The bedside cabinet is a handy piece of bedroom furniture which can offer anything from a simple spare surface to plenty of storage in the form of drawers and shelves. Not only are they a practical addition to the bedroom, they can also be highly stylish and are available in all manner of shapes and sizes to suit a variety of sleep spaces.
Bedside tables are also available in a diverse range of styles and materials, including high gloss finishes, pine, oak, reclaimed wood and painted wood. In general, they can range between 40cm and 75cm high.
Bedside cabinets are a great place to keep useful items within arm’s reach, such as a pair of glasses, a book, a cup of tea, a mobile phone or a tablet.
They are also a great resting place for a lamp, ornament, photo or vase, helping to personalise your bedroom or complement other furnishings.
Bedsides can also form part of a bedroom furniture set. Purchased together with a chest of drawers and a wardrobe in the same range, they can help give a bedroom a uniform style.
Placing two bedside tables on either side of a double, king or super king size bed can give the room a sense of symmetry, as well as providing more storage space. Bedside cabinets include varying amounts of storage, generally ranging from 3 drawers to no drawers at all. Additional storage can be used for pyjamas and underwear, useful odds and ends or photo albums.
Finally, bedsides take up a little bit of extra space, a good way to make a bigger bedroom look less bare.
Bedside units come in a wide selection of styles and colours, allowing them to suit many requirements and types of décor.
Among these are bedsides with a high gloss finish. A white, black, cream or grey bedside cabinet is an excellent choice for a crisp modern style bedroom. This style is often topped off with metallic handles and detail.
Pine is an wonderful wood for painted or more colourful finishes, since its natural colouration and woodgrain are not as sought after as oak’s. An example of a beautifully finished pine bedside is the Vienna, with its colourful drawer fronts.
Pine is a lighter material than oak but still strong, making it easier to manoeuvre and longer lasting.
Oak bedside tables are currently very popular. Oak is valued for its sturdiness, as well as its outstandingly beautiful woodgrain and its warm natural colour, both of which can be drawn out to brilliant effect by a clear lacquer finish.
An oak bedside works well for both modern and more rustic styles. The latter can be achieved with beautiful woodworking features such an flat panelling, chunky square legs, exposed tenon joints and breadboard ends.
Many of our oak bedside tables are made using a mixture of oak and oak veneers. Oak veneers are less likely to crack or split than solid oak, or indeed any solid wood. Splitting occurs when moisture in the air causes wood to expand and contract. Since veneers contain less wood, less movement occurs, lowering the risk of splitting. Veneers also succeed in offering a clean and uniform look, making them a good choice for modern style bedrooms. This is because veneers tend to have fewer character features such as tiger stripes or knots.
Scandi style furniture can often be found in oak because it favours simple, pale lacquered finishes, and oak has the right colour and woodgrain to achieve this look. This style lets its shape do the talking, using recessed handles to keep bells and whistles to a minimum.
A reclaimed wood bedside cabinet is another low risk option when it comes to splitting, albeit for a different reason. In this case, the old wood has already contracted and expanded a lot over its life and is unlikely to move much more. Being made from older wood, reclaimed wooden bedside tables possess plenty of character and look outstanding in industrial style bedrooms.
A painted bedside cabinet is great for contemporary styling, with white bedside cabinets being especially popular. This style may feature prettier detail work, such as a tapered or cabriole leg and cup or drop pull handles, most commonly in silver. Some of these tables may be painted all over, whilst others will have a lacquered top to add contrast. Some of these tables have a distressed finish.
The colour of your bedside table can influence the atmosphere of your bedroom. If your bedroom feels very large and stark, darker bedsides will help to make the space feel smaller. Thicker, squarer bedsides (for example, 3 drawer bedsides) also appear to fill up more space.
On the other hand, a slimmer bedside, particularly with slender legs, can make a smaller bedroom feel less crowded. Pale bedroom furniture will open up a room and invite more light into the space, useful for rooms which don’t see as much sunlight or have darker coloured walls.
A wood finish can give the bedroom a sense of warmth and colour, while high gloss finishes in black or white offer a cool and sophisticated feel.
Bedside units possess different storage capabilities.
It’s important to consider the height of your bedside table before purchasing, as there is a surprising amount of variance between models. Although there are no strict rules to define the height of a bedside, our collection ranges from around 40cm to 75cm in height. As a rule of thumb, your bedside or bedsides should be at an appropriate height for the height of your bed, so you don’t find yourself reaching too far up or down to switch on the lamp or pick up your tablet. A bed and bedside which are out of proportion can also be odd to look at, causing your bedroom to appear out of balance.
Luckily, many of our bedsides are part of wider bedroom ranges that include bed frames. If you purchase these items together, the bedsides will be at the perfect height by default.
Our bedside cabinet collection includes established brands such as Ercol and Frank Hudson.
Well-known for their style, great craftsmanship and longevity, you can sleep soundly in the knowledge that you’ve purchased a superb high quality product.