9 of the best bedside tables

Bedside tables are a constant request and you also asked for more of “the bests” and shopping round ups at the beginning of the year and I’m happy to oblige. Some of you asked for it to be broken into budget but I don’t think three posts on one product would be interesting for those who don’t need one at all so, instead, I have tried to find a range of prices within this selection as well as including some high street stores which means that if you don’t like the exact one I have included here you can always go and look at the rest of their range.

Updated to include a 10th which is brilliant because you can use it either tall and narrow or low and wide so it might be more versatile for many of you. It’s at the bottom.

They are in no particular order and there are nine of them ranging from £99 to over £900 (not contrived just coincidence – well the contrived bit was that I stopped at nine rather than going to 10 when I saw how neatly the prices fell). All the links are in the captions so let’s start with this one from Zara, which is 55cm high, 38cm wide and 30cm deep. Bedside tables tend to be ruled immediately in or out according to their size. This one is big enough for a lamp and a book as well as a clock/phone and its charger and I have to say I would be tempted to push the end of the charging cable up through the holes in the rattan on the bottom shelf to stop it flopping onto the floor and to hold it in place. I also like the glass top, which gives the whole thing an air of lightness so it won’t make what can be a small space feel fuller and darker. At £159.99 this might be my favourite.

This is a much more modern look from La Redoute and is made from sustainable Suar wood which is similar to teak but has a stronger grain. It’s 52cm high and 30cm square. If you like lots of storage but fear losing things in the deep dark recesses of drawers this could be the one for you. It also comes in a natural finish and is perfect for stacking books current and future, notebooks, handcream and lipsalve as well as a glass of water and the charging station. It’s a way of being very organised and very tidy in a minimal and attractive way.

Now we’re going in for the pricey ones so brace yourselves as both are beautiful. Above is this really pretty fluted table by Christopher Howe. The wavy top will stop things falling off the edge – perfect for the in-the-dark-grope to turn the phone over so you can see the time while the storage below has lots of space for a pile of books or slightly hidden from view beauty products. It’s 73cm tall, 45cm wide and 32.5cm deep. It’s terribly pretty and it’s an heirloom purchase but one that you would use and treasure for ever. That said, I think it really only works in a bedroom whereas the one below, by Pinch Design, would happily work as a side table in the sitting room so you might feel that that is more practical. This one is 610cm high and 43cm deep and wide so that’s significantly bigger than the first ones and you will need a bigger bedroom. Or a smaller bed – which is one way to sort out your priorities.

Back to the lower end of the price range and this square table from made.com is made from mango wood so it has a pretty grain on the front which makes it look more expensive and interesting than flat wood. It’s 45cm square and has two drawers so there’s plenty of space to chuck things in for an instant tidy and forget all about them for the next two years – always a consideration when it comes to bedside storage. I like the clean lines and simplicity of this one though and it’s fairly classic so it would sit with both modern and period interiors and, therefore, last a long time.

Now you might not know about Urbansize, a company set up by Sallie King who, on moving to a small flat, was disappointed by the lack of small furniture she could find to go it in. I have written before about the joy of vintage when it comes to shopping small – especially beds and chairs – but if that’s not your style then have a browse round here. This locker style bedside table – really good for teens and tweens as well as more modern styles, is made from sustainable ply. Just remember to specify which side you want the door to open if you are only buying one.

Time for the £99 one and it’s from H&M. It’s 58 high and 40cm wide. I quite like the discipline of a single drawer and, if you had a pair I think they could work well in a sitting room either at either end of a sofa or next to each other as a sort of disconnected single unit. This one also comes in natural wood colour as well as black but be aware that it’s 60 per cent MDF and 30 per cent wood – which is how you get to the price.

This is pretty and has a look of a vintage find although the drawers probably slide in and out more easily than vintage pieces do. It’s made from mango wood and is 66cm high and 40cm wide with two shallow drawers. It’s crying out for a vase of flowers on top. Note also the styling with the metal bed frame. Mixing up materials like this brings interest to a room and if you are worried about too much wood or clashing grains then you can contrast wood and metal like this. This particular combination is a sort of vintage industrial look but you could also put this table with a more ornate upholstered headboard for a period maximalist look. It won’t like a modern oak bed (for example) so if that’s what you have then look at the black La Redoute, the ply locker or the H&M version.

Finally, there is, of course, the vintage option and I’m showing you one example below. You can pick up fairly ordinarly pine cabinets for around £20 on Facebook marketplace or Gumtree etc. They love a lick of paint and you can either go chalk paint and distress as the look below, or find a fabulous high gloss colour and aim for something that looks really luxe- a deep red, cobalt or emerald green for example. Then, if you want to pimp the top you can buy a big marble tile (or different pattern) and glue it on top. This will give you something completely bespoke and while it will cost you some time the materials won’t amount to much.

So there you have it – nine bedside tables from £99 to £900. Which one is your favourite?

And here’s the new one. Designed by Emma Jane Palin for Kalinko, which was set up to preserve the talents of the Burmese people by connecting them to buyers. There are no middlemen and all purchase costs go direct to the people who make each piece. This 70s style furniture set includes a bedside table – but as you can see I am using mine in other rooms, a lamp made from recycled glass from construction sites and drinks companies in Yangoon and a pretty smoked glass mug. The collection goes live on 7 March and is limited edition so if you want to sign up to pre-order the link is here. The table is £220, the lamp base £175 and the shade £95.