Night Shift

Before the advent of plumbing, a nightstand was more than a repository for bedside treasure. It held something of a quite different nature: a circular chamber pot, nestled behind the doors of what was then referred to as the commode.

We’ve since forgone the ceramic bowl—–and often the cabinet doors and drawers as well—–and today’s bedside tables need only live up to the literal interpretation of their prosaic title. “It could be a desk on one side and a round table on the other,” says interior designer Philip Gorrivan, “just as long as some sort of surfaces flank the bed.”

For Washington Post book critic Michael Dirda, who does half of his reading in bed, the essentials are shelves, drawers, and ample tabletop space. He stocks his nightstand with notebooks, pens, bookmarks, a letter opener, a task lamp, glasses, Altoids, and, of utmost importance, a flask filled with cognac. Despite his analog approach, Dirda easily imagines nightstands equipped with audio inputs that would allow him to plug in earphones and watch a show without waking his wife—–that is, if he watched TV.

Dirda’s futuristic fantasy is not far off: With lamps, laptops, phones, and clocks all requiring regular juicing, bedside tables now need to accommodate clunky cables and cords. “You don’t want your table to look like a mess,” says designer Francis Cayouette, whose Mandal nightstand includes a compartment in the back for power cables and a drawer in the front to store less techy toys. Thankfully, a hole for a bowl is no longer needed.
 

To see more bedside tables, please visit the slideshow.

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  Platner Side Table

  • Designed by: Warren Platner
  • Made by: Knoll
  • Price: $930

  Designed in the 1960s, this iconic piece features vertical steel wire rods welded to circular horizontal and edge-framing rods. Available in a variety of sizes.

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  012 Bedside Table

  • Made by: De La Espada
  • Price: $995

  Manufactured from single planks of American oak or walnut, this bedside table sports a single drawer with hidden metal runners on the underside with a sprung “pull back” action. It can be finished with Danish oil or white oil. It's delivered fully assembled. 

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  Metal Side Table

  • Designed by: Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, The Bouroullec Brothers
  • Made by: Vitra
  • Price: $550

  Designed in 2004, this piece features high-gloss and powder-coated moulded and welded sheet steel, and felt glides. Available in three sizes.

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  Componibili

  • Designed by: Anna Castelli Ferrieri
  • Made by: Kartell
  • Price: $160

  In production for nearly thirty years, the Componibili is an iconic piece of plastic modular furniture that is counted among MoMA's permanent collection of furnishings. Available in various sizes, it is designed to be stacked or grouped together via a tongue-and-groove system, enabling a variety of configurations.

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  Defile Nightstand

  • Price: $1,030

  Available in a wood finish, matte lacquer or gloss lacquer.

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  Rian End Table

  • Made by: Semigood Design
  • Price: $1,325.00
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  TaTu Side Table

  • Designed by: Stephen Burks
  • Made by: Artecnica
  • Price: $440

  Handwoven, powdercoated and galvanized steel wire comprises this modular piece, which breaks down into a tray, a bowl and a trash can. It's suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.