Short answer: A nightstand should have its top level with the top of your mattress, or a little below it, so that you can reach it while lying down. It should be narrow enough to leave clear floor beside the bed, and it should fit in the wall space between the bed and the corner or door. In Australia, our Talus nightstand starts from AUD 310 and is 43.5 cm (17.1 inches) wide and 55 cm (21.7 inches) high.
A nightstand is the smallest piece in the bedroom and the one you touch most. If the top is too low you reach down for your glasses, and if it is too wide it narrows the path beside the bed. The sections below cover height, width, drawers, our Talus nightstand and how to match the style of the bed.
On This Page
- How high should a nightstand be?
- What size nightstand fits next to a bed?
- Drawer, open storage or both?
- Our nightstand: Talus
- Matching the nightstand to your bed
- Our recommendation
- Explore our bedroom range
How high should a nightstand be?
A common guideline is a top level with the top of your mattress, or a few centimetres below it. Then a glass, a phone or a lamp switch is within reach without sitting up. That is general advice, not a product specification, so start by measuring your own bed from the floor to the top of the mattress.
Our mattress heights are 25 cm (10 inches) for the Foam mattress and 30.5 cm (12 inches) for the Hybrid, which our foam vs hybrid guide compares. The Ara bed frame is 37 cm (14.6 inches) tall and its side panels stand 12.5 cm (4.9 inches) above the slats. Worked out from those figures, the sleeping surface on an Ara sits at roughly 49.5 cm (19.5 inches) with the Foam mattress and roughly 55 cm (21.7 inches) with the Hybrid. Treat that as an estimate and check it against your own bed.
How high should a nightstand be?
| Bedside piece | Height | Compared with the sleeping surface on an Ara bed |
|---|---|---|
| Talus nightstand | 55 cm (21.7 inches) | Level with the Hybrid mattress (about 55 cm), or a little above the Foam (about 49.5 cm) |
| Mensa side table | 41.5 cm (16.3 inches), or 51 cm (20.1 inches) with the optional shelf | Below the mattress top without the shelf, close to the Foam mattress with it |
| Tessella side table | 50.9 cm (20.0 inches) | Between the Foam (about 49.5 cm) and the Hybrid (about 55 cm) |
| Eclipse side table | 52 cm (20.5 inches) | Between the Foam (about 49.5 cm) and the Hybrid (about 55 cm) |
If your mattress is thicker or your frame is higher, a lower piece will sit below the mattress, which still works. A top well above the mattress is the one to avoid.
What size nightstand fits next to a bed?
Three measurements decide it: the width of the nightstand, the clear floor beside the bed, and the wall space you have. Start with the wall. The headboard of our Ara bed is wider than the frame, so measure from the outside edge of the headboard.
What size nightstand fits next to a bed?
| Bed size | Round or Square headboard width | Pillow headboard width | Wall needed for the Round or Square headboard plus two Talus nightstands | Wall needed for the Pillow headboard plus two Talus nightstands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 169.6 cm (66.8 inches) | 160.6 cm (63.2 inches) | 256.6 cm (101.0 inches) | 247.6 cm (97.5 inches) |
| Queen | 185.6 cm (73.1 inches) | 176.6 cm (69.5 inches) | 272.6 cm (107.3 inches) | 263.6 cm (103.8 inches) |
| Australian King | 212.4 cm (83.6 inches) | 204.4 cm (80.5 inches) | 299.4 cm (117.9 inches) | 291.4 cm (114.7 inches) |
The two right-hand columns add two Talus nightstands at 43.5 cm (17.1 inches) each, placed outside the headboard with no gap. With the Extended headboard, which is far wider, our headboard style guide shows the wall width to plan for.
Then check the floor. As a general guideline, leave 61 to 91 cm (24 to 36 inches) clear on the side where you get out of bed, and keep at least 91 cm (36 inches) for any path through the room. Narrow rooms need those numbers more than they need a bigger nightstand. Our guides to bedroom furniture and to bedroom furniture for tight spaces go through the layout.
If you choose an Ara storage bed, its drawers open outward from the sides. A nightstand close to the headboard can overlap the path of the nearest drawer, so check the position before you buy. Our Ara storage guide lists the clearances.
Drawer, open storage or both?
The choice is about what you keep beside the bed. A drawer hides small items, and open storage keeps a book or a lamp in view. Our small bedroom storage guide explains why drawers keep a small room looking tidier.
- Reversible: the Talus has one drawer and can be set with the drawer on top and open storage below, or the other way around.
- A drawer you can pull out: the Mensa side table has a pull-out drawer that works as a tray.
- No nightstand at all: where the floor is tight, a side table or a wall shelf at mattress height can do the job. Our side table guide lists the heights.
Our nightstand: Talus
The Talus is the one nightstand we sell in Australia. It comes in Oak and Walnut and is made from ash timber veneer over MDF.
- Size: 43.5 x 43.5 x 55 cm (17.1 x 17.1 x 21.7 inches).
- Storage: one reversible drawer, on top with open storage below, or at the bottom with open storage above.
- Cords: a discreet opening for charging cables or lamp cords.
- Assembly: about 30 minutes.
- Price: from AUD 310.
We do not list a weight capacity for the Talus on its product page, so ask our team if you plan to put something heavy on it. We do not compare our prices with other brands, so use the size above and the product page to judge what suits your bedroom.
Matching the nightstand to your bed
Oak and Walnut are the finishes on the Talus. On an upholstered Ara they add a wood tone beside the fabric. Our Ara customisation guide covers frames, headboards and fabrics.
A common guideline is to keep to two finishes in a bedroom: for example the bed frame, then the nightstands in a timber tone. Two nightstands do not have to be identical, but they should be close in height so that the two sides of the bed look balanced.
Our recommendation
- A flexible layout: the Talus, because the drawer can go on top or at the bottom.
- Hybrid mattress or a tall bed: the Talus at 55 cm (21.7 inches) matches the Hybrid sleeping surface.
- Foam mattress on an Ara bed: the Tessella side table at 50.9 cm (20.0 inches) or the Talus both work.
- A narrow wall: measure first, because the Talus is 43.5 cm (17.1 inches) wide and our Solis side table is only 32.5 cm (12.8 inches) deep.
Explore our bedroom range
Product specifications can change. Check the current dimensions on the product page before ordering.