Bedside tables do two key jobs: they add functionality and polish the look of your bedroom. Choosing the right dimensions can shift your room from crowded and clumsy to calm and stylish. This guide will walk you through the measurements, helping you find tables that mirror your bed, fit your room, and hold everything you need.  

Typical Bedside Table Measurements  

Knowing the go-to sizes will keep you from guessing on the showroom floor. Manufacturers vary, of course, but you’ll find most tables fall within certain ranges that mesh with regular bed heights and room layouts. 

Height Essentials  

Height is, hands down, the most important dimension. Most tables range from 60 to 70 centimetres, which suits most mattress heights when you include the bed frame. The table should come to the same height as the mattress top or fall 5 to 10 centimetres lower—no more than that. A table too high can feel top-heavy, while one too low can reach awkwardly past you in the night.

A bedside table that sits at the same height as the top of your mattress is more than a design rule; it enhances everyday comfort and coherence. You can flip the covers, reach for a book, silence a buzzy alarm, or set down a late-night water glass, all without sliding your arm out of a cozy nest. Matched heights also lend the room a tidy, cohesive visual line, so the dark or light contrast of the table feels integrated rather than accidental. The overall effect is a bedroom that whispers “this was planned with care,” rather than shouting “this was squeezed in.”

Today’s mattress and frame designs can swing high or low, so the 65-centimetre default might not suit every bedroom. An 80-centimetre table with slender legs can feel artful under a lofty setup, while a 60-centimetre table can keep a low-profile platform bed grounded. Test height not with tape but by crouching next to your bed. Picture yourself settling down; that’s the height the table should mirror. For similar reasons, beds with slim memory-foam layers may suit 55- to 65-centimetre offerings, marrying rhythm and proportion without a showy bulk.

Width and Depth Standards

In terms of width, tables that stretch 40 to 60 centimetres wide maximise function while allowing floors to breathe. Four-packs of 45-centimetre tables feel the most at home because they offer room for a taper or arm on the side without crowding the passage between bed and wall. That generous yet compact real estate holds a bedside lamp, a not-yet-turned page, and a quirk in your nightly routine, with plenty of visual air remaining on the surface.

Depths generally settle between 35cm and 45cm. Pick a deeper design and you gain extra storage and a bit more display room, yet it will also dig deeper into the floor area, a precious commodity in smaller bedrooms. Shallow tables consume less space, slide in neatly against the wall, but the trade-off is a tight footprint that only holds the essentials.

The trick is to strike a middle ground, where craft and practicality kiss. The table should wear enough mass to hold a light, a water glass, and the book you swore you’d finish, yet it must glide through the room unchallenged, leaving a deliberate margin beside the mattress.

Dimensions Based on Bed Size

Bed dimensions play a guiding role in how bulky a nightstand can or must be without stealing the scene.

Single and King Single

Single and King Single beds, with widths of 90cm and 106cm, call for a nightstand no larger than the mattress feels cozy beside. A width of 35cm to 45cm holds the scale without hogging attention; a depth capped at 40cm keeps it narrow enough that the comfort of the room stays in full swing. The result is a small, serviceable stage that appears intentional rather than imposed.

Always position a single bedside table within reach of the user’s dominant side, generally nearest the room entrance, while still prioritising circulation. This slight adjustment can give the room a more open feel by keeping the floor clear.  

Double Beds

Double beds, coming in at 137 centimetres, naturally accommodate a slightly larger table—one 40 centimetres to 50 centimetres wide fits nicely. Those extra centimetres open the option of one bigger table for the person who uses the side most, or the same smaller table on both sides for a symmetrical, balanced look. If you prefer two, allow 30 to 40 centimetres of aisle width behind the table for ease of movement. Very compact layouts may need you to drop to 40 centimetres wide or narrower just to keep the circulation feeling good.  

Queen Beds

Queen beds, measured at 153 centimetres wide, match beautifully with standard bedside tables. Look for the 45 to 55-centimetre range to create a pleasing scale. Two identical pieces look classy and polished, giving the room a calming, roomy presence—like a gentle upgrade from a hotel room, minus the room service.

Queen Beds, with their ample width, allow a little creative wiggle for bedside table choice. You could comfortably go for a table that’s as deep as 45cm, provided the room’s proportions allow. That extra depth is often more than aesthetic—a shallow tray of books, a plant, or a sleek charging dock can find a solid seat there while maximising floor space.  

King and Super King 

King (183cm) and Super King (203cm) sizes open the door to heftier bedside options. Tables ranging from 50cm to 65cm tick the box for proportion and presence. Alongside such generous beds, a slender standard table can suddenly feel picky and lost. With a King, you can slide in depth too—45cm to 50cm is manageable—without challenge. It’s the width offering a visual counterweight to bolder shapes, allowing, perhaps, a sculptural accent that a smaller bed might refuse.  

Room Size and Layout 

Your room’s architecture does the real directing. Square footage is one aspect—layout is another. Tall wardrobes, wide door swings, or that funky architectural nook can collectively set a non-negotiable perimeter, and that’s often tighter in the 12-metre mark.  

Small Bedrooms 

In a room smaller than 12 square metres, trading a standard table for a pared-back 35 to 40cm wide, 30 to 35cm deep piece or a wall-mounted shelf is worth consideration. You invite floor space and keep circulation breezy around the bed.

Wall-hung nightstands drop echoes of clutter and free the floor for the broom while still holding the must-have mug, lamp, and book.

In rooms that squeeze between the door and the dust ruffle, feel free to borrow the 60-centimetre guideline: for the side of the bed that will get the daily climb and drop, keep that amount of air between the mattress edge and the hard edge of any night surface. You might decide to drop the matchstick nightstand on the lonely side, go for razor-thin shelves that weigh almost nothing, or stick to a single bedside to get the inches you need.

