Bedside table styling advice

Give your bedside table some much-deserved TLC and create a display that feels intentional and chic with our bedside table styling ideas.

If you ask us, the bedside table is the most neglected surface in every bedroom. It’s either over-cluttered and impractical or completely bare and lacking style. Neither of which bodes well if you’re keen to create a calming bedroom aesthetic.

By treating your bedside tables in the same way you would any other element in your bedroom, from your bed to your wardrobe organisation, you can completely transform the look and feel of your space. Because when designs are intentional, they don’t just look good – they have a positive effect on our moods, too.

In this guide, we’ve pulled together our expert tips on bedside table styling, covering everything from scale and proportions to the golden rules of layouts, so you can curate your dream bedside table set up.

The power of bedside tablescaping

The secret of a well-styled beside table is striking the perfect balance between function and form. If your nightstand is too cluttered, you won’t be able to use it properly. But if it’s over-styled and impractical, you risk the same issue. By designing something that looks beautiful but has everything you need to reach for at your fingertips, you’ll go to bed – and wake up – feeling much calmer.

1. Get the height right

Kicking things off with the practicalities: It’s important to pay attention to the height of your furniture. Ideally, your bedside table should sit level with your mattress. Too low and it’s awkward to reach; too high and it may look totally wrong in your space. To avoid any disappointment, ensure you have a tape measure to hand when choosing the right nightstand for your bedroom. To get the measurements right, check the height of your bed frame and the depth of your mattress.

2. Scale it to the bed, not the room

Next, you need to think about scales and proportions. A king size bed needs a table with some presence, whereas a small table next to a super king looks lost. Make sure to view your bed and bedside tables as a perfect pairing to create a cohesive design.

3. Follow the rule of three

Have you ever come across the ‘rule of three’ in interior design? Essentially, this design trick is all about working with odd numbers. Essentially, three items grouped together on a bedside table is a foolproof trick for creating a visually pleasing display. Don’t ask us why. We just know that three things grouped together on a bedside table always look more considered than two or four. Don’t believe us? Give the technique a spin and see for yourself.

4. Layer your heights

Experimenting with varying heights is a fantastic way to bring some dimension to your bedside and prevent the surface from looking too flat. Try layering a tall ornament with a medium object and something low down. For example, take a look at how we’ve styled our beautiful Amarilla Bouclé Bedside Table, with a tall, sleek mushroom lamp, an elegant, curved vase, and a small alarm clock. Each item brings a different height, adding visual interest to the surface without over-cluttering the space.

5. Choose the right light

The lamp on your bedside does more work than anything else on the table. So, if there’s only element of your nightstand you need to nail, let it be your bedside lamp. Get the shade, the bulb and the height right before anything else goes on.

While different styles of lamps will suit different bedroom designs, there’s one thing that we’d recommend to all when shopping for a bedside lamp, and that’s cosiness. To really maximise your bedtime wind down, you need a lamp that illuminates a cosy glow across your sleep space. A yellow bulb (rather than bright white) will help to create an inviting ambience, as will a wide shade that cascades the light over a larger surface area. Keep these two factors in mind when searching for your perfect lamp.

6. A plant, a stem, a bloom – something with life in it

Never underestimate the power of a houseplant. Plants and flowers quite literally breathe life into your bedroom; even a single stem in a small vase completely changes the ambience of your bedside table. Give it a try! Buy your favourite flowers and see how much of a difference they make to your bedroom. Of course, weekly bouquets from the market can add up. So, consider adding a potted plant that you can carefully grow and nurture. It’s little daily rituals, like caring for a plant, that can do wonders for our mood and general health.

Our design partner, Sophie Conran, is a huge advocate for flowers in the bedroom because they add a sense of natural beauty, colour, and a piece of the English countryside into our sleep spaces. These are her top floral picks:

“I have fresh flowers from the garden in my bedroom all year round, and bulbs in the winter: amaryllis, paperwhites and hyacinths. For scent, sweet peas and daphnes are lovely next to the bed. Philadelphus is great, that comes in springtime.”

Sophie Conran, Dreams’ design partner

Psst! Want more tips from Sophie? Check out her expert guide to using florals in bedroom design.

7. Leave room for a personal touch

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Your bedside table isn’t meant to be a showroom; it should feel personal to you. After all, it’s the last thing you see at night and the first thing you wake up to. Place a special trinket, a photo frame of inspiring art, or your favourite cowboy mug in reaching distance, so you have something that makes you smile when you open your eyes in the morning.

8. Stacked with reads

Whether you’re working your way through the Booker Prize longlist or you’ve been sucked into the Sarah J. Maas universe (thanks a lot, BookTok…), there’s something deeply comforting about a pile of books on a bedside table. The good news is, adding a stack of books is one of the easiest ways to bring personality to a nightstand without trying too hard. They look beautiful, whilst being genuinely useful, and you can regularly switch things up, depending on your TBR list.

9. Go minimal

Hate clutter and mess? Go minimal with your bedside table design instead. Decorate with just one lamp, one object, or one book. That’s it. Sometimes, all it takes is a single item to dress a space. Particularly if you have a unique bedside table that you want to show off, minimalism is a disciplined design technique that pays off every time.

10. Commit to maximalism

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On the contrary, if you’re going to pile it up, commit. A half-hearted maximalist bedside table just looks cluttered. So, go all out. We’re talking a bright poster or framed wall art, an eccentric lamp and a funky vase, paired with your favourite scented candles and trinkets for bedtime essentials. So long as your decor matches the same aesthetic, they should work cohesively together. There’s beauty in trusting the process and experimenting with different items until you find a combination that works for you.

From varying heights and following the rule of three to picking out the perfect bedside lamp, there really is so much you can do with your nightstand. With these bedside table styling tips, you’ve got everything you need to decorate your bedside, your way.