Nightstand

For the American talk show parody, see Night Stand with Dick Dietrick.

Modern bedside table

A nightstand,^[1] alternatively night table or bedside table, is a small table or cabinet designed to stand beside a bed or elsewhere in a bedroom. It serves the role of a coffee table during nighttime hours, at a person's bedside.

Before indoor flushing toilets became commonplace, the main function of a nightstand was to contain a chamber pot. As a result, early nightstands were often small cabinets, sometimes fitted with a drawer, and usually containing an enclosed storage space below covered by one or more doors. Another term sometimes given to such cabinets was commode.

Traditional nightstand

Traditional nightstand showing space (lower) for a chamber pot

Modern nightstands are usually small bedside tables, often with a drawer. They are often used to support items that might be useful during the night, such as a lamp, alarm clock, mobile phone, desktop intercom, reading matter, a glass of water, or medication.

French, Italian and Spanish antique nightstands usually have one drawer and an enclosed storage space with one door. They can be embellished with gold leaf finish, bronze or parquetry inlaid.

History

The first known use of the word nightstand was in 1892.^[2]

References

↑ "Night table". The Free Dictionary By Farlex. Retrieved 2012-05-18.
↑ "Night stand". Merriam Webster. Retrieved 2012-05-18.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nightstands.

Bedding

Bed types (Bed sizes)	Banig Bassinet Box-bed Bunk bed Cage bed Camp bed Canopy bed Couch bed Cradle (bed) Daybed Four-poster bed Futon Hammock Hospital bed Infant bed Kang bed-stove Lit a la turque Loft bed Charpai Murphy bed Petate Platform bed Sleigh bed Sofa bed Toddler bed Trundle bed

Bed components	Bed frame Bed sheet Bed skirt Cot side Footboard Headboard

Mattresses	Air mattress Featherbed Mattress pad Mattress protector Memory foam Orthopedic mattress Waterbed

Bed bases	Box-spring Bunkie board

Blankets	Afghan Comforter Duvet Electric blanket Hudson's Bay point blanket Patchwork quilt Photo blanket Quilt Razai Security blanket Silk comforter Sleeping bag

Pillows	Acupressure pillow Bamboo wife Bolster Contour leg pillow Cushion Dakimakura Eye pillow Orthopedic pillow Phonetic pillow Sex pillow Speaker pillow Throw pillow

Related items	Bed warmer Couch Nightstand

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