Like every nightstand on the planet, apparently, but smaller
September 26, 2021 5:47 PM   Subscribe

If you have a nightstand that you like that’s less than 16” wide, please tell me about it. Other desired criteria: 1+ drawer (ideally full extension), less than 24” tall, not white, Shaker / MCM / Danish modern style, solid wood or plywood (higher quality MDF not a dealbreaker, but particle board is). Up to 20” deep is ok. No IKEA (not even Hemnes).

There’s so much out there that’s really great in terms of style and function; they just tend to be so big. Do better, Room and Board!

I know about Wayfair’s search-by-size filters, which yielded some pretty good results but nothing that felt like an insta-buy.

Custom is on the table; have a couple queries out for that.

Not great options for vintage shopping super close by, but if you have any leads for great vintage MCM spots in Seattle (or anywhere north of Portland tbh) I’m all ears.

Looking to get a pair. Budgeting up to $250 each for MDF, $500 for something mass produced but solid, up to $750 for a unicorn.
posted by supercres to Home & Garden (19 answers total) 9 users marked this as a favorite
 
i basically had similar criteria and searched for months. never found my unicorn, but this is what i ended up choosing.
posted by monologish at 6:08 PM on September 26, 2021 [3 favorites]


Right at your max?
posted by praemunire at 6:09 PM on September 26, 2021 [2 favorites]


This is 18" wide, I think I bought them for my sister. They are solid wood and come in 12 colours.
posted by DarlingBri at 6:10 PM on September 26, 2021


When we were trying to maximize a space, we found the local Amish furniture place would customize the size of a standard piece for very little up charge.

https://www.amishshowroom.com/product-category/amish-made-bedroom-furniture/
posted by advicepig at 6:35 PM on September 26, 2021 [1 favorite]


Best answer: I don't have any specific leads, but if you're looking for vintage furniture, there are many small-time dealers on Instagram. You'll be able to find it by searching for posts with tags like portlandvintage, pdxvintage, pnwvintage, etc. Once you find posts with some furniture you can look for other tags in the posts and use them to find other dealers. It's not my favorite way to shop, but I've recently been furnishing my house in a different geographical region and have found plenty of good stuff that way. However, I have about the same budget as you, and at least over here, a pair of matching high-quality nightstands has proven to be one of the more elusive items. But it's worth delving into since the new nightstands at this price point are mundane at best.
posted by vathek at 7:02 PM on September 26, 2021 [2 favorites]


I'm not sure if you mean depth or width, but I pinned a few examples a while back for when we get a bigger bed and have to claw back some space:
posted by krisjohn at 7:08 PM on September 26, 2021


Response by poster: 16” is a hard max width. 14” would be better. Im finding that good stuff in the 17-18” width is fairly common.

The headboard is about a foot from the wall because of an illogically-placed baseboard heater so wall-mounted is a no-go.
posted by supercres at 7:17 PM on September 26, 2021


Best answer: Chairish has dimension filters, and is turning up stuff like

Vintage Danish Modern Low Slung Walnut Lamp End Table Night Stand, 15ʺW × 20ʺD × 24ʺH, asking $389 and $89 shipping
Vintage Danish Modern Walnut Lamp Table, 15ʺW × 20ʺD × 24ʺH, asking $389 and $89 shipping
Anna Castelli Ferrieri Kartell Silver Componibili Nightstands or Storage Cabinets - a Pair, $345 + shipping
posted by Iris Gambol at 7:26 PM on September 26, 2021 [2 favorites]


Extend the headboard 16" on either side, float a narrow "wall-mounted" nightstand on each new flank? A 15.75 floating drawer; ready-made queen-sized version.

Chairside/sofa end or side tables can be fairly narrow; options with at least 1 drawer, trawling Overstock:
Furniture of America Oak Finish 12-inch 1-shelf USB Charging Table, 24 inches high x 12 inches wide x 20 inches deep, $260
Avenue Greene Phillips End Table, MCM Walnut, 24"H x 15.5"W x 15.5"D. $99

(Edited because I misread some of the site descriptions, and included too-wide tables.)
posted by Iris Gambol at 7:58 PM on September 26, 2021


The headboard is about a foot from the wall because of an illogically-placed baseboard heater so wall-mounted is a no-go.
Ouch.

