The Total Upside of Upcycling – 15 Pieces We Think You Can Not Live Without

The poor night stand. It’s often overlooked in bedroom decor – most people think of the bed and bedding first, then maybe the headboard, rug, the wardrobe…just about everything gets priority over the night stands.

And that’s a shame. It’s really easy to do a diy nightstand project, or simply upcycling some old objects into something gorgeously new, as these 15 Upcycling Ideas for Nightstands clearly shows. Prepare to be inspired!

1. Salvage Beauty

It’s always so sad to see wood thrown into landfill. There are so many things wood scraps could be used for – even firewood if all fails – so it’s nothing but wasteful to toss it out.

And you know what else? It’s actually really pretty, as this night stand shows. A simple rectangular shape shows off the unique aspects of each piece of wood, and all you really need is a saw, sandpaper, a hammer and some nails to make your own, or you can buy this shabby chic wonder pre-made here.

2. The One That Rocks

Rock chick at heart? Get ‘rock chic’ with this nightstand! And it couldn’t be easier to make: find an old drum. Take the legs or other parts of the kit off with a screwdriver. If you want to paint the base, cover metallic parts up with tape or a thick layer of Vaseline and spray away. Or paint all of the metal parts too. It’s up to you!

This the original pic and more right here.

3. The One That’s Rubbish

You’ve got to hand it to the French for thinking out of the box – or in this case, the bin. All this is happens to be a cute little wire waste paper basket, spray painted and turned upside-down! Gorgeous, right? Just make sure you find a bin that’s the same height as your bed. Et voila!

See this idea and more here.

4. Vintage Suitcase Sophistication

Vintage suitcases sure do have a lot of charm, evoking images of Audrey Hepburn packing up for Brazil in Breakfast at Tiffany’s and such, but they’re not really comfortable to use as intended. I mean, no wheels?! So better to put them to use as a gorgeous night table! Not only does this look amazing, but you can store stuff inside, too. Bonus!

Get a tutorial on how to make yours here.

5. Bring the Office Home

In the age of the internet, it just doesn’t make any sense to have filing cabinets anymore. But it’s a pity, because those old-fashioned steel ones are quite pretty…so why not transform them into a night table? Plenty of room for magazines, ear plugs, sleeping masks, books, and whatever else you need beside the bed. Plus, you can add an old office chair base to make this mobile!

See more about this idea here.

6. Mon Cher Chair

A French shabby chic chair makes an excellent bedside table. What to look for to make this work? It should have a minimal back, preferably wire; a lovely, rustic finish, and it should be fairly high, coming up to bed height. Can’t find one that’s suitable? You can find old farmhouse chairs here.

7. One with the X Factor

If you were to glance at the top of this nightstand, you may want to call it ‘rustic’, but the sexy X –shaped legs add a very sleek and modern touch. The grand finish exemplifies purity and elevates the rustic piece of the ground, creating the illusion of suspension whilst making this a sturdy, heavy-bearing piece of furniture.

Check out this design at My Daily Randomness

8. A Crate Idea

Two wooden boxes can make a great nightstand, and you don’t need to be a genius with a hammer to make it happen!

You can choose to finish this piece as you please, but keep in mind that the warmth and coziness fades away a bit as the texture is buried further into paint, don’t you think? These are sturdy enough for just about anything – books, plants, you name it!

Pic from Learning Creating Living

9. Easy Ladder

This one has as many shelves as you have stuff! It’s super easy to do and can go as high as you need it to. All you need to do is extend the width of the steps if you need to by nailing a few small boards lengthwise to narrow steps.

Get an old ladder and see more ideas like this here.

10. Bookish Beauty

This one, I have actually done myself. But with magazines as well as books. All you need to do is stack them horizontally to make an even pile, cover the top with a draped scarf or other gorgeous textile, and you’re done. You can also stack the books vertically, but you’ll need a belt or rope wrapped around them to prevent them from spilling out. Frankly, we’d go horizontal. Tip: magazines look best when it’s the same title (Vogue works well!) in two stacks, with the spines facing out.

Get more ideas like this here.

11. Floating Wonder

A floating shelf  emphasizes a feeling of space and levity. This one is just big enough to to hold the basics, like a clock, book and phone – you don’t need heavy chains fixed to the ceiling to make this work.

Make this airy DIY nightstand design with instructions from Monsters Circus.

12. Romantic Pallets

This simple table not only makes a great night stand, but it’s pretty enough to be an end table in the living room, too. Who knew scraps and pallets could look so elegant! Stop by We Lived Happily Ever After for the tutorial on how to make this one yourself.

13. Cinder-Ella Blocks

See what we did there? Heh heh! Cinder blocks can become a nightstand for you in a matter of minutes with ease. An industrial lamp could be a great addition in the scenery, as would a bit of easy-to-care-for greenery. Think: cacti or succulents.

14. The Shutter Table

An old shutter plus a rescued shelf come together to create a night table that are easily painted to match whatever shade your headboard may be. It’s got a great, shabby chic vibe that wouldn’t be out of place in a beach house.

We got this idea from the Ragged Wren.

15. One Table Into Two

Found the perfect shabby chic night table…but only one, when you need two? No problem! Just saw it in half and fix it to the wall with brackets, and you’ve got yourself two wonderful, space saving night stands!

We got this idea from here.