When designing your dream bedroom, one question often gets overlooked: how tall should a nightstand be? Get this wrong, and you'll find yourself awkwardly reaching for your phone at 2 AM or straining to turn off your alarm clock.
Your nightstand should be around 24 — 28 inches tall. Ideally, that puts it level with the top of your mattress or about 2 to 4 inches above it. However, not all beds are the same height. Flowyline shows you exactly how to measure for the perfect nightstand, what heights work for different bed types, and how to avoid the most common sizing mistakes.
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Quick Nightstand Size Chart by Bed Type (If You’re in a Hurry)
Measure your bed height from floor to the top of mattress, then you can use this chart as a starting point. Your specific setup may vary.
| Your Priority | Nightstand Height | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Modern/Contemporary | Level with mattress top | Clean lines, easy access |
| Traditional/Classic | 2 — 4" above mattress | Tall headboards, extra storage |
| Feng Shui/Wellness | 1 — 2" below mattress | Energy flow, holistic balance |
What experts say!
According to Susan Caudle of Hardwood Artisans, "The general rule of thumb is to be able to reach items on a nightstand without straining or discomfort." Your nightstand exists to make your life easier — not to test your flexibility.
How Tall Should a Nightstand Be: 3 Golden Nightstand Heights
Interior designers agree on one fundamental principle: your nightstand should line up with the top of your mattress. That way, it creates visual harmony and serves a comfortable purpose.
Here's the 3 optimal nightstand height hierarchy:
1. Perfect Nightstand Height: Level with Mattress Top (Most Popular)
The gold standard is to keep the nightstand height even with the top of your mattress. Why does it work so well?
- Easy to reach: Everything stays within comfortable reach, whether you're sitting up or lying down.
- Visual continuity: That clean line flows from your bed to the nightstand horizontally. The two pieces have an equal say in the interior composition, as opposed to fighting for attention.
- Ergonomic comfort: Items stay within easy grasp in both positions. Sitting up to read or lying down, reaching for your phone in the dark.
- Design harmony: The nightstand becomes a natural extension of your bed rather than a standalone piece that feels somewhat disconnected from the rest of your furniture.
How tall should a nightstand be compared to the bed
Photo: Freepik | Edited by Flowline
This height works beautifully for:
- Platform beds with standard mattresses (10 — 12 inches thick)
- Modern beds without box springs
- Beds with low-profile headboards or no headboard at all
- Minimalist bedroom aesthetics
Pro tip: When your nightstand sits level with your mattress, accessing drawers and shelves becomes easier. There are no awkward angles. This matters especially if you frequently use nightstand storage for books, glasses, medications, or personal items.
2. Great Nightstand Height: 2 — 4 Inches Above Mattress (Traditional Style)
Can your nightstand be taller than your bed? Yes, but within 3 scenarios.
Your nightstand can sit up to 2 — 4 inches taller than the top of your mattress. Go any higher and you run into problems:
- Awkward upward reaching that gets old fast.
- Your lamp blocks your view across the bed.
- The nightstand visually overpowers the bed itself.
- The whole setup looks top-heavy and unbalanced.
Your nightstand can be taller by 2 — 4 inches than the top of your mattress
Photo: Freepik | Edited by Flowline
When a nightstand taller than bed makes sense:
- Scenario 1 — Tall headboards: If you have an oversized upholstered headboard (50+ inches tall), a taller nightstand (28 — 30") helps balance the vertical visual weight.
- Scenario 2 — Multiple drawers: Taller nightstands with drawers are actually easier to use. You can reach the bottom drawer without bending down excessively, which matters if you're accessing it daily.
- Scenario 3 — Under-bed storage: If your bed has storage drawers underneath that elevate the mattress higher than typical, a slightly taller nightstand keeps everything in proportion. Otherwise, you end up with a nightstand that looks too short for the bed height.
3. Acceptable Nightstand Height: 1 — 2 Inches Below Mattress (Feng Shui Preferred)
According to feng shui principles, your nightstand can sit 1 — 2 inches lower than your mattress top. This allows positive qi (energy) to flow freely through your bedroom.
