Best Nightstand of 2021
Our favorite nightstand was the Casual Home Night Owl Nightstand with USB Ports. This bedside table's classic build and integrated USB port made it both beautiful and functional. Constructed of sleek and sturdy materials, this model appeared durable and built to last. In addition to the available tabletop storage, it has a drawer and a bottom shelf that could hold anything from books to a house plant. The built-in USB port is incredibly convenient and easy to use.
This nightstand's single drawer is very shallow, perfect for storing extra chargers and maybe some knickknacks, but it would not fit a large book. The size to storage ratio on this product is not ideal if you like to have everything on hand when turning in at night. When we were putting the table together, the assembly instructions fell somewhat short, but luckily the build proved to be somewhat intuitive. Overall, this is a good-looking nightstand, and we love the functional aspect of the included USB port.
We were surprised to see how good the Songmics 3-Tier Bedside Table looked next to a bed. Although it is on the small side, its wood finish and metal frame stand out elegantly. It is incredibly light and provides plenty of room for books, water, and a lamp.
Something to consider when looking at the Songmics 3-Tier Bedside Table is that it is not very sturdy. It is extremely affordable but at a potential quality cost. While assembling this model, we discovered that one of the metal legs was actually welded incorrectly. This was most likely an anomaly but was an unfortunate reflection of the quality of the bedside table.
If you are looking for something simple and modern, the Decor Therapy Mid Century One Drawer Side Table is a perfect option. It was one of the easiest products for us to construct and has a simple and beautiful aesthetic. The built-in drawer is spacious and works well.
The Decor Therapy Mid Century One Drawer Side Table doesn't have a huge amount of storage space. The design, although beautiful, was not made with storage space in mind. And although this product was easy and quick to put together, it does wobble just a little but. We were able to correct this with some adhesive rubber pads.
The Prepac Sonoma Tall 2-Drawer is a great all-around option for a sturdy and attractive table. It is made pleasing to the eye and built to last, with roomy sliding drawers and thick walls. The drawers have elegant knobs, and there is a delicate trim that frames the bottom of the shelf nicely. There is plenty of storage space in this bedside table, with two big drawers and an open shelf at the top. Whether you're looking for some extra space to store some books, clothes, or art supplies, this bedside table can handle it.
The Prepac Sonoma Tall 2-Drawer was a bit of an endeavor to assemble. This is due to the lack of labeling and vague instructions. The hardware all comes in one bag jumbled together, and the pieces of wood have no indicating numbers or letters either to help decipher the instructions. Even so, the bedside table doesn't take more than 45 minutes to build, and as long as you own a Phillips head screwdriver and a hammer, this bedside table is still a great option.
If you're looking for something a little more affordable but don't want to compromise appearances, the Winsome Wood Henry Accent Table is a great option. It has a simple and beautiful design without breaking the bank. It has a small magnet to keep the cabinet door closed and super light for easy transport. It has enough storage for anything you might need handy right before bed or right after waking up and more.
Even though the Winsome Wood Henry Accent Table looks nice, it is not made of the best material. The shelves are built with very thin and flimsy wood so that when you put anything heavy on them, they tend to sag. Although the table's assembly was fairly easy to manage, it was at times challenging to construct due to the flimsiness of the material. All in all, if you aren't planning on storing your exercise weights or larger books in your bedside table, this is a great option for a great price.
If you're looking for something more minimalist, the House Ur Home Bamboo Bedside USB is small but sturdy and looks good attached to your bed. We felt comfortable loading the shelf up with books, phones, and even a cup, and there was little to no movement. This bedside shelf is easy to install and comes with a built-in USB port, which is always a nice feature and works well on this small bedside caddy.
Because the House Ur Home Bamboo Bedside USB is a bedside shelf, rather than a bedside table, there is no storage room. There isn't even enough room for a lamp. However, it is great for quick and easy access to necessities like a book or a glass of water.
