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In our latest lookbook, we spotlight eight bedrooms with statement bedside tables that provide contemporary alternatives to run-of-the-mill stools and cabinets.
The featured designs range in size, shape and material, from a wooden shelf built into a headboard to a simple stack of books, demonstrating the variety of options available to people seeking a perfect bedside unit.
They also illustrate the aesthetic value of these furnishings, which serve more than just a practical purpose and offer a chance to inject a touch of flair and personality into a bedroom interior.
This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring bedrooms with exposed concrete surfaces, light-filled cottage interiors and homes with plywood panelling.
Keeling House apartment, UK, by Ben Allen
Architect Ben Allen dotted bespoke artworks made of glass and mirrors throughout his self-designed apartment, which is located in a modernist housing block in London.
Among them is a circular mirror, split in half by a semicircular brass shelf and positioned alongside the bed to act as a sculptural side table.
To save space for books, cups and ornaments on the small shelf, a bulb has been draped across the ceiling and suspended overhead for use as a bedside light.
Find out more about Keeling House apartment ›
Lined with contrasting strips of ash and walnut veneer, this bedside table contributes to the maximalist clash of patterns that YSG used to animate the La Palma house in Sydney.
The table’s designer Sarah Ellison enhanced its statement look with a pair of mismatched legs – one straight-edged and one with a curved base.
Find out more about La Palma ›
Sacha, France, by SABO Project
SABO Project incorporated side tables within the headboard of this bed in the Sacha apartment.
It takes the form of a plywood pegboard wall, which means the side tables function as slot-in shelves that can be easily moved as required.
Highbury Grove, Australia, by Ritz&Ghougassian
A simple stack of books doubles as a bedside table at this house extension in Melbourne, which Ritz&Ghougassian constructed from concrete blocks.
Set against this minimalist concrete backdrop, the books support a sculptural bedside lamp crafted in polished aluminium by designer Henry Wilson.
Find out more about Highbury Grove ›
Casa Cielo, Mexico, by COA Arquitectura
Rather than opting for a typical short floating shelf, COA Arquitectura has stretched a bedside unit across the wall of this bedroom, transforming it into a focal point.
The unit is built from wood, tying in with the light wood panelling behind it, and incorporates drawers to help conceal clutter.
Find out more about Casa Cielo ›
Balmoral Blue House, Australia, by Esoteriko
A classic three-drawer Componibili Storage Unit by Kartell was used as the bedside table in Balmoral Blue House in Sydney.
It is bright blue finish was chosen to match the colour palette of the bedroom, which interior studio Esoteriko designed as the only colourful space in the house. It was created for the client’s teenage daughter, who asked that her bedroom be finished in blue – her favourite colour.
Find out more about Balmoral Blue House ›
Television Centre apartment, UK, by Waldo Works
In its renovation of a penthouse inside London’s old Television Centre, Waldo Works sought to create a 1960s aesthetic that complemented the architecture of the building.
In one of the bedrooms, this led the studio to use a wooden bedside table with organic curves, which is teamed with a globular green lamp and juxtaposed with gridded wallpaper.
Find out more about Television Centre apartment ›
Malibu Surf Shack, USA, by Kelly Wearstler
Designer Kelly Wearstler opted for a “rustic and raw” aesthetic for her family’s 1950s beachfront cottage in Southern California.
In line with this theme, she chose a plaster side table for one of the bedrooms that furniture designer Alberto Pinto disguised as a fabric-covered block fastened with thick rope.
Find out more about Malibu Surf Shack ›
This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring bedrooms with exposed concrete surfaces, light-filled cottage interiors and homes with plywood panelling.