The best bedside table idea starts with the gap beside your bed, not with a style. Under 32 cm, look at a 20 cm table or a wall-mounted one; from 32 to 46 cm, a 30 to 40 cm table with a drawer or a shelf; from 47 cm, a 45 to 55 cm cabinet. Then match its top to your mattress, within about 5 cm.
This guide sorts bedside table ideas by the bedroom you actually have: a narrow gap, a radiator in the way, a divan, a low bed, a double bed that wants a pair. Every size below is the published size of a table in our range, so each idea comes with the measurement that decides whether it works.
Updated 3 October 2026 by Serge.
Bedside table ideas at a glance
| Your bedroom | The idea | Size to look for |
|---|---|---|
| A gap of 22 to 31 cm | A 20 cm table with drawers | 20 cm wide |
| A radiator, socket or skirting in the way | A wall-mounted table | 30, 35 or 45 cm wide |
| Things you want out of sight | One, two or three drawers | Bedside cabinets |
| A divan or ottoman bed | A taller table | 55 to 60 cm tall |
| A platform bed or a futon | A low table | 40 to 44 cm tall |
| A double bed with room on both sides | A matching pair | Sets of two |
| A king or super king bed | A wide cabinet | 45 to 55 cm wide |
| No room at all | A shelf, a light or a stool | Alternatives |
1. A 20 cm table when the gap is under 32 cm
Measure the gap beside your bed at its narrowest point, skirting and radiator valves included, and take off 2 cm so the table goes in without scraping. If that leaves 20 to 30 cm, a standard bedside table will not fit, and the usual advice to "go small" does not help: the median bedside table in the 262 we recorded for our height study is 40 cm wide.
A 20 cm table is the idea that changes the room. The Eden 20 cm with two drawers stands 20 cm wide, 20 cm deep and 40 cm tall, and still has two drawers for the small things you want out of sight. Other versions swap a drawer for an open slot. All of them are in the 20 cm bedside tables.
2. A wall-mounted table when the floor is taken
A radiator under the window, a double socket, a deep skirting board: any of them can make a floor-standing table impossible even when the width is there. A wall-mounted bedside table, also called a floating bedside table, sits above all of it and leaves the floor clear for cleaning.
The other advantage is height: you fix it exactly where you want it, so set the top within about 5 cm of the top of your mattress. The bodies are shallow. The Calder 30 cm is 15 cm tall with one drawer; the Coln, Severn and Medway models are 24 or 25 cm tall, with a drawer, a shelf or both. Fixings are not included, because the right ones depend on your wall: plasterboard, brick and dot-and-dab each take different ones. See every wall-mounted bedside table.
3. Drawers for the things you do not want to see
A drawer is the simplest way to make a bedside table look tidy, because the charger, the hand cream and the receipts stop being on show. Pick the number of drawers by what you keep, not by the look:
- One drawer holds a phone, a charger and a book lying flat. The Arun 30 cm has one, in a 30 cm wide body with curved edges.
- Two drawers separate the things you use every night from the rest. The Tamar 35 cm fits two into 35 cm.
- Three drawers turn the table into proper storage. The Hamble 45 cm has three fluted drawers and stands 58 cm tall.
A drawer pulls out towards you, so it needs room in front of the table rather than at its sides. Every table with at least one drawer is in our bedside cabinets. What earns a place in the drawer is covered in what fits on a bedside table.
4. Open shelves for what you reach for in the dark
A drawer hides things; an open shelf keeps them in reach without opening anything. It suits a book you are halfway through, glasses, or a glass of water you do not want on the top next to the lamp.
The slatted Kennet 36 cm has one open shelf and stands 40 cm tall; the two-shelf Kennet is the same width and 55 cm tall. Slats let light through the frame, which makes a table look lighter in a small room than a solid box of the same size.
5. A taller table for a divan or ottoman bed
Divans and ottomans sit high. In our height guide, a divan puts the top of the mattress 55 to 65 cm off the floor, and an ottoman 55 to 70 cm. A 40 cm table next to that means reaching down every night.
For these beds, look for a table 55 to 60 cm tall: the Kennet with two shelves at 55 cm, or either Hamble at 58 cm. If your mattress is higher still, a wall-mounted table is the one that can go anywhere.
