Okay, make that two night stands. Though technically they’re just the living room side tables…
… that were displaced by the arrival of Karl.
So even though they’re not technically nightstands, we love our Target tables (from the Victoria Hagan collection, purchased a few years back) and those seeded glass lamps (from the now sadly non-existent Nate Berkus collection at Linens N’ Things) too much to let them go unused. So they’ve now found a new home in the master bedroom. At least for now.
Not only do they start to balance the room more, they’re a huge help in the function department. Sherry’s poor short arms couldn’t take storing her cell phone and magazines on the floor much longer. At first we wondered if they were a little too low, but we’ve been reading in bed easily thanks to them, and we can also easily reach anything on the table since they’re within around 5″ of the top of the mattress, so we just roll over and grab.
So although they may not be permanent fixtures in our bedroom decor (Sherry has this crazy hankering for eggplant lamps someday, and I, for one, would appreciate a drawer or something in our future nightstands for some extra concealed storage) they were f-r-e-e and they definitely do the trick for now.
And one cool byproduct of our new additions is the way they change the character of the room at night. Using the soft table lamps (instead of the bright white fan lights overhead) cozies up the room big time. It feels a lot warmer, the paint color takes on a greener feel, and there are a few dramatic shadows thrown on the ceiling, courtesy of Ed the Bed.
And I can’t even begin to express how awesome it feels to be able to turn off the light at night without having to get up and walk over to flip off the light switch on the wall anymore. Now I don’t have to fake-sleep so Sherry’s forced to do it. Sweet.
Next on our bedroom lighting to do list: replacing that not-so-purdy fan. We have our eye on something kinda crazy, but it makes us smile so it’s a strong possibility.
hahah, fake sleeping so sherry turns the light off.
i do that too! or we race to the bed and whoever is last must turn the light off.
Love the X in the design of the tables. And +1 for Target!
I love the look of your beige browns intermingled with the whites! Gives it a cozy feel while also coming across clean and vibrant. The lamps were an excellent idea for the greens, especially at night. Really makes it pop. Thanks for the ideas!
Love how you found a new home for these guys! Repurposing your own stuff is always the most rewarding find. They look great. How is the height working out? Obviously way better than leaving stuff on the floor, but high enough for your somewhat tall bed?
Yes, the height feels great actually. I thought I might want something higher, but when you lay in bed it’s right next to you (not inches below) so it’s great!
xo,
s
Great way to use what you already have until you find exactly what you’re looking for! I can totally empathsize, we had done much of the same in the past 2ish years of our marriage/new house experience.
Looks Great!
You be sure to let me know if you decide to part with those lamps… ;)
care to share a link to a picture of the crazy thing you’re thinking of replacing the fan with?
Since we’re not 100% sure we don’t want to put it out there just yet. Still mulling it over. Plus we don’t want it to sell out before we pull the trigger. Haha. Details later this week for sure though!
xo,
s
I wonder if it is the same style of fan (if you are staying with a fan?) like what my hubby bought me for Valentines Day. (its a clear, beautiful plexi glass fan for our living room).
We’re actually fans of table fans in the bedroom (pun intended) although we love a ceiling fan in a den or sunroom. So we’re going for a crazy light fixture instead. Well semi-crazy. It’s not made of baby doll heads or anything. Haha.
xo,
s
They look great….
You comment about fake sleeping totally made me laugh. My hubby and I fake sleep sometimes too so we don’t have to be the one to get up and turn out the light.
I had a feeling those tables were going to become nightstands! Looks great!
Looks really good. And I love when I can re-purpose items even if it’s only temporary.
Oh my goodness, I totally fake sleep too! Heavy breathing plus a bit of nasly snoring usually does the trick. Oh, and a well placed drowsy “huh?” when she gets up to turn out the light is perfect!
I’ve never asked, but always wondered – what type of flooring is that in your living room? Is it a vinyl, a laminate, or a mixture? And it looks like one of the panels (the lighter colored one) has a raised texture on it?
Those are actually hardwood parquet floors. They’re a bit splintery and faded though, so we’d love to refinish them in a rich dark stain someday…
xo,
s
The night stands look GREAT in their new quarters! As for the future light that replaces the fan, why not a funky chandelier? Can’t wait to see what you come up with!
I love “shopping” in my own house..good job
The bedroom looks so light and airy in the morning but I love it even more in the soft light of the bedside lamps. You’re right, it’s so cozy looking! The wall color reminds me of seaglass.
Great use of tables. Plus, they fit right in. Can’t wait to see what “kinda crazy” you two have in store.
Looks great! I especially like how it looks at night with the table lamps turned on.
The tables and lamps look great, but I’m wondering how they will function for you. Maybe it’s just me, but I always like a nightstand with a drawer or door to hide the next-to-the-bedside necessities that otherwise pile up on top of the nightstand: books, Kleenex, eye glasses, baby monitor, chapstick, hand cream, cell phone, etc. Right now we are using to Besta cabinets (with doors) mounted to the wall for a “floating” look. We drilled a hole in the bottom for a surge protector cord and use the bottom shelf as a charging station for some of the above-mentioned items (cell phone, baby monitor…).
