How To Style a Nightstand: Cozy Nightstand Decor Ideas You Can Easily Implement

When it comes to your bedroom, the nightstand is one of the most important parts of the room.

Why? Because you use your nightstand every night, and it usually holds your most necessary items, like a phone or water bottles. It also somehow attracts attention when you enter the room, so more reasons to make sure it looks nice.

Now, I know there are people who don’t use one at all, or only to hold a phone (*ahem* my boyfriend), but they’re not the target audience for this post 🙂 

So if you’re here, looking for nightstand decor ideas and how to style a nightstand, you’ve come to the right place. 

I’m here to help you with 5 core items / ideas you can easily implement today in your space. You probably have all of them, and if you don’t, you can find them for pretty cheap in many stores. 

These nightstand decor ideas will help you, not only efficiently use the space, but also create a warmer, more inviting, and cool space in your bedroom. 

So let’s see how to style a nightstand!

Nightstand Decor Idea #1: Framed Art or Photos

This is a decor hack I’ve recently learned and I absolutely love it. I’ve already implemented it on my nightstand. 

FRAMED ART or PHOTOS.

A large, framed poster / painting / picture, ideally that matches the color palette of the rest of the room, looks amazing and gives the space a bit of personality. And god knows my bedroom definitely needs a bit of spicing up, it’s very basic right now. 

I’ve added a framed picture from a classic movie and I love the way it looks.

Nightstand Decor Idea #2: Book stacking

When researching the topic of “How to style a nightstand”, the book stacking was probably the most used nightstand decor ideas out there. 

Similarly to a coffee table, stacking table books one on top of eachother can help fill up a larger space. They also add an interesting, extra surface to decorate. 

For the bedroom, though, I suggest limiting yourself to 2-5 books. Any more, and it would look crowded. 

Here’s my take on it. I stacked 2-3 books, and in later photos, I added a fake succulent on top. It gives character to the space and elongates the visual area. 

Nightstand Decor Idea #3: Light Source

Can we really do a nightstand decor ideas list without adding a lamp? Or a light source of any kind? I think not. 

Most people go for bedside lamps, and I agree. There are so many cool designs out there from which you can choose. You just have to know your style. 

Alternatively, you can have a night light, or a new fancy digital clock that gives light. Or a 2-in-1, like this Bedside Table Lamp with Touch Control and USB Charging Port, that can also act as an alarm clock.

I, personally, have a classic, very boring bedside lamp from IKEA. Which reminds me, I should really change it soon, it doesn’t match my vibe.

Nightstand Decor Idea #4: Flowers and/or Plants

Plants are always a good idea, no matter the room of the house. But for a bedroom, I recommend a smaller pot / plant or a small vase with flowers. 

I think less is more, especially in the bedroom. No need to crowd the place with a lot of plants, or big ones. So that’s why a smaller pot or vase would look great on a nightstand. 

I’ve had this small fake succulent for years and it looks so nice, stacked up on books, or next to the light source. 

Nightstand Decor Idea #5: Storage Solutions (trays, baskets, etc.)

Number one on my nightstand decor ideas, even higher than the light source, is storage. I, for one, desperately need storage solutions for all my stuff. 

In any given day, I have the following in or on my nightstand:

• Part of my skincare routine (I like to apply certain things right before bed)
• Hand cream
• Lip Balm
• Lavender roll-on
• A place to put my engagement ring and/or my earrings
• My phone charger
• Glass of water
• …and so on.

That’s why I chose a nightstand with a drawer, so I can hide most of the stuff in it. But some things still need to be on the nightstand.

If you’re like me, I recommend two types of storage units:

• A bin for your selfcare / beauty items, like lip balms and creams. Something like this Plastic Stackable Storage Box with Pull-Out Drawer from Amazon.

P.s. More Makeup and Beauty Organization Ideas & Storage Options here!

• Or something more elegant / fancy, like this jewelry tray from Amazon:

Here is my jewelry tray. I got it from a trip to the UK years ago, it’s from Primark. The other one is from IKEA.

Nightstand Decor Idea #6: Mix and match #1 – #5

Now comes the interesting part- mixing them all together. I suggest going with 3, maximum 4 of the 5 nightstand decor ideas listed above. 

Here is one of my favorites: framed picture, plants, jewelry tray and stacked books. 

CONCLUSION

Styling a nightstand doesn’t have to be complicated. You just need a few essential items and know how to mix and match them. I hope my post above helped you find cool new nightstand decor ideas to implement asap. 

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission if you make a purchase using these links, at no extra cost to you.