Bedside Tables: The Height Rule Most People Get Wrong
The bedside table is the most-used piece of furniture in a bedroom and usually the last one anyone chooses carefully. Get the height right first: the top should sit level with the top of your mattress, or up to 5cm above it. Too low and you knock things over reaching down; too high and it looms over the pillow.
Height, then width
Kenyan beds with thick high-density foam mattresses often sit higher than imported bed frames assume, which is why a standard 50cm nightstand can end up too low. Measure from the floor to the top of your mattress and buy to that number.
| Mattress top height | Nightstand height to look for |
|---|---|
| 45–50cm | 45–55cm |
| 50–60cm (thick foam or divan base) | 55–65cm |
| Over 60cm (high frame plus pillow-top) | 65cm+, or use a small side table |
What actually goes on it
Be honest about the load: a phone, a glass of water, a book, a lamp, and in most Kenyan bedrooms a charging cable. That is a surface of roughly 35 × 35cm minimum. Anything smaller and the glass of water ends up on the floor.
The Bedside Cabinet with Drawer and Lower Open Storage splits that neatly — closed drawer for the things you do not want on show, open shelf below for books.
Charging nightstands: worth it?
Nightstands with built-in wireless charging pads remove the cable that otherwise lives permanently across the bedside surface. They earn their place if your phone is your alarm — which for most people it is. The BS 7 Nightstand with Wireless Charging and LED Border Lighting and the BS 10 Smart Two Drawer Nightstand both put the pad on the top surface where you would have put the phone anyway.
Two practical notes: the pad still needs a cable to the wall, so plan for a socket within reach; and thick phone cases sometimes block wireless charging, so test yours.
LED border lighting and sleep
Border lighting on a nightstand is not there to light the room. It is there so you can find the bed, the glass and the switch at 2am without the ceiling light waking everyone. Choose warm tones over cool white for that job — cool light is the one that tells your body it is morning.
One nightstand or two?
Two if the bed is 5×6 or larger and two people sleep in it. One if the bed is against a wall on one side, or if the room is genuinely tight — in which case a round side table takes less visual space than a boxy cabinet and can move to a reading chair later.
Frequently asked questions
How tall should a bedside table be?
Level with the top of your mattress or up to 5cm above it. Measure from the floor to the mattress top, not to the bed frame.
Do wireless charging nightstands work with any phone?
With any phone that supports wireless charging. Very thick or metal-backed cases can block it, so test with the case you actually use.
What size nightstand fits a small bedroom?
Around 40cm wide is enough for a phone, a glass and a lamp. Below 35cm the surface stops being useful.
Should both sides of the bed have one?
If two people share a 5×6 or larger bed, yes — otherwise one person ends up putting a glass on the floor every night.
Drawer or open shelf?
A drawer keeps dust off medication, chargers and glasses. An open shelf suits books you are actually reading. Units with both cover it.
See the range
Browse the new furniture and bedroom arrivals. Tell us your mattress-top height on WhatsApp and we will point you at the nightstands that match it.