A Buyers Guide To Wood Night Stands

Finding The Best Wood Night Stand

Wood Nightstands are often the last thing we see when we go to sleep at night and the first thing we see when we wake up, so let's make sure we give them the necessary attention. Wood Nightstands may seem like a very simple piece of furniture, but they are often the foundation for, not only an enjoyable bedroom, but an effective one too. When buying a wood nightstand it is important to keep a few key ideas in mind in order to ensure that you get the best wood nightstand that has the material and style to match the rest of your home.

Type of Wood Material

Not all furniture is made the same, this largely comes down to the materials used. It is very common to see furniture being made from low cost materials such as MDF (medium density fiberboard) or particle board. While the materials offer a cheaper alternative to solid hardwood construction they do fail to offer the same durability and performance as solid hardwoods. Solid hardwood furniture is harder to find these days as synthetic and composite materials like rubber wood are becoming more prevalent. Solid hardwood remains the strongest material to make furniture while being sustainable. The added benefit of hardwood construction is being able to show off that organic natural grain, which leads nicely into the next section.

Image Via McCoyMart.com

Paint and Finishes

Many furniture makers use paint as the mask to cover up all of their dirty secrets; such as, painting over low quality materials and using paint fillers to hide gaps in the manufacturing quality. While this is often the case there are brands like Mathewson Standard who still use solid hardwoods in their painted wood nightstands in order to deliver the same dependable strength as with walnut, oak, or hickory wood nightstands. These benefits include the strength but also the ability to easily repair your wood nightstand compared to products like MDF which start to break down and deteriorate making it nearly impossible to repair them, and they eventually go in the trash.

High quality paints and clear coats also offer a level of protection that is often overlooked in most wood nightstands. Although we may not think about it, wood nightstands see a fair amount of abuse with spilled glasses of water and the constant sliding of keys, wallets, and phones across them. With this heavy use it is important to look for wood nightstands that have a strong paint or clearcoat on them that will protect the piece from the wear and tear of daily use. Lesser quality night stands, and all pieces of furniture, will use formica or melamine which is a thin synthetic plastic applied to the MDF or particle board, this thin plastic chips easily, wears down quickly, and can peel off of the substrate. The far better option is a quality lacquer or polyurethane that is sprayed onto wood. This lacquer or polyurethane can be clear or tinted to be painted. The application of this with a spray gun allows the material to very strongly bond to the wood creating a long lasting bond that doesn't fail.

Bedroom Style

Now that we know we can get high quality wood nightstands in either a clear coat, showing off the wood's natural beauty; or painted, allowing you to show off your own style, we can look at how the wood nightstand fits into the greater aesthetic of your home. Everybody has their own style and that is important to keep in mind.  With new style trends popping up everywhere it can be easy to get sucked into the next hottest thing. Keeping true to your style and staying strong against all the marketing will allow you to curate a space that you truly love being in. Designs from as recent as 2020 are even starting to look dated.

photo: David Tsay

When designing your perfect sanctuary a good idea to keep in mind is "when in doubt, lean into classic styles' ' we don't call them classics for nothing. Subtle curves and ergonomic design have been around for centuries… because they work great! Modern design is just the quickest thing to become dated, but the old adage that classic style never goes out of fashion will always hold true.

How Much Do You need?

The amount of Nightstand you need is a ratio that is worth getting right. With modern brands like Mathewson Standard allowing customization online you can get the exact wood nightstand that you are looking for. Having one small nightstand next to a grand king bed just doesn’t fit and will leave you wanting more; however, a massive table next to a small twin size bed is an ineffective use of space and will have you begging for some space back. Long story short it is worth getting the tape measure out, so that when you go to order your night stand you can get the right one. Keep in mind that this often means getting two, one for either side of the bed.

The Best Wood Nightstand

Now that we have a better idea of what to look for and more importantly, what to stay away from, we can start to narrow down what the best night stand is for your space. Large box sellers online may offer great prices but with products like MDF, particle board, and formica, they just are not suitable for somebody looking for something more elegant and useful. Local custom wood furniture makers are a great option and can often help you with all your questions and particular desires for your furniture, but they also come with high price tags and long wait times. Mathewson Standard has put its energy into bridging this gap, offering you the customization of local furniture makers and their quality materials, along with the ease of online shopping where you can describe the exact size you need and have a piece of wood furniture custom made for you, in the United States, and shipped to your front door.