Anyway, I’m just curious if you find after a week or two that the tops become clutter magnets, because they always do at our house. Although I noticed you didn’t have any nightstands at your former house, so maybe I’m the only one with this problem? :)
Hey Amelia,
Check out the post for that info. John actually mentioned that down the line we’d love something with a drawer for hiding stuff and I agree! These are just for now since they’re free. So far they’re much better than nothing so we’ll take ’em!
xo,
s
HAHAHAHAHA! I will race to get into bed before my husband just so he has to turn the fan on! Im not going to lie, sometimes if it is super cold in the house I will call his cell phone if he is down stairs and beg him to come turn the fan off upstairs!!! He always does it too! lol.
It’s the little things that keep our marriage going strong after 8 years (on thursday!!)!
Heh, we also race to the bed/fake sleep to force the other to get up and turn out the light! Too funny.
Just a safety note – if you sleep next to your cell phone, make sure it is turned off. It is not a good idea to carry it on you or sleep next to it while it is on. (Just the “mom” instincts coming out in me..)
just curious .. what’s the safety in having it off? .. we only have cell phones (no land line) … so mine is right by my bedside every single night, plus it’s my alarm clock too. :-) No way would I turn it off, b/c just might need it in an emergency.
Ha, I love that you fake sleep. I always fake sleep when the dog has to go out in the middle of the night. Sorry hubs!
And (pardon me if this sounds rude) but what the heck happened to the ottoman on the right in that first pic. It looks seriously deflated.
Haha, that’s John’s ottoman. In case you can’t tell, he uses his more. Haha.
xo,
s
Ha! I noticed that too, but I loved it because it shows “normal.” Everybody uses things, then they get old and broken in, but you can’t just go out and replace everything you have once things start showing some age. And not everything needs to be “magazine perfect” all the time (it’s not normal)!
I love those tables! We have the X-back chair from that line. Wish she’d do another line for Target. I love her stuff!
Is reading before bed your nightly ritual, or was that just for better blog-readability? :-) Do you hop into bed with an easy-to-digest decor mag, or does some heavy reading go on?
A little bit of both (John usually reads the heavy duty stuff and I read mags and chick lit).
xo,
s
Super creative title, I always dig clever wordplay! Love the tables too!
I was wondering what you all were going to do with the lamps. Have you thought of things to put in it for the summer? I have sea shells in mine but it gets old after a while.
Another question- Have you guys always had no tv in the bedroom? Is the reason because you just want more private time?
Thanks!
We’ve always had a TV free bedroom just because we fear we’d never leave if we had one (and we’d fall asleep with it on, etc). Although on days when we’re sick or feeling lazy we both agree it would be fun. Maybe that’s why hotels feel special, since they have a TV near the bed. Wouldn’t want to ruin that occasional “splurge” feeling of TV watching from bed when we travel by getting one at home- at least for now.
As for stuff in the lamps, around the holidays I shove silver ornaments in them. Looks so festive!
xo,
s
Are the night stands high enough? I keep thinking “form follows function”. Not sure the combo of those night stands and lamps provide optimum lighting for reading in bed. How do the tables look when they are turned the other way? (Short end against the bed, long end against the wall?) Looking forward to reading your posts this week….
Yup, we read in bed with them and can easily reach anything on the table since they’re around the same height as the mattress (maybe 5″ lower), so we just roll over and grab. Haha. As for the direction, we like them in the x-front direction (both for form since we love the X, but also for function, since that frees up more space to drop stuff on the front of them – like books, jewelry, cellphones, etc).
xo,
s
Looks great for now! And Free is always a plus.
Saw this deer head key holder on ModCloth and thought of you guys!
http://www.modcloth.com/Apartment/-Coziest-Cabin-Key-Holder
Is the ottoman at the end of your bed the same one that was in the guest room or do you have 2 of those?
We have two of those. One was in the old “mud room” corner of our first house’s den and the other was at the dining table (one has slightly taller legs, actually).
xo,
s
These are great… really love how they bring more brown into the space… the bench at the end of the bed makes more sense now color-wise. Also love a bed with flanking lamps, thanks for sharing your progress!
abodelove.blogspot.com
I think i have an addiction to YHL! I was having a rough weekend and kept checking in to see if there was a new post. I actually said to myself – I think I need some YHL or something… maybe some Bower Power. Anything.
I realize how creepy that just sounded. Don’t worry I’m just a home decorating freak.
Haha, not to worry. I crave blogs too. This weekend I had to call Katie Bower for my fix. Haha.
xo,
s
I feel the same way! I am bummed to see that Katie hasn’t updated her blog for awhile… but I know it’s because of the move… so i keep trying to talk myself down :)
I have the same side tables too. I’m always swapping my pair out from the living room to the guest bedroom. They are nice and lightweight but sturdy too. Pretty good Tar-jay/Tar-hay purchase!