Medium-Sized Bedrooms

The 12-to-16-square-meter bedroom offers horizontal generosity. Both sides of the bed can usually handle 45 and 50-centimetre widths, 35 to 40-centimetre depths, and still let the morning rush pass without cartwheeling over furniture. Think of this area as a stage that can now hold an actor. Choose matching units for quiet symmetry, or one small dresser on the lamp side and a spindle-legged table to host morning light on your side. Drawers swap glam for secret stash, and an angled open shelf turns bedtime paperbacks into decorative risers.

Large Bedrooms

Over 16 square meters, your nightstand can say, “I am a piece of furniture.” Sizes between 50 and 60 centimetres wide, and 40 to 45 centimetres deep, let the piece breathe and draw the eye. Going asymmetrical can feel like leaving an open door to style—twin large lamp tables, say, or a grayscale mini on one side and a walnut clock shelf on the other. The square footage can handle a small squat lamp tree or a bedside stack of meatier framed images, and all of it still feels intentional instead of tunnel-vision practicality.

In bigger bedrooms, space does less of a role in dictating your nightstand choice. You can lean heavily into looks and how well the table holds your necessities. That means you can scout a perfect flea-market vintage find, size up a built-to-order design, or even settle on a stool that moonlights as bedside storage and sits visually at home.

Storage Requirements and Functionality

The contemporary bedside table often eclipses the role of a mere lamp stand, becoming a versatile hub for personal items. Think about your actual storage and daily rituals to decide the best size.

Minimal Storage Needs

When the essentials are just a book, a glass of water, and maybe a spare charger, a slender unit with a single smooth drawer or a shelf beneath is more than enough. At 40 to 45cm wide and 35cm deep, these designs keep things tidy while retaining an uncluttered profile.

Extensive Storage Requirements

If late-night reading, tech devices, or daily medications demand more room, a more substantial unit is warranted. Look for pieces 50 to 60cm wide and 40 to 45cm deep, featuring a combination of divided drawers and hidden nooks. These proportions ensure solidity while housing everything within easy reach.

Multi-Functional Needs

When the table must also shoulder heft—becoming a laptop perch or an occasional stool during movie night—dimensions must grow further. Expect at least 50cm of width and a generous 40cm of depth for a compact workspace. Design with a firm surface to support unexpected sitters.

Style and Material Considerations

Keep in mind that different finishes, leg designs, and surface textures can deceive the eye even with the same underlying measurements. A slender, light-toned wood might read as less bulky than a matte-black metal of identical size, influencing your perception and choice accordingly.

Visual Weight

Dark woods anchored by thick edges convey mass and silhouette, making them feel anchored, while pale ash and thin glass float in view, demanding less visual acreage. If the room measures just a dormitory 10 by 10, lighter pieces stretch the sense of space, even if the proportions of the furniture remain standard. Under a skyline of lamps and the overhead ceiling, glass or slender under-tiered shelving breathes uncertainty and keeps the footpath width heroic. Meanwhile, a straightforward oak, thickly laminated, lands its memory beside a king bed, its charcoal veins settling the eye before the room loses composure.

Design Style Impact

Contemporary stands treated with razor edges read as whisper levels of mass, moments of space frozen by design. Contrast with a sultry mahogany Shaker two-drawer pedestal, the asterisk-like inlaid star, and the profile expands like a butterfly coffin under the light scale. Width and depth remain parole, yet the visual passport swells. When sketching or appraising, dream through a silhouette. Anchor the silhouette before assigning the room currency.

Measuring and Planning Tips

Minutes before the quick-click buy, draw the pencil around the room. Touch the floor around and do the arithmetic again in pencil. Columns of data matter more than magazine headlines.

Essential Measurements

In the floorboard tableau, note the bed scheme height, pencil point the mattress rim height, beside it, the quick draw of a 2-inch board. On grid paper, adjoin the bed two squares thick, summing the holiday space on either side and Dillon’s 4.5’s between the mattress and the ends of the two squares. Include the breathing field on the wall or settee. Finally, stretch craft paper beside the bed, outline a scale ghost of the pedestal to land its legend. Do not skip a note of the floor to furniture handle dimension, or the coil mattress dimension. Save five dollars by appraising.

Planning for Access

Open a drawer and imagine foot traffic. A bedside table that fits snugly may deny a full-motion drawer; what was a well-measured plan becomes a wall. Slide the piece further away or test it anew, but respect that mental model at every step.

Future Flexibility

Opt for proportions that stretch, not splinter, with a rearrangement or new mattress. A table that matches regular bed heights and widths now accommodates a different frame or a floating shelf later.

Common Sizing Mistakes to Avoid

Poised next to the mattress, a tiny table can make a king-size headboard look isolated; the bedside lands awkwardly. A South-facing table can tower, look gaudy and deny the scene; a piece that minimises bedside bot presses panic with every swing out the door.  

Avoid the temptation of a tower; lamps refuse to shine over tables that rise too far. Escaping the eye feels grand, but your elbow has other news. Match the mattress top to the tabletop height, or risk a crate of oversights. Aim for parallels that nurture, not legislate, the space.  

Conclusion

Stride past a plethora of measurements and respond to the bed’s inviting frame, your room’s footprint, your nightly rituals and your style cue. Arm yourself with bedroom harmony that nestles facts and instinct; the right piece then steps forward, conveys intention and simply fits.

Remember that bedside tables are long-term investments in your daily comfort and bedroom aesthetics. Taking time to measure carefully and consider all factors will ensure you select pieces that serve you well for years to come, creating a bedroom environment that’s both beautiful and supremely functional.