Feng shui perspective: Traditional feng shui principles recommend keeping your bedside table level with your mattress or slightly lower (up to 2 inches below). This promotes balance and allows positive energy to flow freely through your bedroom.
Feng shui specialist Marianne Gordon adds, "The nightstand itself should have rounded corners and should be lower than the level of the top of your mattress."
How tall should a nightstand be next to a bed that sits lower to the ground
Photo: Freepik | Edited by Flowline
When lower nightstands are expected:
- Tall beds with box springs: A panel bed or traditional frame with a standard box spring (9 inches) plus a thick mattress (12 — 16 inches) creates a total bed height of 30 — 35 inches from the floor. Even the tallest nightstands ( 28 — 30 inches) will naturally sit below the mattress top. This is entirely normal and functions well.
- Pillow-top mattresses: These luxury mattresses add 2 — 4 inches of extra cushioning on top. Therefore, it raises your sleeping surface higher than standard. If you already own your nightstand and then upgrade to a thicker mattress, you'll end up with this height difference. It still works.
- Adjustable beds: If you frequently use your adjustable bed in a raised position for reading or watching TV, your mattress top sits higher than when flat. A nightstand that's 1 — 2 inches below still functions well here.
You might like: How Tall Should a Coffee Table Be: 3 Practical Heights That You Need
Standard Nightstand Height Range: 22 to 28 Inches
Based on furniture industry data, the average nightstand height falls between 22 and 28 inches (56 — 71 cm). More than 50% of all nightstands on the market fit within this range. However, don't just default to "average" without measuring first.
As interior designer Emily Henderson notes, "Nothing worse than reaching over for a glass of water and having to crawl out of bed to try and find it on a super low nightstand. The same goes for one that is too tall, which causes you to have to reach up and grab it."
Quick reference: Nightstand Dimensions
| Measurement Type | Standard Range |
|---|---|
| Nightstand dimensions (height) | 22 — 28 inches |
| Nightstand height in cm | 56 — 71 cm |
| Bedside table height in mm | 560 — 710 mm |
| Nightstand dimensions in feet | 1.8 — 2.3 feet |
| Nightstand dimensions in inches (width) | 18 — 24 inches |
| Depth | 16 — 20 inches |
How Tall Should a Nightstand Be Compared to the Bed
We don’t recommend that you guess and start measuring. Here's the foolproof method to determine precisely how tall your nightstand should be compared to the bed:
Here is how to do it:
- Step 1: Measure your bed frame height from the floor to the base's top or slats
- Step 2: Add your mattress thickness. Most mattresses run between 8 and 16 inches.
- Step 3: Add mattress topper thickness if you use one (usually add 2 to 4 inches)
- Step 4: Add those numbers together. That total is your target nightstand height for the "level with mattress" option, or you can choose a bedside table higher than bed 2 to 4 inches if you prefer.
Here's an example:
- Bed frame: 12 inches
- Mattress: 11 inches
- Topper: 3 inches
- Total: 26 inches ← Your ideal nightstand height
- Or: 28 — 30 inches ← Acceptable range (2 — 4 inches above mattress)
This calculation gives you a precise starting point instead of just wishing a randomly selected nightstand will somehow work when it arrives.
The Comfort Reach Test for Your Nightstand
Before you buy any nightstand or table legs for the nightstand top, let’s do a little reach test
- Sit on the edge of your bed
- Extend your arm naturally toward where the nightstand would sit
- Your hand should comfortably reach the surface without stretching upward or bending down awkwardly.
- Now lie down and do it again. You grab items easily from that position, like phone, water glass, alarm clock, whatever you keep handy at night.
A nightstand should have the same height as mattress top, or within a few inches of it
Photo: Freepik | Edited by Flowline
This very quick test will save you from a remorseful purchase. It ensures the bedside table height works for the actual way it will be used every day. That’s not just how it looks in theory or what the measurements suggest on paper.
