Shopping for Night Stands

For an unobtrusive piece of furniture, a night stand says a lot about its owner.

By TIM McKEOUGH

“I have different types of clients,” said Windsor Smith, an interior designer in Santa Monica, Calif. “Some have night stands that are so pristine, with just a beautiful keepsake and crystal decanter. Then, on the other side of the bed, the other person will have piles of books, papers and devices.”
Coming to terms with whether you’re a neat freak or not — and understanding how much you need your night stand to hold — is key to selecting an appropriate one, she said, “because there’s nothing worse than having a hot mess over there when the rest of the room looks beautiful.”

Just as couples don’t always share the same personality traits, night stands don’t always have to be installed in matching pairs. “It’s an opportunity to insert eclectic elements and create tension between different things,” Ms. Smith said. “I like to play with them to introduce a shape or form you wouldn’t expect.”

• Should the night stand be the same height as the bed? Preferably not: For visual interest, Ms. Smith advised, “you want the night stand to be higher or lower, so it’s not all on the same plane.”