Budget Power Couples: Beds And Nightstands For Every Style (All Under $600)

Just yesterday I had the pleasure of talking about my love for bedding and now I am going full circle to chat about nightstand and bed combos. It’s a BEDROOM PARTY and it’s BYOB (bring your own blanket).

Full disclosure: I am currently living without a bed frame which a few years ago I might’ve told you is an intentional ~stylistic~ choice, inspired by the Parisian studio apartments I’ve seen all over Pinterest. You know, the ones with high ceilings, a balcony overlooking town square, a mattress on the floor, and books stacked lazily in lieu of a nightstand (because French women are sophisticated enough have their apartments be a bit of a hot mess). I used to envision myself in this type of Holly Golightly-esque apartment that is so unfinished it comes across as cool, my only roommate being a pet cat named Cat. But alas, my apartment doesn’t have the old-world charm that would allow me to get away with being an adult who sleeps on a mattress on the floor (and I guess my style’s changed a bit, too). C’est la vie.

But if EHD has taught me anything it’s that the right bed frame and nightstand combo can really show off your personal style and will likely make your room feel as good as it looks. So if you are like me and have yet to FINALLY make a decision on a bed or nightstand (or you’re ready for an upgrade)… we put together 12 combos that are guaranteed to work and look GOOD. Also, let’s be honest, right now we all want our bedrooms to look and feel like the oasis we need.

But before we get to the real fun, a few rules to note (which we’ve talked about before in our bedroom rules post– but a refresher never hurt anyone).

Rules For Picking A Nightstand

1. 24”-27” is the ideal height for a nightstand but a good rule of thumb is make sure the height is within the range of 5″ higher or lower than the top of your mattress.
2. Keep your nightstand to scale with your bed. The average nightstand is 20″x20″ which will work for most beds. However, for larger beds (like a King) you can use a larger nightstand (up to 40″) and smaller beds (like twins) maybe go a little smaller.
3. Space permitting, you ideally want at least 36″ around all walkways to comfortably get around your space. If your room is tight and doesn’t allow for a good amount of space to walk then you could consider pushing the bed up against one wall or downsizing your bed to fit with the scale of the room. 
4. Have fun with style/shape! (and mix-matching nightstands is totally doable if not encouraged:)).

Here’s a perfect example of a not-your-typical nightstand that still follows the aforementioned rules. The pedestal shape doesn’t take up a lot of visual or physical space and brings in a hint of traditional to this otherwise modern-scandi bedroom. And I will never not be fan of books lazily stacked on the floor, FYI.

In this bedroom, you can see how the nightstand is scaled to the size of the bed. It’s wider than your typically nightstand but it works because the bed and the space are both large enough.

In Emily Bowser’s master bedroom reveal, her small nightstands paired perfectly with her small space and DIY’d headboard. The nightstands fit snugly between the bed and the wall, and therefore don’t stick out and block the walkway to the door. Again, taking note of your space and scale is key to choosing your nightstand.

Alright, you guys are experts now so you’ve probably had enough of my babbling. So to take up the rest of your afternoon, here are our budget nightstand/bed combos that we love love love (and many that I want want want).

1. Slattum Bed & Porthos Home Jordan Side Table | 2. Pooler Queen Upholstered Standard Bed & Curved Terrace Nightstand | 3. Queen Azure Mei Upholstered Standard Bed & Ria Nightstand | 4. Avenue Greene Gwen Modern Metal Bed & LISTERBY Nightstand | 5. Dean Sand Eastern King Upholstered Panel Bed & Jaxpety Nightstand Bedside Table |6. Mitzi Nightstand & Francis Upholstered Platform Bed From Serta | 7. Antoinette Traditional Fully-Upholstered Queen-Size Bed Frame & Pelham End Table with Storage | 8. Carson Carrington Blaney Queen Solid Pine Wooden Spindle Bed & Cecille Groove Handle 2 Drawer Nightstand | 9. Leanora Wood Platform Bed Ash Walnut & Annette Side Table | 10. Copper Grove Ayrum Upholstered Bed Frame with Square Tufted Headboard & Wyatt Nightstand | 11. Queen Quezada Platform Bed & Touraco Nightstand  | 12. Leyton Mid – Century Modern Fabric Upholstered Platform Bed & VIKHAMMER Nightstand

Let us know if you have tried any of these pieces out and tell us what you think! Hope this helps whoever needs it right now.