Design: Studio Peake
When I designed the primary bedroom at Dove Hill, the Buckhead townhouse I did with my mom, I flanked the bed with a pair of campaign nightstands. I chose them for the brass corners and the tailored lines, and the room needed that crispness next to an upholstered French bed. If I were doing it today, I would at least test a fluted pair, because fluting gives you the same tailored quality with something softer: texture that catches the lamplight at night.
Fluted and reeded nightstands have been everywhere for a few years now, and I don't think they are going anywhere. The detail is old. You see it on Regency and Directoire furniture, on columns and on Art Deco cabinets. What changed is that it is now available at every price, from a $256 bowfront to a $2,300 piece with brass legs.
A quick note on terms, because retailers use them interchangeably. Fluting is a series of concave grooves cut into a surface. Reeding is the opposite, a series of convex half-round ridges. They read almost the same from across the room, so I've put both in this edit and called each one what it is where it matters.
Below are 24 fluted and reeded nightstands I would put in a real bedroom, sorted into three price tiers. You don't need to spend a fortune to get the look. You do need the right height and width for your bed, so I've started with the rules I use on projects.
Photo: Light House Co.
How to Choose a Fluted Nightstand
Get these four things right and the nightstand will look like it belongs to the bed.
Height: The top of the nightstand should sit within two inches of the top of your mattress, a little above or below. Measure your bed with the bedding on before you shop. Most nightstands run 24 to 28 inches tall, and tall platform or pillow-top beds often need the taller end.
Width: A queen bed usually takes nightstands 20 to 28 inches wide; a king can carry 28 to 36 inches. Leave at least a few inches between the nightstand and the bed frame so sheets and blankets can tuck in, and keep a clear walkway of about 24 inches.
Drawers or an open shelf: Drawers hide clutter. An open shelf gives you a place for books and a basket and makes a smaller piece look lighter. If you have no dresser in the room, go for three drawers.
Shape: Ovals and drum shapes soften a room with a lot of straight lines and are easier to walk around in a tight bedroom. Rectangular pieces look more tailored and give you more surface for a lamp, a book and a glass of water.
Design: Bunny Williams
The Best Fluted Nightstands Under $400
The clever buys. Several of these come from Wayfair, Joss and Main and Birch Lane, and in each one the fluting is crisp enough that it does not look like a shortcut. For a guest room, a kids' room or a first apartment, any of these will do the job.
Bowfront Fluted Three-Drawer Nightstand - $255.99
A walnut-finish bowfront with reeded drawer fronts and ring pulls, and three drawers at a price where you usually get one. The gentle curve keeps it from reading as a box. It is the budget pick I would send to someone furnishing a guest room in a weekend.
Round Reeded Nightstand with Open Shelf - $299.00
Only 18 inches wide, so it fits beside a full bed or in a tight apartment bedroom where a standard nightstand blocks the closet door. The reeded band around the drawer and the round silhouette give it a softness I like next to an upholstered headboard. The open shelf below holds a stack of books.
Fluted Two-Drawer Nightstand with Splayed Legs - $325.99
Natural wood, fluted drawer fronts and slim splayed legs that lift it off the floor so the rug can run underneath. The proportions feel mid-century without being a copy of anything. A good small-space choice at a very fair price.
Fluted Drawer Nightstand with Open Top Shelf - $359.00
An open oak frame with a top shelf and two fluted drawers. The open shelf keeps the lamp, books and phone off the drawer top, which means less clutter at eye level. I would use a pair in a kids' room or a lake house bunk room where things need to be grabbed fast.
Sage Painted Fluted Oval Nightstand - $379.00
A painted sage oval with a drawer over double doors and small brass knobs. Painted pieces are the easiest way to bring color into a bedroom without committing to a wall color, and this green sits beautifully next to warm wood floors and a pink or terracotta textile.
Photo: CB2
The Best Fluted Nightstands, $400 to $800
This is where the materials and finishes improve: solid oak, marble tops, painted and whitewashed finishes and better hardware. It is the tier I shop most often for clients, because these pieces look collected rather than bought as a set.
