Best Nightstands (2026 Guide)
Key Takeaways
- •Height is the one measurement that matters. The top of the nightstand should land within about two inches of the top of your mattress, so measure the mattress before you shop anything else
- •Width follows the bed and the walkway. Twenty to twenty eight inches suits a queen or king, and you want about 24 inches of clear floor to walk beside the bed
- •Check the interior drawer measurements before the drawer count. A four inch deep drawer fits a charger and a book
- •Built-in power is uncommon. Fewer than one nightstand in thirty has an outlet in the drawer
- •We carry nightstands from 39 brands, part of over 400 top brands in all. They center around $950, with most between about $550 and about $2,000, and members take 10% to 40% off retail, which is worth more when you are buying a pair
Quick Answer
The Crate & Barrel Keane 32" is the best all-round pick. It is 25 inches high, which sits level with a standard mattress, and Crate & Barrel puts a power strip with two outlets and two USB ports inside the top drawer, so the charging cable stays inside the drawer. The drawer box measures 28.63 by 16.75 by 6.13 inches. If your bedroom is tight, the Four Hands Zuma is only 15.75 inches deep and still 26 inches tall.
Top 5 Picks
Crate & Barrel
Keane Nightstand
📏 32.0"W x 19.25"D x 25.0"H
Unlock Member Pricing →Pottery Barn
Sausalito 3 Drawer Nightstand (34")
📏 34.0"W x 16.0"D x 26.0"H
Unlock Member Pricing →Four Hands
Zuma Nightstand
📏 24.0"W x 15.75"D x 26.0"H
Unlock Member Pricing →McGee & Co
Nathan Oak Nightstand
📏 24.0"W x 18.0"D x 26.0"H
Unlock Member Pricing →
Arhaus
Olina Closed Nightstand
📏 26.0"W x 20.0"D x 24.0"H
Unlock Member Pricing →Crate & Barrel Keane 32" Charging Nightstand
Best OverallCrate & Barrel put a power strip inside the top drawer, so the phone cable stays in the drawer instead of running over the front edge. Two outlets and two USB ports are built in. The rest of the piece is well made: drawers framed in solid FSC mahogany, soft-close undermount glides, and a 25 inch height that is level with a standard mattress. The floating top shelf holds a book without opening a drawer.
Members unlock trade pricing on this piece, typically 10% to 40% below retail. Check the product page above for current retail and your member price.
Unlock Member Pricing →Pros
- Power strip inside the top drawer with two outlets and two USB ports, rated for 120V
- Drawer box measures 28.63 by 16.75 by 6.13 inches, so it holds more than a charger and a paperback
- 25 inches high, level with the top of most mattresses
- Drawers framed in solid FSC mahogany with meranti veneer, on soft-close undermount glides
- Anti-tip hardware and levelers included, and it is also built as a 26" three-drawer and an 18" narrow
Considerations
- A 32 inch nightstand is a lot of furniture for a small bedroom
- The open shelf under the drawers stays visible, so whatever goes there is on display
Pottery Barn Sausalito 3-Drawer Nightstand (34")
Best with StorageThree drawers in three different sizes. The top drawer runs 13 by 11 by 4 inches inside, which suits reading glasses and a charger. The bottom one is 28 by 11 by 9 inches, deep enough for a folded throw or a stack of books. At 34 inches wide it works as a small dresser beside the bed, which helps in a bedroom with no other case goods. Pottery Barn badges it Contract Grade and offers it as a pair.
Members unlock trade pricing on this piece, typically 10% to 40% below retail. Check the product page above for current retail and your member price.
Unlock Member Pricing →Pros
- Top drawer 13 by 11 by 4 inches, bottom drawer 28 by 11 by 9 inches, so shallow and deep storage in one piece
- 26 inches high, within the two inch window for most mattresses
- Pottery Barn badges it Contract Grade and sells it individually or as a set of two
- Optional half inch glass top rated to 250 lbs if you want the wood protected
- White glove delivery includes unpacking and assembly
Considerations
- 80 lbs and 34 inches wide, so it needs a real wall beside the bed
- Top surface is rated to 40 lbs, which rules out a heavy stone lamp
Four Hands Zuma Nightstand
Best for Small SpacesDepth is what makes a nightstand feel large in a small room, and at 15.75 inches the Zuma is nearly four inches shallower than the others here, which keeps the walkway clear. The shallow footprint does not cost height: 26 inches keeps it level with a standard mattress rather than dropping to the lower height common on small nightstands. Four Hands describes it as made from solid ash with gunmetal iron hardware, and the lower stretcher shelf is woven paper cord, so the base does not read as a solid block.
Members unlock trade pricing on this piece, typically 10% to 40% below retail. Check the product page above for current retail and your member price.