How Tall Should a Nightstand Be for a Platform Bed
Unlike traditional beds, platform beds sit lower to the ground. It typically lands between 18 and 24 inches in total height. Also, platform beds often skip the headboard entirely or use a low-profile one.
As a result, a shorter nightstand actually enhances those clean, horizontal lines instead of fighting against them.
Optimal nightstand height = Mattress top height (or up to 4 inches above)
Photo: Amerisleep
Designer Marie Cloud puts it well: "Overall, if your proportions are aligned, functional needs are met, and there is space to style with complimentary items, you have conquered the nightstand size battle."
Based on those factors, below are our recommended nightstand heights for platform beds:
- Low-profile platform beds (under 20 inches total): Choose nightstands between 20 and 24 inches tall. Anything over 26 inches will look out of proportion with your low bed.
- Standard platform beds (20 — 24 inches total): Go with nightstands in the 22 — 26 inch range. The sweet spot usually lands right around 24 inches.
- Platform beds with thick mattresses: If you're using a 14 — 16-inch mattress on your platform bed, you'll need nightstands between 26 and 28 inches tall to keep everything balanced.
Here are real-world examples that work well:
- Minimalist Japanese-style: 6" platform + 10" mattress = 16" total → 14 — 16" nightstand
- Mid-century modern: 10" platform + 12" mattress = 22" total → 20 — 24" nightstand
- Contemporary with thick mattress: 10" platform + 16" mattress = 26" total → 24 — 28" nightstand
Related blog: How High Should Upper Cabinets Be Above the Counter
FAQs
1. What is the Standard Height of a Nightstand?
The standard nightstand height is 22 — 28 inches (56 — 71 cm), with 24 — 26 inches being the most common. This range works for most bed setups with standard mattresses.
2. Should Nightstands Be Higher or Lower Than Bed?
Ideally, your nightstand should be level with the top of your mattress or 2 — 4 inches higher. It can be 1 — 2 inches lower in some cases (tall beds with box springs), but it should never be significantly lower, as this makes items hard to reach.
3. What is the Feng Shui Height of a Bedside Table?
According to feng shui principles, your bedside table should be level with the top of your mattress or slightly lower (up to 2 inches below).
If you're deciding between slightly higher or lower, feng shui principles favor lower nightstands. They allow positive qi (energy) to flow more freely through your bedroom without obstruction.
4. Is 30 inches too high for a nightstand?
No, a 30-inch nightstand is NOT too high, but only if it fits within the three height principles:
- Your mattress top is 30 inches from the floor (level with mattress - Principle 1)
- Your mattress top is 26 — 28 inches from the floor (2 — 4 inches above - Principle 2)
- Your mattress top is 31 — 32 inches from the floor (1 — 2 inches below - Principle 3)
5. How Tall Should a Lamp Be on a Nightstand?
A nightstand lamp should measure 24 to 27 inches tall in total height. That's the base plus the shade combined. However, the right lamp height also depends on your specific nightstand height and headboard size.
Here's the formula that you might need:
Total lamp height = Lamp base + Lamp shade height
How Tall Should a Nightstand Be: Final Height
There's an ideal nightstand height for each bedroom, and these guidelines have pointed you in the right direction:
- Start with 24 — 28 inches as your baseline
- Measure your bed height (frame + mattress + topper)
- Match your mattress top or go 2-4 inches above
- For platform beds: 22 — 26 inches usually works perfectly
- For beds with box springs: 26 — 30+ inches
- Add lamp height: The nightstand plus lamp should total around 48 — 52 inches combined
Our advice is that personal comfort beats design rules. Therefore, if a nightstand feels right when you do the reach test, trust that instinct.
The right nightstand height transforms your bedroom from merely functional to genuinely restful. You stop fumbling for your phone in the dark. Water glasses stay upright. Turning off your alarm doesn't require contortions.
We hope you now understand how tall should a nightstand be for your own scenario. Don't forget to check out our helpful blogs on bedroom furniture and interior design tips. Thank you for reading!