The Winsome Daniel is simple, small, and does the job. This product comes with good instructions, labeled hardware, and even a tool to help you assemble it. This bedside table is built to last and has three good-sized drawers, allowing for plenty of private storage.
Although the Winsome Daniel has several drawers, it is the only bedside table we tested that had drawers without drawer runners with ball bearings. This undoubtedly makes the assembly easier but also makes the drawers more difficult to open and close.
If you want something dependable but don't want anything too flashy, the HOMFA 2-Tier 1-Drawer is a great pick. It is sturdy but light and has a drawer and a large open shelf for storage. This product is also a great size and offers lots of room for books and journals without taking up too much space. Although you do need your own screwdriver, this bedside table came with good and easy-to-follow instructions. It is also one of the most well-constructed bedside tables we tested while also being one of the lightest.
After assembling the HOMFA 2-Tier 1-Drawer and placing it next to a bed, we found it to have a very professional appeal. Aesthetically, this bedside table is boxy and simple, with a clear focus on functionality.
The BedShelfie The Original is a great option if you like the idea of a bed shelf but don't want unnecessary accessories. This shelf is simple and elegant and provides enough room for a few items of your choice and maybe a cat or two. It is easy to install and even has padding on the metal installation points to help prevent damage to your bed frame.
Although the BedShelfie The Original has lots of surface area, the large bed shelf lacks stability. After the installation, we noticed that it sags a little even without being weighted. Despite this drawback, this bed shelf still works well and holds up to lighter loads.
Why You Should Trust Us
When each member of our testing team goes to bed, we like to have a place to put our books, our phone, our alarm, even a lamp. Each of us knows the importance of proper storage availability and respective aesthetics in a vital piece of home furnishing. Rather than piling our belongings in a heap next to the head of the bed or throwing down a cardboard box, we enjoy a purposeful piece of tasteful furniture to help tuck away our bedtime essentials. Head tester and furniture connoisseur Liv Mertens has a critical eye for decor and a logical approach to function.
Some of us want a bedside table for a book and a phone, while others want to be able to stow away multiple books and journals, remotes, bottles of supplements, chapstick collections, and their humidifier on top. Our team has carefully taken each priority into account to give you a better picture of the products themselves and what to expect as the consumer. We diligently selected the top eight products to compare against one another, focusing on size, aesthetics, quality of construction, ease of assembly, and special features.
Analysis and Test Results
In searching for the perfect bedside table, we found that priorities may vary depending on whether you need a place for a kindle or many books, how much space is available next to your bed, if you want drawers or prefer open shelves, if you need something light and moveable, or you want something pretty. We decided to weigh each of the five testing metrics - features, aesthetic, size, quality of construction, and ease of assembly - evenly as picking furniture can be deeply personal and highly specific to each person's needs. Our testing showed us that no one product is superior in all metrics, but rather that each one has its own set of strengths.
Features
Originally, we dramatically underestimated the importance of features. When we selected products to review, we did not put much significance on a bedside table having built-in USB or iPhone holders, but found them to be incredibly important throughout the testing process. As it turns out, even though a built-in USB port is not something any of us needs, it is incredibly nice to have. We also rated features based on the type of storage available. Some of the products have cool additions like cup holders but no drawers to keep things organized. So we reevaluated. We realized that features in a nightstand play an important role, so the question becomes, what do you want out of your bedside table? Do you want shelves or drawers? Would you rather have a surface to place things without any storage underneath? Is it important to have a built-in USB port? Each of the products we tested offers different features and thus different advantages. To keep track of which products have better or more features, we used a simple point system.
We found that the Casual Home Night Owl Nightstand with USB Ports has the best features as it offers a built-in USB port, a well-built drawer. The House Ur Home Bamboo Bedside USB also has surprisingly great features considering how small it is. Not only does it have a built-in USB, but it also has a designated cup holder and slots for easy cell phone storage.