Unlock Member Pricing →Pros
- 15.75 inches deep, which is the measurement that decides how easily you get past the bed
- 26 inches high, so the shallow footprint does not lower the top surface
- Two drawers rather than one, in a footprint most small nightstands use for a single drawer
- Woven paper cord shelf keeps the base visually light, in a Danish influenced shape
- Offered in Dune Ash and Smoked Black Ash
Considerations
- 24 inches wide leaves less top surface than the others here
- Four Hands has no direct consumer checkout, so this is an order we place and track for you
McGee & Co Nathan Oak Nightstand
Best Solid WoodSolid seared oak, one drawer, one shelf, and a leather panel on the shelf. The plain shape works next to almost any bed. McGee & Co lists solid seared oak and seared oak veneer with top grain leather and brass hardware, so you know which parts are solid and which are not, and that is not true of every listing in this category. At 24 by 18 by 26 inches it is the most conventional footprint here, and the drawer is soft close.
Members unlock trade pricing on this piece, typically 10% to 40% below retail. Check the product page above for current retail and your member price.
Unlock Member Pricing →Pros
- Solid seared oak and oak veneer with top grain leather, with the materials broken out by part
- 26 inches high and 24 inches wide, the size most bedrooms are laid out for
- Soft close drawer and a fixed shelf with a 22.7 by 15.47 inch opening
- Brass hardware in a small round pull, so the drawer front stays plain
- Page listed it as available to ship in 4 to 6 business days on the read date
Considerations
- One drawer, so most of what you own here lives on an open shelf
- A leather shelf panel needs more care than a wood one
Arhaus Olina Closed Nightstand
Best Statement PieceTextured raffia drawer fronts on solid oak are the reason to buy this one. You see a nightstand from a few feet away every night, so the texture registers more than it would on a piece across the room. Arhaus builds it in 26 and 30 inch widths and three finishes, and at 24 inches high it is the shortest pick here, which suits a lower platform bed. Arhaus says plainly that individual pieces vary in color, pattern, shape and texture, which is what natural raffia does and is worth knowing before you buy two.
Members unlock trade pricing on this piece, typically 10% to 40% below retail. Check the product page above for current retail and your member price.
Unlock Member Pricing →Pros
- Textured raffia drawer fronts on solid oak and oak veneer, finished with a protective topcoat
- 24 inches high, which pairs with a low platform bed better than a 26 inch piece
- Built at 26" and 30" wide, in Ebony, Mocha and Sea Salt
- Under-mount drawer glides and brass pulls
- Arhaus states that pieces vary in color, pattern, shape and texture
Considerations
- Buy a pair and they will not be identical, by Arhaus's own description
- Raffia is harder to wipe clean than a flat wood front
How to Choose a Nightstand
Measure the Mattress First
- ✓Measure from the floor to the top of your mattress, with the sheets on
- ✓Shop within about two inches either side of that number
- ✓Leave about 24 inches of clear floor to walk beside the bed
- ✓Check the height again if you ever swap to a thicker mattress
The top of the nightstand should sit within about two inches of the top of your mattress. Higher than that and the lamp switch ends up above your shoulder when you are lying down, which is the single most common complaint about a nightstand that otherwise looks right. Most mattress tops are 24 to 27 inches off the floor, which is why most of these picks are 24 to 26 inches high. Width comes second: 20 to 28 inches suits a queen or king, and less if the walkway beside the bed is under about 30 inches.
Read the Drawer Interior, Not the Drawer Count
- ✓Look up the interior drawer measurements before the drawer count
- ✓A drawer under about 4 inches deep holds a charger and a book
- ✓One shallow and one deep drawer beats two of the same size
- ✓Decide whether an open shelf is storage or a surface you will have to keep tidy
Drawer count is a poor guide to capacity. What matters is the interior depth, and it is listed with the rest of the dimensions. The Pottery Barn Sausalito is the clearest example in this guide: a 4 inch top drawer for small things and a 9 inch bottom drawer for everything else. Most nightstands have at least one drawer, so interior depth is what separates them. An open shelf is a display surface rather than storage, and it has to be kept tidy.
Sort Out Power Before You Buy
- ✓Find the outlet nearest the bed and measure the distance
- ✓Decide whether a cable can run behind the piece or has to cross the top
- ✓Look for a built-in outlet if a bare cable will bother you
- ✓Check the top weight capacity if you want a heavy lamp
A nightstand holds a lamp and a phone, and both need a cord. Built-in power is rare, and the Crate & Barrel Keane is one of the few that has it, with the strip inside the top drawer rather than on the back panel. If you are not buying one of those, plan the cable route instead. A piece with an open back or a gap underneath makes it easier to run a cord than a closed cabinet does. And check the top weight rating with the rest of the dimensions, since a stone lamp base can exceed it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall should a nightstand be?
How wide should a nightstand be?
Do nightstands have to match the bed?
Should both nightstands be the same?
Are nightstands with built-in outlets worth it?
How much should I spend on a nightstand?
How does DDC pricing on nightstands work?
Continue Reading
Buy any of these picks at member pricing
Joining is free, and every membership includes design help from our team. How the club works