Hahaha…”fake sleep.” I love it. I think we’ve all done it but it takes guts to admit it on a blog:)
XO,
Sarah
Love that watch on the night stand…Michael Kors by chance?! ;) The room looks great!
Yes! That’s too funny. Good eye!
xo,
s
I noticed that, too! We have problems… Or great taste?
Haha, I’d go with great taste.
xo,
s
Looks great!
LOL at the fake sleep! I totally do that so the hubs has to get up to let the dog out and I can stay warm and cozy. :-)
Though we’ve had nightstands in our room since our move, no lamps/sconces and I’d missed them TERRIBLY! Finally, last week we made a headboard with built in sconces. It’s SO very nice to be able to turn off the light without getting up after reading/knitting. It’s on my blog if you feel like checking it out, it changed the entire look of the room!
I agree that drawers are pretty important for a nightstand, but the x-lines of those side tables look great with Ed the Bed! It would be great to find something with a similar vibe that has the storage you need.
And, if you decide to part with those side tables..I would pay for the shipping to my place :-)
Love them! I do agree about needing hidden storage…
My “want” when we move into our house (we’re in the process of buying our first!!) is to install a ceiling fan in the bedroom with remote on/of/dimmer/fan speed. That way we don’t have to do the fake sleeping to avoid turning the light off. :]
Oops… “off” not “of”
I did the same as Colleen this weekend. :-) Even though I know you deserve a weekend off – especially with out of town visitors – I was still hoping for a new post.
BTW, Sherry, did your mom even notice the house, or was she totally involved with Clara the whole time?
I wish I lived closer – I would be your best Craigslist customer for all your cast-offs!
True to grandma form, she barely noticed the house and only had eyes for Clara. Although when the beanette took naps or went to bed for the night, mom and Jack both kept saying how much they loved the house and the guest room, which was really nice.
xo,
s
I love the ceiling shadows! And I love watching stuff come together in your house. It tides me over when I’m between projects or mid-project in my own house. ;-)
We struck a good balance with our night stands – we could have had three drawers or one with two open shelves. The one drawer is good for keeping us from storing too much junk that we just forget about but still having a little storage handy. The two shelves to mean a little more dusting (who knew black furniture would get so dusty?), but it’s no big deal if I’m already wiping off the tops.
Yay for convenience. I love the nighttime shots of the bedroom. So pretty! Those lamps are great! And so sweet you already had them.
This is a source of argument between my husband and I. He wants side tables that are lower than the bed. He says if they are higher he doesn’t sleep well because he worries about banging his head on them! From all the questions you’re getting I’m wondering if side tables lower than the bed is a decorating faux pas?
Many people prefer them to be level or a big higher than the top of the mattress. We have never had higher than the bed side tables (we’re rarely “rule followers” in the decor sense of that term, mostly because we’re cheap, haha) but they can still be nice and functional as long as the height is pretty close (maybe within 6″ from the top of the mattress). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Thanks Sherry, that does help! I can understand what he means, but I wondered if they’d look stupid lower than the bed. I’ll go for some that are close to the bed height, but lower, and then maybe do tall lamps to balance it all out.
Yeah just play around and see what looks best! You can always stack books under your lamps to raise them up and even add legs or casters to your tables to add height if they’re a bit off. Good luck!
xo,
s
Those tables are definitely too awesome not to use somewhere. Love the design of them.
Glad you are using what you have. The lamps look a little short to my eye next the the tall-ness of the canopy frame but maybe placing some art behind each one would help or elevate them on books?
I like the tables there,looks great.
Yeah we definitely think adding art/wall decor in general will help the tall bed feel more proportional. And a big fantastic ceiling fixture probably won’t hurt either. Haha. Can’t wait for that!
xo,
s
The bench at the end of the bed – I also have two and love them. Have you considered putting them both at the end of the bed so that it covers the whole width? Is it there for design or to help Burger and Clara get up on the bed?
Yup, that’s there to help Burger get in and out. Our version of Doggy Steps if you will, haha. As for putting two of them there, the two that we own are different heights (one has taller legs) and we love keeping one of them in the guest room. But down the line we wouldn’t mind upgrading to a longer storage bench that spans more of the width of the bed. Someday…
xo,
s
The room has evolved so much, and the nightstand+lamp combo really makes it feel cozier. I’m so glad to see you turning every room into more and more homey places.
OOOOooooo….. the faux sheepskins on either bedside floor is so chic. And what a great feeling on the feet when you get out of bed.
Love them in your bedroom. Love the warmth in the room now. Can’t wait to see what lighting you pick.
Ohhh, can’t wait to see what your “something kinda crazy possibilty” for a light is!!! The room is looking great thus far!