6. A low table for a platform bed or a futon
The opposite problem: a platform bed or a low frame puts the mattress top 40 to 50 cm off the floor, and a standard 57 cm table towers over it. In the 262 floor-standing bedside tables we recorded for the height guide, the median is 57 cm and two thirds sit between 55 and 65 cm, so low tables are the exception rather than the rule.
Our low bedside tables are 40 to 44 cm tall. The Kennet with one shelf and the 20 cm Eden tables are 40 cm; the round Swale tray top is 44 cm.
7. A matching pair either side of a double bed
A pair makes a double bed look finished, and buying it as a set means one order for both sides, in the same wood and finish. Before choosing one, measure both sides of the bed: they are rarely the same, and the narrower side decides the width of the pair.
Then check the wall. A bed with a table on each side needs the bed width, plus both tables, plus about 2 cm of clearance on each side:
| Bed | With a 30 cm pair | With a 36 cm pair | With a 40 cm pair |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small double, 120 cm | 184 cm | 196 cm | 204 cm |
| Double, 135 cm | 199 cm | 211 cm | 219 cm |
| King, 150 cm | 214 cm | 226 cm | 234 cm |
| Super king, 180 cm | 244 cm | 256 cm | 264 cm |
Our bedside tables in sets of two come in 30, 36 and 40 cm widths.
8. Two different tables, kept at the same height
Bedside tables do not have to match. If one side of the bed is against a wall with a 25 cm gap and the other side has 60 cm, two different tables are the sensible answer: a 20 cm table on the tight side and a wider cabinet on the open one.
What makes two different tables look intentional is height. Keep both tops within about 5 cm of each other and of the mattress, and use the same wood tone or the same lamp on both. Width can follow each side's gap; height should not wander.
9. A wide cabinet for a king or super king bed
A 150 or 180 cm bed makes a 30 cm table look lost. On a big bed with room on both sides, a 45 to 55 cm table keeps the proportions and gives you space for a full-size lamp, a stack of books and a glass at the same time.
The Itchen 55 cm has two deep drawers in a pale washed finish and stands 53 cm tall. At 45 cm wide there are the Hamble cabinets and the open Eden 45 cm.
10. A tray top or a curved edge for a softer look
If the room is all straight lines, a round or curved table breaks them up without taking more space. The Swale is round, 40 cm across, with a raised rim around the top and turned legs in a golden teak tone. The Arun 30 cm keeps a drawer but has curved edges, which matters in a tight room where you brush past the table in the dark.
11. Bedside table decor: three things on top, then stop
Decor ideas on a bedside table come down to width. A lamp, a book and a glass need about 30 cm side by side; a 20 cm table takes a small lamp, or a book and a glass, and on 45 cm there is room for a stack of books and a charger as well. On a narrow table, one tall thing, one flat thing and one small thing is enough, and the front 5 cm should stay clear because that is where your hand lands in the dark. A wall light or a clip-on reading light gives the whole surface back to a table under 35 cm. The full breakdown by width, with the usual sizes of lamps and books, is in what fits on a bedside table.
12. When no table fits
With a gap under 22 cm, no floor-standing table makes sense. A shelf fixed at mattress height, a shelf on the wall behind the bed, a wall light or a stool can do the job, each with its own trade-offs. They are measured one by one in bedside table alternatives, and the box room guide works out what a small British bedroom leaves once the bed is in.
Questions
What is the best bedside table for a small bedroom?
The one that fits the gap. Measure the space beside the bed at its narrowest point and take off 2 cm: under 32 cm that means a 20 cm table or a wall-mounted one, and up to 46 cm a table of 30 to 40 cm. The size checker does the arithmetic for you.
Do bedside tables have to match?
No. A matching pair looks balanced either side of a double bed, but two different tables work well when their tops are within about 5 cm of each other and of the mattress. Width can follow the gap on each side.
How high should a bedside table be?
Level with the top of your mattress, within about 5 cm. Measure from the floor to the top of the mattress, topper included. The height guide has the full method and our measurements of 262 tables.
How do you decorate a bedside table?
Start with a light, then add something to read and something to drink, and stop there. The width decides how much fits: about 30 cm for all three side by side. Leave the front edge clear.
What can I use instead of a bedside table?
A wall-mounted shelf at mattress height, a shelf on the wall behind the bed, a stool or a wall light. Each one is compared, with the space it needs, in bedside table alternatives.