Most nightstands give you one drawer and a wobbly shelf. A bedside chest is simply a small chest of drawers pulled up beside your bed — two or three real drawers, a sturdy top, and enough closed storage to swallow the clutter that usually ends up on the floor. If you have ever wondered whether a regular chest of drawers can work as a nightstand (one of the most asked bedroom questions on Reddit and Quora), the answer is yes — and this post shows you ten ways to style one.

Below you will find real photos of bedside chests in real bedrooms, from a grey-blue antique at Toronto's Casa Loma to warm wood hotel pieces and carved historic finds. You will also get the sizing rules that matter — the top should sit about level with your mattress, roughly 24 to 28 inches high for most beds — so the piece you pick actually works next to your bed, not just in the store aisle.

Antique grey-blue three-drawer bedside table with a lace runner and fringed lamp beside a bed

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Table of Contents

1. The Classic Three-Drawer Chest

Dark wood three-drawer chest nightstand with long bar handles next to a bed with white bedding

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

This is the workhorse: a simple three-drawer chest in dark wood, about 26 inches tall, sitting flush against the mattress line. The top drawer takes your phone, glasses, and lip balm; the middle holds chargers and a paperback; the bottom swallows the stuff you never want guests to see. Long bar pulls like these are easier to grab in the dark than tiny knobs. Toss a $10 bamboo drawer divider into the top drawer and the small stuff finally stays sorted instead of sliding into one tangled pile.

Before you buy, measure twice. The top of the chest should land within two or three inches of the top of your mattress — too low and you will be groping blindly at 2 a.m., too tall and it towers over a low platform bed. If your bed has a tall pillow-top mattress, you may need a chest closer to 28 or 30 inches.

2. The Slim Single-Drawer Nightstand

White single-drawer nightstand with a lamp, alarm clock and flower vase beside a bed with floral bedding

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Got a narrow gap between the bed and the wall? A slim one-drawer nightstand with an open shelf below is the small-bedroom answer. It is only about 15 inches wide here, yet the drawer hides remotes and reading glasses while the lower shelves hold a folded throw and a magazine or two. White paint keeps it from visually crowding a tight corner.

Style the top with restraint: one lamp, one small thing you love (here a tall vase of blossoms), and nothing else. In a tiny bedroom, the top of the nightstand is not a display shelf — it is the landing pad for your water glass and phone, and those need clear space to land. If the surface is truly tiny, swap the table lamp for a wall-mounted swing-arm light and reclaim the whole top.

3. The Matching Pair

Matching pair of dark wood three-drawer bedside chests with lamps on both sides of a tufted bed

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Two identical chests, one on each side, is the fastest way to make a bedroom look finished. The symmetry does half your decorating work — matching lamps, matching heights, and the tufted headboard between them reads as one calm, pulled-together composition. This is the arrangement furniture stores photograph because it photographs well in your house too.

Do nightstands have to match? No — but if you are unsure, matching is the safe win, especially with darker woods where two different stains can clash. If you go mismatched later, keep the heights within an inch of each other so the lamps sit level. And check your outlets before you commit: two lamps plus two phone chargers need four plugs within reach, or one good power strip tucked behind a chest.

4. The French Antique Cabinet

Antique carved French wooden bedside cabinet with a blue glass lamp beside a dark wood bed

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Antique hunters, this one is for you. A tall French bedside cabinet — one drawer over a cupboard door, carved detail, slender legs — brings more character than any flat-pack ever will. Pieces like this were made for candles and chamber pots, but the drawer is perfect for modern essentials and the cupboard swallows a stack of books or a heating pad.

Pair the old wood with one bold accent, like this blue glass lamp, and let the floral wallpaper do the rest of the talking. Antique chests are usually narrower than modern ones (often just 14 to 16 inches wide), so they suit small bedrooms and single beds beautifully — just check the height against your mattress before you fall in love. Also open the drawers in the shop: some antique drawers are only 3 inches deep, fine for glasses and jewelry but useless for a chunky paperback.

5. The Dark Finish Chest

Small black bedside table with a lamp beside a dark wood four-poster bed

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

A black or espresso chest next to a dark bed frame creates a moody, pulled-in look that pale furniture cannot touch. The trick is contrast elsewhere: white bedding, a patterned throw, or a bold wall hanging keeps the dark corner from feeling like a cave. One lamp with a light shade is enough — it throws a warm pool of light exactly where you read.

Style the top the way you would style a small dresser: lamp, one framed photo or small plant, done. Our dresser decor ideas work at nightstand scale too — just edit harder, because you have about a quarter of the surface. If the wood feels dated, new hardware is the cheapest refresh in furniture: a $15 set of brass pulls can make a 1990s chest look current.

6. The Carved Statement Piece

Carved antique chest of drawers used as a nightstand beside an ornately carved wooden bed

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Sometimes the chest itself IS the decor. A deeply carved antique chest — this one stands beside an equally ornate bed in a historic English bedroom — needs no styling at all. The carving catches lamplight and shadow, and every drawer front is a little piece of art. If you inherit or thrift a piece like this, let it be the star and keep everything else quiet.

