7 tips for choosing a bedside table

Forgetting to calculate the dimensions of the bedside tables in the bedroom, you can end up with a set in which one of the parts simply does not fit the width of the remaining space. This will affect not only the appearance and harmonious arrangement of bedroom details, but will also disrupt ergonomics and prevent uniform lighting of the bedside area.

Drawing of an oak bedside table with all dimensions Source ru.salesarea.net

No. 1. Bedside table size

definition of the scenario for its use, adjusted for the area of the bedroom, will help you choose the optimal size of the bedside table . If this piece of furniture is intended to be used only as a stand for a lamp and a mobile gadget, and the bedroom is not large in size, then you can opt for a compact bedside table or even a bedside table. When the bedroom area allows and there is a need to store bed linen and clothes in the nightstand, then the choice falls towards roomy models with a lot of drawers.

Regardless of what functions are assigned to the bedside table, it must meet basic ergonomic requirements in order to be truly comfortable to use:

height – the most important parameter of the bedside table. If it is high, it will block the view of the room, and from a cabinet that is too low, you can easily knock over a glass of water. Perfect option - bedside table. Firstly, this makes the bedroom symmetrical and balanced, and secondly, it is in this case that the bedside table will be most convenient to use;
Read also: 10 IKEA beds to create a cozy and functional bedroom interior
The width is selected depending on the parameters of the bed. If we are talking about a standard double or single bed, then a bedside table with a width of 50 cm or less is perfect. Next to a huge bed, a small nightstand will look inharmonious, so in these cases, choose models with a width of 50-100 cm;
depth is selected depending on the usage scenario, but it is advisable not to purchase models where this parameter exceeds 50 cm, as they may make it difficult to access the sleeping area.

, the principle of proportionality with the bed comes first . If the latter has a massive headboard and looks solid, then the cabinets should not be light and airy.

Tips for those who like to save

Sometimes it’s difficult to allocate funds to buy a new bedside table, but you still need to complete the decoration of the room. In such cases, we recommend using several tips:

For a room designed in an antique style (country or rustic), there is nothing better than distressed accessories. This could also be a nightstand. Two drawers with wide slats will be useful for this. Place them on top of each other, fasten them with self-tapping screws, then open them with varnish. You will get an excellent frame model of a bedside table.
Another homemade bedside table will fit well into a room with a modern interior design. It will require three boxes of different sizes. Place them on top of each other and make the connection with the base of the floor lamp. Next, simply install the light bulb and plug the floor lamp into the outlet. You received a three-tier set with a built-in lamp.
An old small chest can play the role of a bedside set. To update it, you can cover the facade with self-adhesive wallpaper or varnish it. Painting the chest in the colors of the interior will look original.

On a note! In small, narrow bedrooms, it is not recommended to use bedside tables at all. They spoil the impression of the interior. If you have nowhere to put a night light, it is better to get a wall sconce with a dimmer.

No. 2. Bedside table material

An equally important parameter when choosing a bedside table is the material of manufacture, and here the market pleases us with sufficient variety:

tree – the most environmentally friendly material that has enviable durability, strength, has a warm surface, and retains a pleasant aroma. Such a piece of furniture will serve faithfully for decades. Wood is plastic and pliable, so cabinets are often decorated with beautiful carved patterns. The downside of wooden products is their high price, but it can vary significantly depending on the type of wood. Products made from oak, birch, beech, ash, and mahogany will cost much less than similar ones made from pine. This is explained by the insufficient strength of the latter. Pine is a soft wood, so over time, screw connections can become loose, causing deformation of the product;
MDF cabinet will cost much less, but it’s difficult to call it natural. MDF boards are made from wood chips; urea resins act as a binder, which allows us to talk about the environmental friendliness of the products and the almost complete absence of formaldehyde emissions. The top of the slabs can be painted, veneered with a thin cut of valuable wood, or laminated with a film that allows you to imitate any material - the range is huge. In terms of price and quality ratio, this is one of the best options for today;
chipboard cabinets must be used with great caution. For the production of chipboard, resins are used, which during operation can emit toxic formaldehyde. It is important to look at the emission level in the furniture documentation: for use in the bedroom it must be E0 or E1. The main advantage is low price;
combined option , when the frame is metal or wood, and the finishing is made of glass, mirror, plastic or forging. The combination of materials allows you to create exclusive models that can truly decorate the bedroom, but you shouldn’t forget about functionality;
If you want to make your bedroom even more sophisticated, then you can choose a bedside table upholstered in leather . Such products look impressive, it is difficult to get injured in the event of an accidental impact, and they are also practical to use.

