Three numbers and you have your answer. Measure the gap beside your bed, the depth you can give up, and the distance from your floor to the top of your mattress. Everything on this site is checked against them, in centimetres.
Measurements are the published figures. We leave a 2 cm working margin on width and depth, because a table you have to force into a gap is a table you will hate. Wall-mounted pieces are matched on width and depth only: their height is wherever you fix them.
Height is the one people get wrong. A bedside table should sit level with the top of your mattress, or very slightly above it. More than about ten centimetres below and you are reaching down in the dark every night; more than about five above and it is in the way when you sit up.
We recorded the published dimensions of 262 floor-standing bedside tables in one British trade range: median height 57 cm, two thirds between 55 and 65 cm, and only 2 % reaching 65 cm. The 61 to 71 cm figure repeated online fits just 15 of those 262 tables (6 %). The full study and the chart are here, free to republish with a credit link. Widths, depths and the most common sizes are in bedside table dimensions.
Width is the one people underestimate. Read the width of the gap at its narrowest point, not at the widest, and remember a radiator valve sticks out further than the radiator. If nothing fits, the bedside table alternatives show what does, in centimetres.
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Before you buy
Three measurements decide it, in this order. Take them with a tape measure before you look at a single photo.
1
Measure from the side of the bed frame to the wall, radiator or wardrobe, at the narrowest point. Skirting boards and radiator valves count. Take 2 cm off: that is the widest table that fits without forcing it.
| Gap beside the bed | Widest table | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| Under 22 cm | Nothing we sell | Alternatives |
| 22 to 31 cm | 20 cm | 20 cm tables |
| 32 to 37 cm | 30 to 35 cm | 30 cm tables |
| 38 to 46 cm | 36 to 44 cm | All tables |
| 47 to 56 cm | 45 cm | All tables |
| 57 cm or more | 55 cm | All tables |
2
Stand a tape measure on the floor and read it at the top of the mattress, topper included. The table should sit level with that point, within about 5 cm. Lower and you reach down in the dark; higher and it gets in the way when you sit up.
| Bed | Floor to mattress top | Table height |
|---|---|---|
| Divan base | 55 to 65 cm | 55 to 60 cm |
| Ottoman, lift-up storage | 55 to 70 cm | 57 to 60 cm |
| Upholstered frame | 50 to 60 cm | 50 to 57 cm |
| Platform or low frame | 40 to 50 cm | 40 to 50 cm |
| Bunk or cabin bed, lower berth | 35 to 45 cm | 35 to 45 cm |
Your own measurement always wins over a typical range. The height guide explains why, and bedside table dimensions covers width and depth.
3
Maximum table width = your measured gap minus 2 cm. A 32 cm gap takes a table up to 30 cm wide; a 37 cm gap takes one up to 35 cm wide.
Measure your mattress rather than relying on the bed type. For a mattress top at 70 cm, our 5 cm guideline means a freestanding table between 65 and 75 cm tall, or a wall-mounted table fitted to suit.
Side by side
Every table in stock today, grouped by width. Heights are for floor-standing tables; a wall-mounted one sits wherever you fix it.
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.| Type | In stock | Width | Height | Depth | With a drawer | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 cm wide | 4 | 20 cm | 40 cm | 20 cm | 3 of 4 | £90 |
| 30 to 35 cm wide | 19 | 25–35 cm | 40–65 cm | 25–35 cm | 17 of 19 | £49.99 |
| 36 to 45 cm wide | 50 | 36–45 cm | 39–68.5 cm | 26–45 cm | 38 of 50 | £47 |
| Wider than 45 cm | 15 | 46.5–55 cm | 47–70 cm | 30–43 cm | 13 of 15 | £56 |
| Wall mounted | 19 | 30–45 cm | Where you fix it | 25–35 cm | 14 of 19 | £37 |
| Sets of two | 23 | 20–55 cm | 15–60 cm | 20–40 cm | 18 of 23 | £45 |
Width, depth and height are the published figures, in centimetres. Prices include free UK delivery.
Names explained
Shops use five names for nearly the same piece of furniture. What changes is the storage, and how it stands.
If you are furnishing a small bedroom from scratch, the gap beside the bed is not something you measure — it is something that is left over. Put the room in and see what remains.
Bed lengths used: 190 cm for single, small double and double; 200 cm for king and super king. A standard internal door sweeps about 76 cm, so check the door arc before you trust any of this — it is the constraint people forget.
The width of the table plus about 2 cm, so a drawer can open and your hand can reach in. Measure the gap at its narrowest point, with the skirting board included. Our narrowest tables are 20 cm wide, so they need a gap of about 22 cm.
Within about 5 cm of the top of your mattress, measured from the floor to the top of the mattress rather than the frame. Of the 262 bedside tables we measured, the median is 57 cm tall and two thirds are 55 to 65 cm. The height guide explains how to measure.
About 40 cm wide, 35 cm deep and 57 cm tall: the medians of the 262 tables we measured. Bedside table dimensions has the full figures.
The width of the bed, plus both tables, plus about 2 cm on each side. A double bed of 135 cm with two 36 cm tables needs 211 cm of wall. See our matching pairs.