Whitewashed Reeded Nightstand with Arched Legs - $519.00
The pale oak and the little arched legs give this a soft, almost Swedish feel. Reeded fronts and slim bar pulls keep it tailored. It is the nightstand I would pair with a linen headboard and a pleated shade for a calm, light bedroom.
Reeded Two-Drawer Nightstand with Round Brass Knobs - $569.00
Warm oak, closely spaced reeding and two oversized round knobs on a plinth base. It is simple and well proportioned, the kind of piece that works in almost any bedroom without fighting the bed. A strong anchor for this tier.
Whitewashed Oval Fluted Nightstand - $599.00
CB2's Cameo is the one in the bedroom photo above, and it looks just as good in a real room. A whitewashed oval with a drawer over a door and small brass knobs. At 20 inches wide it suits a smaller bedroom, and the light finish brightens a room that does not get much sun.
Warm Oak Fluted Two-Drawer Nightstand - $599.00
Rounded corners, deep fluting and recessed finger pulls, so nothing interrupts the texture. The warm oak tone reads more traditional than the bleached finishes in this category. It looks right with a wool rug in rust, tobacco or deep green.
Black Fluted Nightstand with Marble Top - $650.00
A black fluted drawer, an open shelf and a genuine marble top, finished with small brass sabots on the feet. Black furniture in a bedroom grounds a pale palette, and the marble gives you a surface that can take a water glass. Very Regency in spirit.
Round Reeded Storage Nightstand - $677.17
A dark, drum-shaped nightstand with reeded drawers and brass knobs. The round form is useful when the bed sits close to a door or a window, because there are no corners to catch on. I would put it beside a dark wood or caned bed for a collected look.
Wide Oval Reeded Nightstand - $737.10
Huxe makes this one, and it is generous: an oval in natural oak, reeded all the way around, with two deep drawers and no hardware to break the surface. It is wide enough to work as a small dresser in a guest room. Pair it with a big lamp so the scale matches.
Carved Flute Oval Nightstand - $739.00
Here the flutes are deep and carved rather than applied, which gives this oval walnut nightstand a heavier, more architectural feel, like a column. Small pulls keep the attention on the wood. It is a strong piece next to a simple upholstered bed.
Rounded Reeded Nightstand with Tab Pulls - $775.99
Soft rounded edges, a pale finish and fine reeding, with small tab pulls. It has the quiet, expensive look of much pricier European pieces. I like it in a modern bedroom with a wool bouclé headboard and an abstract print above.
Design: Intimate Living Interiors
The Best Fluted Nightstands Over $800
The investment pieces, from Rejuvenation, Four Hands, Soho Home and Arhaus among others. Better construction, more sculptural forms and finishes that will look good for decades. If the bedroom is where you want to spend, start here.
Reeded Oak Nightstand with Aged Brass Pulls - $1,088.00
Rejuvenation's Islington is the most classic piece here: medium oak, reeded drawer fronts, tapered legs and long aged brass bar pulls. It feels like it could have come from a 1940s furniture maker. At 32 inches it gives you real surface space.
Walnut Fluted Two-Drawer Nightstand - $1,098.00
Dark walnut, fluted top to bottom and set on a recessed plinth, with no hardware at all. The darker wood suits a moody bedroom or a room with paneled walls. It is the kind of piece that makes a simple bed look finished.
Oval Fluted Wood Nightstand - $1,098.00
A pale wood oval with a contrasting top, inset brass pulls and slender legs. The shape is soft and a little feminine without being precious. It is a beautiful match for a scalloped or arched headboard.
Ribbed Solid Oak Nightstand with Brass Pulls - $1,199.00
Solid oak with deep ribbing, a dark top and long brass pulls, raised on slim metal legs. The combination of warm wood and metal is what I mean when I say a room is in the mix. Good for a primary bedroom that leans modern.
