If you’re reading this, then you’re probably looking for a way to make your bedroom more, well, you. You’re not looking to drag and drop the bedroom set from the website to your home. You’re looking to let your inner interior designer shine.
Pairing your bed with the right nightstand is a small way to make a huge impact on your bedroom style. Not sure where to begin? Here are a few tips to get you started.
- Maintain Common Elements
- Balance Visual Weight
- Vary Your Shapes
- Mix Materials
- Consider Storage
- Solo Nightstand
Maintain Common Elements
As we said in our post on How to Mix and Match Bedroom Furniture, there’s really only one rule when it comes to pairing a nightstand with your bed. As long as there’s a similarity shared with other pieces in your room, you can alter other qualities of the piece.
For example, if you go for a different shape, you’ll want to keep the same material. If you want to keep the same material, then opt for a different color. This way, you can get creative with each piece, but the variety will still feel cohesive.
When mixing and matching your nightstand to your bed, Style By Emily Henderson shares this advice:
“If your bed is more on the simple/neutral side then have more fun with the “loudness” of your nightstands. “What if I have a loud and unique bed?” Then maybe cool it a little and find nightstands that are special but on the visually quieter side if you catch my drift.”
Your bed is the focal point of your bedroom. Use its style to anchor the rest of the room, and use your nightstand to help that style talk to your other pieces.
Balance Visual Weight
Another theme to remember when pairing nightstands with your bed is visual weight. It’s important to balance the visual weight when mixing and matching pieces. If you have a bulkier bed, pair it with lighter wall-mounted nightstands or nightstands with tall, skinny legs.
In contrast, if you have a visually lighter bed, something with a thin metal headboard, you could toy with some solid nightstands or bedside tables. Experimenting with your bedroom’s visual weight is just another interior design tool at your disposal.
Vary Your Shapes
Nightstands are a great tool for creating visual contrast within your bedroom. If you notice you have a lot of angular shapes in your bedroom, use a round nightstand of a similar design, material, or color.
If you really want to mix things up, you can swap out the nightstand for a different piece altogether. Maybe, there’s a bedside table you really like, a cute ladder to add some verticality to your bedroom, or a bookcase to house your ever-expanding private library.
If you’ve got a small bedroom and you’re looking to save space, use your dresser instead of a traditional nightstand. As long as you maintain similarity through the material or colors, you’re free to play with shapes as much as you’d like.
Mix Materials
Here’s a little secret we learned from MODSY. You can mix shapes and materials when pairing nightstands with your bed! Sounds fun, right? If you’ve got two pieces of similar colors, you can keep things coherent while still mixing different materials together.
A long as it looks like your nightstands could be cousins, you should be free to mix materials and shapes. This also frees you up to create a more stunning contrast with your bed.
Consider Storage
Let’s be completely honest right now. In a bedroom with limited space, you have to be strategic. This means balancing artistic appeal with storage utility.
If you have a bed with storage, either built-in or space underneath, then it’s easier to get away with a lighter, more aesthetic nightstand. But if you have a low bed, or can’t sacrifice the storage space, then grab a nightstand with enough drawers to house all of your things.
Solo Nightstand
If it’s just you in your room, or you’re going for a minimalist aesthetic and you don’t need two nightstands, then just keep one. It’s fun, different, and lets you experiment with different bedroom items.
For example, you could swap the second nightstand with a large floor mirror, a bulb floor lamp, a small stool, or a chair. Keep in mind that this style works best with low-profile bed frames, as a taller bed will disrupt the room’s visual weight.
Now It’s Your Turn
There are many different ways you can style your bedroom. Pairing nightstands with your bed is just one small way to customize your space that can make a big difference.
Hopefully, we’ve helped you unlock a little more your interior designer. Leave a comment letting us know which tip you’re most excited about or any other style tips we may have missed.