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When you’re rethinking your bedroom furniture, it can be difficult to know which way to go on the nightstand debate.
Matching nightstands vs mismatched nightstands arguments have been rolling on since the first-time humans put nightstands next to their beautiful, upholstered bed.
Mixing and matching furniture can be a complicated business, but today we’ll take you through it so you become a master of interior design!
Do nightstands need to match your bed?
This idea came from a post we spotted by Homes Direct 365 and the answer is “absolutely not”! Your bedroom furniture does not all need to match. If you want them to be matching furniture, then that’s OK too, but there’s no rule saying your bedside tables need to be the same colour, shape, and style as your bed – heck, they don’t even need to be the same material!
That’s the beauty of home decor – it’s our choice to decorate how we want and which quality decor items you incorporate. Deciding whether to mix and match furniture is up to you. But before you decide, you might want to look at the benefits of both.
Reasons to match nightstands to your bed
- One piece matching another can create a cohesive look
- Similar textures, colours, and shapes provide anchors to a room
- It’s traditional to match all the furniture
- A matching set might be less expensive
- Two nightstands usually match, so why shouldn’t they match your bed?
Reasons NOT to match nightstands to your bed
- You can try a completely different style
- A mix and match styles are more fun
- You can vary shapes in your bedroom furniture to bring more interesting details
- One nightstand in a small bedroom works well, so mixing and matching here is fun
- Breaks up that ‘matchy matchy‘ approach that can make the visual weight of a room far too heavy
- Can experiment with texture, materials, and colours to create a focal point in your room
To match or not to match that is the question
Really, it’s up to you. For us, mismatched nightstands work best because they’re more visually interesting and are much more likely to catch your eye and make you appreciate them more.
But there are ways of doing it successfully, and the rest of today’s post will cover the best way to match your mismatched nightstands to the rest of the room.
Think about size, shape, and materials
Using different shapes and different materials is fine when you’re creating a unique space where your stand, dressers, and bed are all slightly different. It’s exciting.
But don’t go overboard.
One of our top tips is to think about how the pieces will flow together. You’re not completely ripping up the rule book here, so you will need to keep your inner designer in check.
No, you don’t need to stick to a traditional approach, but you’ll need to think about how the shape and materials of the dressing table work with the bed frame, and how they work with your nightstands, etc. If you’re interested we covered “how to choose furniture for a small living space” recently which will probably have a few more tips.
What goes best with a wooden bed?
Your wooden upholstered bed is obviously going to be standard. It’ll be rectangular, made of wood, and probably a double-size bed, or bigger, right?
Well, when you pick out your nightstands, think about what might work best. Could a metal bedside table work? Absolutely! Bedside tables don’t all need to match the wood bed. You can get creative with a bedside table that’s a little different.
A metal one works, but so would a stone bedside table with a table lamp on top to soften it. Lacquered nightstands and painted wood might also work, but the key is to try it out with the furniture in your room.
The mix and match approach works fine but mixing and matching still requires thought about what will work and what won’t.
Fail to think about that, and you’ll miss the whole point of the mix and match style, which is to tie furniture together in unique ways in your bedroom – not leave your bedroom feeling chaotic.
There is the right mix for everyone
Hear us out for a second. Some people might have a metal bed with a wooden nightstand on one side, and glass nightstand on the other side.
Now, this example might make the designer in you cringe, but everyone can find the right mix of material, shape, and style to suit them. And if it doesn’t suit others, well, who cares? It’s your house!
And that’s what the last of our tips is about – being creative and trying to create a space and style that is your own.
If you want your nightstand to work as a pair but would prefer to mix in bedside tables that aren’t matching, then that’s fine. Your bedroom can be an eclectic space of style, just so long as you have a reason for doing it.
Can you mix a dark wood nightstand and a light wood nightstand?
The reason we ask this here, is because lots of people think creating contrast with your bedroom furniture must include light and dark and the mix of tables in this simple way. And yes, you can mix light and dark in this way if you like it, but there are other ways too.
Here’s how to create contrast when you pick out your next nightstand:
- Bedside tables can use texture for contrast
- Materials are great for contrasting too
- You don’t need to contrast nightstand to nightstand. What about your drawers and dresser? Wardrobe and bed? Think about what’s in your space and consider mixing these up for contrast, too.
- Position – of course, you’ll still need your nightstand in a place where you can use it practically so the things you need (bedside mirror, lamps, and any other piece of useful accessories you keep there) are all in reach. But just because your nightstand comes as a pair doesn’t mean they have to stay in the same position. Can you create contrast by mixing up where they’d traditionally go? One against the wall, one towards the end of your bed, for example?
Final takeaway
There are some tips you should follow when you mix and match nightstands to your bedroom furniture. You’ll need to think a bit about the other furniture in the bedroom and their current style, as well as the space available, materials used, and shapes.
But don’t let these stop your inner designer – they are only tips after all. Experiment, and you’ll eventually find the best combination of nightstands to go with your room. And no, they don’t need to match your bed…
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