Three-Drawer Fluted Oak Nightstand - $1,215.00
Three fluted drawers in a pale oak, small round knobs and tapered legs. Three drawers is the storage answer for anyone without a dresser in the bedroom. It reads traditional but light, which makes it easy to pair with almost any bed.
Stacked Reeded Wood Nightstand - $1,359.20
Four Hands' Benny stacks rounded, reeded tiers so it looks almost carved from a single block. It is sculptural enough to stand alone in a guest room. Dark wood and heavy form: this is the nightstand to choose if you want the piece itself to be the statement.
Geometric Reeded Nightstand with Marble Top - $1,795.00
Soho Home's Kingsley pairs a gray Emperador marble top with reeded wood laid in a square geometric pattern and small brass feet. It has the clubby, hotel-bedroom quality that Soho House does well. A pair would carry a whole room.
Fluted Nightstand with Stone Inset Shelf - $1,880.00
An open top shelf with a gray stone inset over two fluted drawers, in pale oak with round knobs. The open shelf is good for a lamp and a book while the drawers stay closed. It is a calm, classic piece that suits a coastal or country house.
Wide Fluted Three-Drawer Nightstand - $1,895.00
At 38 inches this is more of a small chest than a nightstand, and that is the point. If your bedroom has the width, an oversized nightstand on each side of the bed makes the room feel more substantial. Pale oak, fluted drawers and brass pulls.
Smoke Fluted Nightstand with Brass Legs - $2,300.00
A dark gray-blue finish, fluted drawer fronts, a dark top and brass legs and pulls. It is the most glamorous piece on this list, with a bit of 1940s Paris in it. I would put it in a primary bedroom with dark walls and a velvet headboard.
How to Style a Fluted Nightstand
Light it from the side: Fluting looks its best with a lamp beside it throwing light across the grooves. Use a lamp whose shade bottom sits roughly at eye level when you are sitting up in bed. A pleated shade echoes the lines of the fluting, which is why I keep pairing the two. My pleated and scalloped lampshade guide has plenty of options.
Match the pair, or don't: A matching pair is the classic choice in a primary bedroom. In a guest room or a more collected house, two different nightstands of similar height look more relaxed. Keep the lamps matching if the nightstands are not.
Ground it with the rug: In most bedrooms the rug should extend 18 to 24 inches past each side of the bed, so it runs under the nightstands or just in front of them. Stopping the rug short of the nightstands makes the bed look like it is floating. My bedroom rug ideas go deeper on sizing.
Keep the top edited: A lamp, a short stack of books, one small object and a glass of water. The texture of the fluting is the decoration, so let it show.
Clean it with a brush: Dust collects in the grooves. A soft, wide paintbrush or a makeup brush gets into the flutes faster than a cloth.
Fluted Nightstands: Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between fluted and reeded furniture?
Fluting is a row of concave grooves cut into a surface. Reeding is a row of convex, rounded ridges. Both create vertical texture, and many retailers use the terms interchangeably.
How tall should a nightstand be next to my bed?
Within about two inches of the top of your mattress. Most nightstands are 24 to 28 inches tall, so measure your bed with the bedding on before you buy.
Are fluted nightstands going out of style?
Fluting has been part of furniture design since classical architecture, and it shows up in Regency, Directoire and Art Deco pieces. A well-made fluted nightstand in a classic shape will outlast the current trend cycle.
Do nightstands have to match?
No. Matching nightstands look formal and symmetrical, while two different pieces of similar height look more collected. If they don't match, matching lamps will tie them together.
Finish the Bedroom Around It
A good nightstand is one of the few pieces in a bedroom you touch every day, but it only looks right when the lamp on top of it and the rug beneath it are working with it. Fluting is texture, and texture needs light and pattern around it to show.
If you are pulling a bedroom together, my table lamps and pleated lamp shades are designed to sit on a nightstand like these, my original area rugs come in the 8x10 and 9x12 sizes most beds need, and my pillow covers are an easy way to bring pattern onto the bed.
- xoko