Have you considered a couple of sconces for light and a caddy hanging on the bed? (the search "bed side storage" gives a variety of ideas, depending on what you're keeping near the bed.)
posted by krisjohn at 8:12 PM on September 26, 2021


Best answer: Etsy, examples: Bedside Table, Maple, Steel, Live Edge, Modern; Height: 24 inches, Width: 16 inches, Depth: 12 inches, $325
Nightstand, "solid European oak wood," Height: 19.69 inches, Width: 15.75 inches, Depth: 14.96 inches, $217
Pair of solid wood nightstands with 2 large drawers, Set of 2 Wood End Tables with storage - Walnut; 24" or 17" Height, 15" Wide, 11.5" Deep, starting $450

Example of another type of caddy: Bedside Caddies which clamp to the frame. In small spaces, and depending on what's needed bedside, some people use decorative organizer boxes as drawers for tables with tiers and niches, or add feet or legs to once-floating bedside units. Lastly, and I swear it, supercres: nightstands and storage side tables in the "nursery/kids/teens" furniture section might have the right dimensions. Wayfair's turning up the Trent Austin Design Orion End Table with Storage, 20.75" H, 15.75" W, 11.75" D, $120 (brown) or $100 (black or gray) and the Mercury Row Teen Elida 1 Drawer Nightstand, 22" H, 16" W, 14" D, $183 in coffee finish or $175 in beige. In Amazon's youth dept, IWELL Mid-Century Nightstand Set of 2, End Table with 1 Storage Drawer, Bedside Table with Wooden Legs, " 15.6"L*15.6"W*19.31"H " for $102.
posted by Iris Gambol at 9:47 PM on September 26, 2021 [1 favorite]


I have a Levenger petite No-Room-for-a-Table as a nightstand that I like quite a lot, at 13" wide. They make deeper versions as well, with more or less drawers, etc. They are all 24" high, which is at your max, so may work ok.
posted by j.edwards at 9:57 PM on September 26, 2021 [7 favorites]


I had similar issues, and wound up buying a smallish bar cart. It was a solution born of necessity, but it turns out I love having a two-tiered movable item by my bed. It's also more aesthetically interesting than most small nightstands, and I saved money by not buying wood.

Of course, if you need a nightstand partly to tuck things out of sight, this is not a good solution. But I've been quite happy with my cart.
posted by desert outpost at 10:37 PM on September 26, 2021 [1 favorite]


This doesn’t fit all of your preferences, but with a similar tiny beside space thanks to an odd layout, we bought some lamps with narrow shelves like this as nightstands and they suit our needs well. They’re about a foot wide. If a hidden space was important you could probably put a nice wooden box on the lower shelf that looks intentional.
posted by tchemgrrl at 3:28 AM on September 27, 2021 [1 favorite]


At my favorite all-wood Amish furniture-maker, I found this one at just 16" wide. I didn't do a full scan of their bedside tables and they don't have a way of filtering for dimensions, but I can vouch for their willingness to customize whatever product you choose. Delivery times are in the 3-4 month range right now.
posted by DrGail at 7:07 AM on September 27, 2021


I don't have a specific product recommendation, but this is something I love sites like wayfair for - you can filter by size! Managed to find a very specific sized bookshelf and very small side tables that way.
posted by amycup at 10:27 AM on September 27, 2021


Response by poster: Thanks, all for the thoughts and suggestions, both inside and outside of the box-- er, drawer. Extending the headboard is an interesting idea but I'm loath to feel like I'm closing off any more of the room.

Some updates and current front-runners (since it seems like this is a not-uncommon search):

Wayfair has these two reasonable-looking and reasonably inexpensive lacquered MDF options: Longfellow 2 and Holly Springs 2. There are others, and the search-by-size option is indeed pretty nice, but these hit the requirements and our taste most closely.

Revival Rugs of all places has two okay-looking options: one and two. Got these in an Instagram ad after all my Googling 🤷‍♂️

Iris Gambol's Etsy suggestions (which were really on-point) also prompted me to check out some other makers there who could do custom dimensions. I think a scaled-down version of this is currently the front-runner (in touch with the craftsman), but many others were right up there-- I think this collection should be public. Etsy has gotten a lot better for fine woodworking since the last time I looked-- maybe an explosion of pandemic hobbies into businesses.

Also planning to check out vintage shops in Seattle this weekend before finalizing plans for the custom ones-- good tip on finding small shops on Instagram, vathek!

Marking a couple particularly helpful answers but any other suggestions welcome.
posted by supercres at 11:29 AM on September 27, 2021 [1 favorite]


I just bought the Mitzi from West Elm (in pink because I'm a grown up and I can have any color I want) because I also needed something a little narrower that would look cute in my mid-60s style home. I really like it. It is metal so doesn't fit the wood criteria but it kinda came outta nowhere for me as an option so maybe for you as well.

(I was super worried that my phone buzzing on it would be annoyingly loud but it is super quiet actually way quieter than the particle board wood one I had before)
posted by magnetsphere at 4:48 PM on September 27, 2021 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: Actually, the Belle from West Elm was an early contender but shipping was utterly outrageous — as much as one of them IIRC — and even ship to store (2 hours away) wasn’t an option. I think it was just over the UPS cutoff for them, size-wise, so freight was the only option.
posted by supercres at 7:46 PM on September 27, 2021


« Older cloud storage with collaboration   |   The dresser for the guest room Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.


Tags

Share