A bedside table earns its spot by sitting at the right height - near the top of your mattress, roughly 55 to 65 cm - so your phone, lamp and glass of water are within easy reach. The right one depends on what you need beside the bed: two simple drawers, a built-in charging station, three narrow drawers for a small room, a matching pair for both sides, or a boho rattan statement. We weighed height, material, drawers, assembly and how honest the reviews really are. These six run from a 49 dollar Oikiture budget pick up to a 147 dollar AWASEN rattan table, and the overall winner is the VASAGLE Kailyn set of two at 129 dollars - two tables for about 65 each.
How to choose a bedside table in Australia
A bedside table earns its keep by putting your phone, lamp, book and glass of water within easy reach - but the one detail that makes or breaks it is height. A bedside table should sit near the top of your mattress, roughly 55 to 65 cm, so you are not reaching down into a hole or up over a ledge. After height, it comes down to what you need beside the bed: two simple drawers, a built-in charging station, three narrow drawers for a small room, a matching pair for both sides, or a boho rattan statement. Material matters too - most of these are engineered wood, which is cheaper and lighter but less moisture-tolerant, while a couple are genuine solid wood. This guide covers six bedside tables from around 49 to 147 dollars, each suited to a different need, and three of the brands here are Melbourne-based Australian brands with local warranties.
Height - the spec that matters most
Get the height right and everything else falls into place. A bedside table should sit roughly 55 to 65 cm tall so its surface lands near the top of your mattress, where you can reach it without straining. The VASAGLE at 65 cm, the Artiss at 64 cm, the Advwin at 60 cm and the AWASEN at 56 cm all land in that sweet spot. The ALFORDSON at 51 cm and the Oikiture at 50.5 cm sit lower, which suits a low platform bed but may leave the table below the top of a tall pillow-top mattress. Measure from the floor to the top of your mattress before you buy, and aim to match it within a few centimetres.
Material - engineered wood or solid wood
What the table is made of changes the price, the weight and how it copes with spills. Most picks here are engineered wood or particleboard - the Oikiture, the ALFORDSON top, the Advwin and the VASAGLE - which keeps them cheaper and lighter, but engineered board is less moisture-tolerant and tends to have lower drawer weight limits, so go easy on heavy loads and wipe spills quickly. The genuine solid-wood upgrades are the Artiss, made from solid paulownia, and the AWASEN, which puts the table on four solid wood legs rather than all-MDF. Solid wood costs more and weighs more, but it shrugs off knocks and moisture better and lasts longer. Match the material to how hard the table will be used.
Drawers, charging or a matching pair
The fastest way to narrow the field is to pick by what you actually need at the bedside. For straightforward storage, two drawers do the job - the Oikiture and the ALFORDSON both take that route. If you charge your phone in bed, the Advwin builds in a charging station with two power outlets and two USB ports so you are not trailing a cable across the room. For a small room with a lot to store, the Artiss stacks three narrow drawers in a 30 cm footprint. If you want a matching table on both sides of the bed, the VASAGLE set of two solves it in one purchase. And for a statement piece, the AWASEN brings a boho rattan look. Decide the job first, then the table.
Assembly - flat-pack or ready to use
Most bedside tables arrive flat-pack, but how painful the build is varies a lot. The Oikiture is the fiddly one here - several reviews single out its flat-pack leg assembly as the awkward step, so budget some patience. The VASAGLE and the ALFORDSON go together more smoothly by comparison. The standout, though, is the Artiss: it ships fully assembled with a wall-mount bracket included, so there is no build at all - you unbox it and set it down. If assembly is not your thing, that ready-to-use convenience is worth paying for, and it is rare in a market where almost everything comes in pieces.
Reviews - read the count, not just the stars
Star ratings only mean so much without volume behind them, and this is where honesty matters. Only the VASAGLE has a deep, Australian-anchored review base - more than 2,000 ratings and Amazon Choice status - so it is the one pick here backed by a lot of genuine local feedback. The ALFORDSON, the Advwin and the Artiss are thin so far, with modest review counts, so their high stars rest on a small sample. The AWASEN has a healthier 338 ratings, but they are mostly from overseas rather than Australia. None of that makes the other picks bad - several are excellent on their specs - but if deep, proven, local social proof is what reassures you, the VASAGLE is in a class of its own. Buy the thinner-reviewed tables on their features and height, not on implied crowd approval.
Value - is a set of two better?
If you need a table on both sides of the bed, or one for a guest room as well, a set of two changes the maths entirely. The VASAGLE Kailyn comes as a pair for around 129 dollars, which works out to about 65 dollars per table - cheaper per unit than buying two single tables and guaranteed to match, which a matched bedroom set should be. For a single side of the bed a one-off table like the Oikiture, Advwin or Artiss is the right call, and the AWASEN is the splurge if you want one striking rattan piece. But for two matching nightstands at the ideal height, the VASAGLE set is the clear value winner, and it is why it takes our overall pick.