The nuances of working with fiberboard

To make a cabinet, you can use a fiberboard sheet of any thickness and structure. There are no strict quality criteria for this material. Although, if the slabs have an uneven, wavy or deformed surface, it is better to refuse such a purchase. Externally noticeable curvature of the surface of the material indicates the negative effects of moisture.

The strength of the manufactured cabinet will depend on the thickness of the fiberboard panel used. You can use slabs with a thickness of 3-5 mm, since they are used for the manufacture of minor hidden structural elements.

No. 3. Bedside table design

The design, as well as the size, is selected depending on the use case of the cabinet. If it is needed to place a lamp and glasses on it, then a neat bedside table without doors or drawers will be enough. For those who are used to storing a thousand and one little things near the bed, it is better to choose a model with closed shelves so that numerous necessary things do not create a feeling of chaos in the bedroom.

Pay attention to hanging bedside tables . They, just like their floor counterparts, can be equipped with a different number of drawers and shelves, only they are separated from the floor surface by 10 to 50 cm of space. This makes the bedside table lighter and weightless, and the bedroom more original. You will feel the benefits of a hanging model when you drop something and find it without difficulty, because you don’t have to lie down on the floor, shine a flashlight, and rummage around in search of the dropped object. Under the cabinet you can place a beautiful basket or box for storing small items.

In the smallest bedrooms, the bedside table can be replaced with a bedside shelf (or shelves). It will be possible to place only the most necessary things on them and make sure that there is no clutter there.

In small bedrooms it is rational to use combined furniture . For example, a bedside table can simultaneously serve as a wide, spacious chest of drawers and smoothly transition into a closet or shelving unit. Moreover, in one item you can combine the functions of a bedside table, dressing table and work desk. To ensure sufficient comfort when working, the table must be of an appropriate height, and to maintain balance and proportionality, you will have to take care of a higher bed. To avoid incidents, it is better, of course, to select all the furniture together and think through every little detail in the bedroom interior in advance.

Functional

The most popular models of bedside tables for the bedroom usually have a design without drawers, there are also options with shelves and cabinets with convenient drawers. If you need very little space, then models that resemble tables will be a completely suitable option.

Would you like to have more items near your bed that need to be conveniently hidden? Then you should choose an option with additional storage space in the form of shelves or drawers.

No. 4. Cabinet shape

The shape of the bedside table can be one of the following:

square or rectangular - the classic and most common option. This model is appropriate in any bedroom and almost any interior style, it is functional, practical and versatile;
corner cabinet Great for small bedrooms and allows you to get the most out of corners that often go unused;
Round and oval cabinets look impressive, but they cannot be called universal. Such products will not fit into any bedroom, but will become an integral part of the interior in the Art Nouveau style;
non-standard options . Sideboards in the shape of a chest or a pyramid, broken, with a lot of curves and unusual shapes are more of a decorative decoration for the bedroom than a functional thing, but they really look impressive.

Reaction to vaccination

What should be the height of the switch from the floor according to the European standard?

Manufacturers of some drugs indicate that an allergic reaction is possible.

Any biological drug, when introduced into the body, can cause a reaction, this is normal. Humanity cannot yet anticipate and prevent the reaction. However, you should play it safe and not vaccinate yourself.

In a clinical setting, when a qualified doctor has antidotes on hand, he can quickly relieve anaphylactic shock in an animal. This is difficult to do at home.

If the owner vaccinates himself, then in order for the reaction to be minimal, he should zealously adhere to the rules for administering medications. It is necessary to strictly follow the instructions for this particular product.

