Side tables are a necessity — without them, where would we set our drinks while on the couch or put our books before turning out the lights in the bedroom? — but making them look good is another matter entirely. These five simple styling tips will help you spruce up your space, beginning with the basics. With ideas that touch on proportion, color, and curation, we're highlighting side tables from a few of our favorite retailers to illustrate simple styling guidelines. Take a look at these creative tips and tricks for a chic side table!
Dreamy Ways to Decorate Nightstands
While it's easy to pile old magazines, unpaid bills, and a stack of unfinished books on your nightstand, organizing it with little trinkets can complete the look of your bedroom and make your room look professionally decorated. We have some great tips to help you clear out the clutter and make your nightstand functional and stylish.
Invisible Shelves
Here's a post from OnSugar blog Smörgåsbord:

Since there wasn't enough space on either side of our bed for traditional nightstands, we went with these fun DIY invisible shelves. You can find the step-by-step instructions here.
Want to see more? Start following Smorgasbord or start your own OnSugar blog! Maybe your posts will be featured here on CasaSugar too!
Love It or Hate It? A Nightstand Made of Books
Over the years, I've seen a few different variations of this style of table made from real books. Some are held together with a belt of some sort, some are literally drilled together, and others are encased in acrylic. Whatever the case, it's a unique way to put dusty books that aren't in use to work. Some literature-lovers might say the unorthodox storage damages the books or it makes them difficult to reach, but I think it's a great option for storing books you've already read and are unlikely to read again.
What do you think of this DIY table?
Lil Community: Fun Kids Nightstands DIY
Warm weather has many families fixing things up around the house. Community member Funkytime shared her latest project in CasaSugar's Su Casa group.
We are getting ready to move to the city, and while packing, I found our old bedside tables…not very chic anymore;-) Since the kids did not have any, I decided to convert them into fun kids nightstands.

To see the before photo, click here. Have a DIY kids project you want to share? Join Casa's and share away!
What's on Your Nightstand?
Here's a post from CasaSugar Community member h2urHome.
On my nightstand I have a mix of essentials and pretty things. My Jonathan Adler pottery, a plant (hopefully I won't kill it!), a design book to read before falling asleep, my notebook for when my mind races at night, and a silver box to take off my jewelry before I go to sleep.
If you'd like to see more vignettes please feel free to stop by House to Your Home!
Have you done any decorating lately? Be sure to post your photos in the Lovely Little Vignettes group! And also make sure to share what's on your nightstand by leaving a comment.
Cool Idea: Bookmark Bookshelf
If you saw the makeshift side table I created using a candleholder and a stack of books, you know I don't ask much of my nightstand: a small surface to set my jewelry, reading material, and iPhone will do. That said, while I may be minimalist, there are still some who require much less.

If all you need is a place to stash your nightly reading material, perhaps the ES Collection Book Mark ($26) is right up your alley. Essentially a bookshelf and a bookmark in one, the simple, powdercoated steel accessory can be installed on the wall beside your bed, and it will mark your place in your book while holding the book itself. Inspired by the shape of a traditional bookmark, the shelf of sorts, available in white, black, or orange, is cleverly hole punched and embellished with a ribbon.
Could you get by with this über-minimalist nightstand?
Before and After: Commode Turned Nightstand
Here's a post from CasaSugar Community member Sunshine427 from the Su Casa group:
Looking for a piece of vintage furniture to spice up my mostly modern bedroom, I discovered this commode at the Hell's Kitchen Flea Market. Largely resembling a changing table, I could sense that this white monstrosity had potential . . . particularly when I noticed HGTV design stud Vern Yip shopping at the same booth!
Check out this slideshow to see how Sunshine427 turned this simple commode into a glamorous nightstand!
Lovely Little Vignettes: My Makeshift Side Table
I'd been looking for a little as can be side table for beside my bed and couldn't find anything that I loved. So when I came across a tall, white, lacquered, turned wood candleholder that was totally my style, I thought, "Hmmm."

Immediately the DIY light bulb went off in my head, and an hour later I was home from the store with my new candleholder, googling tabletop options that I could glue or screw to the top of it. I considered everything from records and wood slices to lazy Susans and serving trays, but nothing jumped out at me.
As a temporary solution, I topped the candleholder with some heavy design books. Three months later, they're still going strong. I only use the thing to lay my cellphone and earrings on at night, so I don't need an expansive surface. I've come to like my makeshift table's pretty, eclectic, modern style. But who knows, maybe one day I'll decide to top it with a birdhouse.
Be sure to share photos of your own home décor arrangements in the Lovely Little Vignettes group!
Roundup: Lil as Can Be Side Tables
Browsing through interior designer couple Lyndsay Caleo and Fitzhugh Karol's Brooklyn home on The Selby, I caught a glimpse of their guest bedroom nightstand and stopped dead in my tracks. It's absolutely the tiniest little thing I've ever seen! Meanwhile, the rest of the room is notably bare, so the mini table seems like it's almost an afterthought. I definitely admire this sort of minimalism — whoever can pull it off deserves a round of applause.

I myself do have a très petite nightstand on one side of my bed, standing as a podium of sorts for my cell phone and earrings. But the other side of my bed boasts a big ol' table with my book collection, a table lamp, and other odds and ends. Do you have a diminutive nightstand? Do you think you could pull one off? Here are a few tiny tables to get you started.