Our verdict
For most people the VASAGLE Kailyn Bedside Tables Set of 2 at around 129 dollars is the smart buy - two narrow tables for about 65 dollars each, both at the ideal 65 cm height, with by far the deepest and most Australian-anchored review base here, and remember the price is for the pair. If you only want to spend a little, the Oikiture 2-Drawer Bedside Table at 49 dollars is the budget choice from a Melbourne brand. To charge your phone from the bedside, the Advwin LED Charging Nightstand at 75 dollars has two power outlets and two USB ports. For a small room the Artiss 3-Drawer Solid Wood Nightstand at 82 dollars is narrow, solid paulownia and ships fully assembled, while the ALFORDSON Industrial Nightstand at 72 dollars carries the longest warranty at two years. And for a premium boho statement, the AWASEN Rattan Nightstand at 147 dollars sits on genuine solid wood legs. One note on brands: IKEA, Koala, Fantastic Furniture and Temple and Webster do not sell bedside tables on Amazon Australia - they go through their own stores - so if you want those you will need to shop direct, and the picks here are the best Amazon-Australia-available equivalents.
Frequently Asked Questions
What height should a bedside table be?
A bedside table should sit roughly 55 to 65 cm tall so its surface lands near the top of your mattress, where you can reach your phone, lamp or glass of water without straining. The VASAGLE at 65 cm, the Artiss at 64 cm, the Advwin at 60 cm and the AWASEN at 56 cm all land in that sweet spot. The ALFORDSON at 51 cm and the Oikiture at 50.5 cm sit lower, which suits a low platform bed but may leave the table below the top of a tall pillow-top mattress. Measure from the floor to the top of your mattress before you buy and aim to match it within a few centimetres.
Are engineered wood or solid wood bedside tables better?
It depends on your budget and how hard the table will be used. Engineered wood or particleboard - used by the Oikiture, the ALFORDSON top, the Advwin and the VASAGLE - is cheaper and lighter, but it is less moisture-tolerant and tends to have lower drawer weight limits, so wipe spills quickly and avoid heavy loads. Solid wood is the upgrade: the Artiss is solid paulownia and the AWASEN puts the table on four solid wood legs rather than all-MDF. Solid wood costs and weighs more, but it copes better with knocks and moisture and lasts longer. Match the material to how the table will be used.
Do you need a bedside table with a charging station?
Only if you charge devices in bed - but if you do, it is a genuine convenience. The Advwin LED Charging Nightstand (around 75 dollars) builds in two AC power outlets and two USB ports, so your phone, watch and lamp can all power up right at the bedside without trailing a cable across the room, and it adds a 20-colour RGB LED for soft ambient light. The honest note is that it is a newer listing with very few reviews so far and stock can be limited, so buy it on the features and the 60 cm height rather than on review depth. If you rarely charge in bed, a plain-drawer table will serve you just as well.
What is the best bedside table for a small bedroom?
For a small room, go narrow and tall rather than wide. The Artiss 3-Drawer Solid Wood Nightstand (around 82 dollars) has a slim 30 cm footprint yet stacks three deep drawers and stands around 64 cm tall, so it stores plenty without eating floor space, and it ships fully assembled with a wall-mount bracket. The VASAGLE Kailyn set (around 129 dollars) is also slim at 25 cm wide per table and gives you two of them, which suits a small room with a bed pushed into a corner. Measure the gap beside your bed first, then match the width and height to it.
Do bedside tables come assembled or flat-pack?
Most arrive flat-pack, but the effort varies. The Oikiture is the fiddly one - several reviews single out its flat-pack leg assembly as the awkward step - while the VASAGLE and the ALFORDSON go together more smoothly. The standout exception is the Artiss (around 82 dollars), which ships fully assembled with a wall-mount bracket included, so there is no build at all. If assembly is not your thing, that ready-to-use convenience is worth paying for and is rare in a market where almost everything comes in pieces. Otherwise, set aside a little time and a screwdriver for the flat-pack picks.
Can you buy IKEA or Koala bedside tables on Amazon Australia?
No - IKEA (with ranges like Malm and Hemnes), Koala, Fantastic Furniture and Temple and Webster do not sell bedside tables on Amazon Australia. They distribute through their own stores and websites instead, so if you specifically want one of those you will need to shop direct with the brand. The picks in this guide are the best Amazon-Australia-available equivalents, and three of them - the Oikiture, the ALFORDSON and the Artiss - are Melbourne-based Australian brands with local warranties, which is a genuine plus if buying local matters to you.
Is a set of two bedside tables better value?
If you need a table on both sides of the bed or one for a guest room as well, yes. The VASAGLE Kailyn comes as a pair for around 129 dollars, which works out to about 65 dollars per table - cheaper per unit than buying two singles and guaranteed to match. For a single side of the bed, a one-off table like the Oikiture (around 49 dollars), the Advwin (around 75 dollars) or the Artiss (around 82 dollars) is the right call, and the AWASEN (around 147 dollars) is the splurge for one striking rattan piece. But for two matching nightstands at the ideal height, the VASAGLE set is the clear value winner.
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