Aesthetics
We felt that aesthetics were important enough to have its own metric in the case of bedside tables. After all, it is usually how one decides which piece of furniture they want. If you don't like how it looks, you probably won't buy it. We used our intuition and understanding of interior design to identify the most attractive bedside tables. We divided this metric into two major factors: material and design. We gave the products points based on if each has a sleek modern design and/or if the table is made of solid wood and not particle board or composite.
Quite a few of the products got top scores in this area. The Bed Shelfie, for instance, is made out of beautiful wood and has a sleek and simple look. Out of the more traditional bedside tables, the Casual Home Night Owl Nightstand with USB Ports and the Decor Therapy Mid Century One Drawer Side Table both scored very well. Both of these products have a more classic design, are made of hardwood, and have the added benefit of making a simple space suddenly more refined.
Size
For this metric, our team looked at the ratio between each product's height and the amount of storage it offered. Most of the tables are about the same height with just a couple outliers, such as the BedShelfie The Original and the House Ur Home Bamboo Bedside USB, which present an incredibly simple solution to the problem of limited floor space, but offer no storage.
The rest of the products are around the same height. However, the Winsome Wood Henry Accent Table and the HOMFA 2-Tier 1-Drawer have the best size to storage ratio. They both fit nicely next to the bed, coming in at about 25 inches, and have plenty of storage without being too intrusive. They also both have one larger compartment and one smaller compartment offering more options for storage.
If you are looking for the smallest and lightest stand-alone bedside table, the Songmics 3-Tier Bedside Table doesn't take up a lot of room but still manages to offer a shelf and a drawer for storage.
Quality of Construction
The quality of each table's construction is important to consider to assess whether each product is even worth buying at all. We wanted to be sure that the products were worth their salt, and could stand the test of time through moving from one apartment to another, through various accidental spills and scuffs, and through any other unexpected catastrophe that might come to a bedside table. To test this, we looked at four components: does it wobble after being put together correctly? How well does it stand up to water spills? How likely is it to fall apart/Are the materials built to withstand time? And can each flat surface support the weight of at least three textbooks? We found each of these components to be important in determining the durability of each product.
We found that the products with the best construction and the most stability were the Prepac Sonoma Tall 2-Drawer and the HOMFA 2-Tier 1-Drawer. Both of these bedside tables are built out of reliable materials and have robust designs.
The Songmics 3-Tier Bedside Table, on the other hand, was welded incorrectly and therefore wobbled and was difficult to put together. Once it was put together, we could see that the fabric drawer was not built to last.
The Winsome Wood Henry Accent Table was the only product to fail both the textbook text and the water resistance testing. This was due to its flimsy shelving that sags under any weight and doesn't hold up well to water.
Ease of Assembly
Although putting together bedside tables were no easy task, ease of assembly is far from the most important factor in selecting furniture. With this particular metric, our team primarily wanted to let you, as the consumer, know what you're in for. We looked at whether each product came with tools, the instructions were clear, and how long it took to put the table together.
The easiest product to assemble was the Decor Therapy Mid Century One Drawer Side Table by far. This product took about five minutes to put together, came with any necessary tools, and had clear instructions.
Most of the products, however, took much longer to assemble. While some came nicely labeled and separated, like the Winsome Daniel, others did not come so neatly packed. The Prepac Sonoma Tall 2-Drawer was delivered with no labels on any of the pieces and all the hardware haphazardly in a single plastic bag.
Conclusion
Ultimately, each table we tested does its job. They provide an easily accessible place for your nighttime necessities. Depending on what you like to keep close at hand in the evening or the wee hours of the AM, one product may be a better option than another. We performed a comprehensive review so that you can make the best choice for your sleeping style.
— Liv Mertens
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GearLab is founded on the principle of honest, objective, reviews. Our experts test thousands of products each year using thoughtful test plans that bring out key performance differences between competing products. And, to assure complete independence, we buy all the products we test ourselves. No cherry-picked units sent by manufacturers. No sponsored content. No ads. Just real, honest, side-by-side testing and comparison.
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