Tuesday 19 March 2013

The Bedside Table an Update

A couple of years ago, I wrote about The Bedside Table, I mused on how this humble piece of furniture is an essential design component to the comfort, elegance and ease of your bedroom. It is an intimate piece of furniture for an intimate area, our bed, and holds our intimate items.

Last week the New York Times Home and Garden section had a delightful article about the bedside table titled "The Battle of the Bedside Table"  in the Design Notebook, this article looked at the many and various items we keep next to our beds. It looks at the electronic equipment that now is very much a part of our bedside. No longer just a lamp and an alarm clock, there are iPhones and iPads, laptops and kindles along with the usual photos of loved ones, books, maybe some flowers and a glass of water. My immediate thought goes to the electrical supply next to the bed must be safe and enough that it is not a tangle of wires.







Penelope Green, the writer of the article, keeps us amused by pointing out the battle for the space, usually 18" x 24"can be an issue for couples. The gadgets and items we need and take to bed with us now are exceeding this surface. She quotes from other designers who point out the growing list of stuff accumulating next to our beds:

"how do you hide the electronics? The iPad and the Kindle, most clients have both. And the iPhone and the BlackBerry. Don’t forget the Invisalign, the night-grinding guards, the sleep apnea masks and the birth control. You have to have the conversation about birth control before you shop for the table. Single guys have to have some place to put the condoms. And what about the meds, the Ambien and the Viagra? Or earplugs? And for late-night worries, you need a place to put a pad of paper and a pen.” 

I couldn't have said it better, I totally agree.

Keeping the space tidy and organized so you can sleep peacefully and not wake up to a mess is very important in a space that should be all about relaxation and pleasure.

The solutions are bedside tables with storage, a drawer is very useful for the birth control and sex toys, a shelf below is another extra 18" x 24" to put the books, the sleep aids and electronic readers so the top surface can hold the items that will remind you of all you love.

I had one client where we had a custom table built. The wall next to the bed was not flat, it went off at a 45 degree angle. We had a table made to fit the space, it was a quirky table but it fit and held everything.

Here are the selection of bedside tables from the article which range from an Ikea to a Baker furniture piece in silver pearl and a basalt base:


Ikea Vettre night stand


Blu Dot Modu-licious bedside table



Bill Sofield Collection for Baker Furniture Ellipse side table, silver pearl with basalt base.

What is next to your bed?










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