One practical note with antiques: old drawers can stick and old finishes can be fragile. Rub a white candle along sticky drawer runners, and use coasters or a small tray under anything wet. A $6 tray protects a priceless finish.

7. The Warm Wood Hotel Look

Small warm wood bedside cabinet with a drawer and door beside a bed in golden light

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Hotels figured this out decades ago: a small warm-wood cabinet — one drawer, one door — beside the bed, bathed in afternoon sun, looks inviting without trying. The golden oak tone warms up white walls, and the compact footprint (about 18 inches wide) leaves room to walk around the bed. This is the look to copy if your bedroom feels cold or stark.

To get the warm, cozy bedroom feeling at home, repeat the wood tone once more in the room — a matching frame, a wooden tray on the bed — and keep bedding soft and rumpled. Two warm touches read as intentional; one can look like an accident. A small rug under the bed that extends past both chests ties the whole side of the room together.

8. The Period Piece

Period wooden bedside cabinet with a white marble top beside a bed in a green historic bedroom

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

In a traditional bedroom, the bedside cabinet should speak the same language as the bed. This period room pairs a marble-topped bedside cabinet with a matching wooden bed and wardrobe — same wood, same inlay, same era — and the result feels collected rather than decorated. If you own a classic bed frame, hunt for its bedside twin at estate sales and secondhand shops. Search for the furniture maker or style name plus "nightstand" on resale sites — matching-era pieces surface constantly, often for a third of retail, and a little furniture polish hides most sins.

The marble top is a bonus worth seeking: it shrugs off water rings from your night glass and wipes clean in seconds. Wood tops need a coaster every single time; stone and marble forgive the nights you forget.

9. The Cottage-Style Cabinet

Small wooden bedside cabinet beside a bed in a styled historic bedroom

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

A modest wooden cabinet beside the bed is all a cottage-style room asks for. No statement hardware, no bold finish — just honest wood, a drawer for the small stuff, and a door for the rest. This styling works in guest rooms too, where you want the space to feel welcoming but not personal; a guest should find an empty drawer and a clear top, not your mail pile.

Keep guest-room bedside storage deliberately half-empty: one empty drawer, a phone charger, and a small carafe of water. It costs almost nothing and guests remember it.

10. The Modern Hotel Pair

Elegant hotel bedroom with matching black nightstands and lamps on both sides of the bed

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

For a crisp, current look, copy the boutique hotel formula: slim black nightstands with tall, slender lamps on both sides of a dressed-up bed. The vertical lines of the lamps draw the eye up and make standard 8-foot ceilings feel taller. Keep the tops nearly bare — lamp, maybe a small notepad — because the symmetry is the decoration.

This style is also the easiest to keep clean, which matters in real life. Flat tops, straight legs, no carving to dust. If you hate dusting but love the look of a styled bedroom, simple modern chest nightstands are your friend. Run phone chargers through a small cable clip on the back edge so cords drop behind the chest instead of snaking across the top.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a regular chest of drawers as a nightstand?

Yes — just check three things: height (top within a few inches of your mattress), width (leave at least 2 inches of walking space beside it), and stability (anchor tall pieces to the wall, especially with kids around). A chest between 18 and 30 inches wide is the sweet spot for most beds; wider than that starts to crowd a queen or smaller room.

How tall should a chest nightstand be?

Aim for the top to sit level with your mattress or up to 3 inches above it. For a standard bed that usually means 24 to 28 inches tall; tall pillow-top mattresses may need 28 to 30 inches.

What is the difference between a chest nightstand and a regular nightstand?

A chest nightstand is a small chest of drawers — a column of closed drawers. A nightstand is the broader term and can be an open table, a single-drawer stand, or a chest. Chests simply give you more hidden storage.

Do both bedside chests have to match?

No. Matching pairs look calm and classic, but mismatched pieces work if the heights are close and the wood tones or paint colors relate to each other. A shared lamp style can tie two different chests together. Many designers actually prefer one wood chest and one painted one — it keeps the room from looking like a furniture showroom.

How do I measure my bedroom for a chest nightstand?

Measure the gap beside your bed, then subtract at least 2 inches for clearance — and check the chest will fit through your doorway. Our master bedroom size guide walks through full room measurements so the whole layout works.

Final Thoughts

A bedside chest earns its footprint in a way a plain table never does. Three drawers of closed storage beside your bed means chargers, medicines, books, and clutter all have a home — and the top stays clear for the lamp and water glass that actually belong there. Pick the height first, the style second, and you will use it every single night.

Start with the one rule that matters most: the top should meet your mattress. After that, choose whatever makes you happy — a $40 thrift-store find with good bones beats a $400 showroom piece at the wrong height. Sand it, paint it, swap the knobs, and it is yours.

Sources

Gallery

Light wood three-drawer chest nightstand between a bed and a desk in a small modern bedroom

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Carved antique chest of drawers beside an ornate bed in a dark paneled historic bedroom

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Dark wood chest of drawers beside a bed in a historic English bedroom

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

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