawers and only add in a bedside table, then you have a lot of extra space that can’t really be used for anything.
Which leads me nicely on to #2…
#2 – You Don’t Need Extra Units In The Room As A Result
Because you are utilising the space where you need a unit anyway – you are making the most of what you put there, and taking away the need to have a chest of drawers somewhere around the rest of the room as a result.
This then makes the room feel more spacious, less cluttered, and a nicer place to be.
#3 – You Have More Storage Where You Need It Most
I have always found that standard sized bedside tables are too small for a master bedroom really.
They all too easily get crammed full of bits and bobs that are needed by the bed, but the small tables don’t really house everything I wanted there (books, medicine, pens, notepad, hand cream etc…).
Some don’t have any storage at all and then leave unsightly wires trailing behind from bedside lights…
Because they get crammed, they look more cluttered than necessary – and that doesn’t agree with me one little bit!
#4 – It Looks More In Proportion
Lastly – from an aesthetic point of view – the proportions of the room look better when you put chests of drawers next to larger beds. They are wide enough to balance out a larger bed, and you can get them so that they match the height of the bed as well – so everything looks “right”.
Bedside tables seem to get somewhat drowned out if they are very narrow or low.
In my own home it works really well because of the way the room is laid out.
We have the door on the wall opposite the bed, with a stretch of wardrobes along the rest of that wall. On the wall to the right is a radiator and then the door to our ensuite, and on the left of the bed is a wall filled with a bay window.
There isn’t really any space left for other units for storage – so because of this I wanted to maximise the areas next to the bed itself…
It would be really hard (almost impossible) to have a chest of drawers anywhere else in the room due to doors and radiators etc….
The only place that it would fit would be in the window area – but because we would need enough for 2 sets of drawers it would have ended up blocking the light.
I much prefer the setup we now have because we have the flexibility to add a chair and a plant to the bay window area – creating a nice seating area and making much better use of the space in the room as a whole.
… so – what’s in the chests of drawers?
Well, since you asked so nicely ;o)
The top of each of our drawers contains all the usual bedside table items – they are easy to grab when we need them which is perfect.
The second drawer on my hubby’s side is underwear, and the bottom drawer is nightwear and t-shirts. It works really well as these sorts of items are handy by the bed as well.
On my side – both bottom drawers are underwear (girls just have more!), nicely next to the bed and ready for the mornings.
Where Does It Work Best?
I wouldn’t go back to using smaller bedside tables – and think that it definitely works best in a Master Bedroom as it gives the room a sense of grandeur. Everything is to scale and the room feels more balanced.
It even works well in kids rooms by having a chest of drawers at the side of their single bed rather than a bedside table. Keeps the amount of furniture down and the cleaning less!
However, there is of course always a time and place for using smaller bedside tables: –
- Where space is tight
- Where you don’t need to store as much (i.e. guest bedrooms)
If you’ve got the room in your bedroom, and you already have chests of drawers – would it work better for you to do a furniture move around?
For me, this solution works on so many levels – because when it comes to organising any space in my house, I try and maximise every inch. This doesn’t mean using every inch though!
It’s nice to have some space left – and using chests of drawers instead of bedside tables takes away the need for extra furniture while making the room more functional and stylish at the same time.
I’m in heaven!
…and if you’ve got the bedroom organising itch after reading this, why not take a look at my top bedroom organising tips next – just CLICK HERE and you’ll go straight there…