No. 5. Style and design of the bedside table

If a few years ago designers strongly recommended choosing a bedside table exclusively in the same style as the headboard, today they allow a mixture of styles, but within reason, of course. a universal option , which can successfully fit into any interior style.

The style of the cabinet is selected depending on the overall decor of the bedroom:

minimalism involves using products of simple geometric shapes without decoration or frills. The cabinet can be made of wood, but not have carving elements and be painted in one color. Mounted models are perfect. Glass can also be used as a material. Preferred colors: black, white, shades of gray and milky;
high tech also assumes clarity of form and the absence of any curls. Cabinets with chrome elements, metal frames and glass countertops are perfect;
classic style involves the use of wooden cabinets with carved elements. Models made in antique style, massive squat cabinets, as well as products upholstered in leather will look harmonious. Preferred colors are calm light and dark shades;
baroque – these are curvilinear forms, curved facades, ornate legs, an abundance of decor. The material used is valuable wood, sometimes forging;
country style involves the use of simple massive cabinets, preferably made of wood or its imitation, dark colors are held in high esteem;
Scandinavian style – these are simple white cabinets made of wood or its “substitutes”. The fewer decorative elements, the better;
for a bedroom in style Provence cabinets made of wood in pastel shades, perhaps with a worn effect, are suitable. You can use bedside tables with “skirts”, i.e. with fabric curtains, which can be easily replaced if desired, thereby updating the interior;
modern involves the use of cabinets of unusual shapes and made from non-standard materials, such as leather.

Specifics and purpose of bedside tables located near the bed in the bedroom

The role of a bedside table in the interior of a bedroom can hardly be overestimated. Your favorite book, table lamp, alarm clock, telephone, medicines and other small items will always be at hand at a certain moment. The bedside table can be used to store bed accessories, towels, underwear, hosiery, cosmetics, etc.

Along with its convenience, the bedside table next to the bed also has an artistic function, acting as an element of interior decor. In the interior of rooms, bedside tables installed on both sides of the bed are widely used to create a symmetrical composition and balance the space.

A distinctive feature of the bedside module is its small size along with greater practicality. The piece of furniture is a small cabinet, the key elements of which are pull-out drawers or shelves.

Today's furniture market offers a wide variety of bedside tables for the bedroom; products differ in shape, system and geometric parameters. The variety of furniture products makes it possible to choose a model for even the tiniest bedrooms. A hanging bedside table is considered an excellent solution for small apartments.

No. 6. Bedside table color

There are no rules for choosing the right color for a cabinet - there are only a few recommendations and typical color schemes that will allow you to achieve the best result:

the color of the cabinet is matched to the color of the head of the bed - a classic and time-tested technique, and the materials used may be different;
the exact opposite of the traditional technique - contrasting the color of the cabinet with the color of the headboard . For example, white cabinets are selected for a black headboard, brown ones for a beige one, etc.;
the color of the cabinets is similar to other furniture in the bedroom (except for the bed);
the color of the cabinets can be matched to the color of the floor, walls or door;
the nightstand fits into the overall color scheme of the bedroom if only one color is chosen, for example, beige or gray;
A bedside table can serve as a color accent and not be combined with any other piece of furniture, but when trying to create an extravagant bedroom, it is important not to cross the line and end up in complete bad taste.

Large bedroom - a set of modern solutions

A larger bedroom can easily create a comfortable space. It is best to select a bed for the bedroom and other furniture according to one key criterion of choice - style, color or material.

This promotes order as well as a sense of harmony - aspects that have a great impact on calming the senses before bed.

White furniture perfectly reflects light, and in combination with wood it creates a very pleasant atmosphere in the Scandinavian minimalist style.
Having a large area at your disposal, you can easily choose darker shades of wood, and choose everything else, that is, walls and accessories, in light colors.

In a large space, it is easy to find space for two bedside tables, on either side of the bed. Thus, aesthetics become as important as functionality. People thus allow themselves a little madness in the arrangement. Designers often create original furniture, so you can use their ideas.