My husband and I have been doing without bedside tables since moving into our new place over a year ago, and now we're about done with stacks of dusty books and reaching down to the floor to push the snooze. But the fact is, we still haven't found any nightstands we really love. We do, however, like the idea of repurposing some other piece of furniture as a nightstand; it's a creative way to refresh the traditional bedroom set-up...

Here are a few ideas we came across in our internet travels (and from past Apartment Therapy posts):

FIRST ROW

• 1 and 2 - Bar carts. Something about a bar cart, with its cute oversized wheels and festive air, is just more exciting next to a bed than a nightstand, and yet it still has the double-tier structure than can be so practical for storing books, kleenex, and the like. These two bar cart nightstands come from Better Homes and Gardens and designer Cara McBroom.

• 3 and 4 - Desks. While I'm not necessarily a fan of having a workspace in the bedroom, sometimes a small space demands it. This parsons desk as a bedside table, from The Estate of Things, is a pretty choice in a yellow bedroom. And I love the use of this old schoolhouse desk turned to the side, from a reader's home on Colorado Creative Decor; the chair can hold discarded pillow and bathrobe while the desk itself works as a table.

• 5 - Chairs. A chair as a bedside table can be a lovely, homey look. Check out several examples like this one in a post from Apartment Therapy: Chicago.

SECOND ROW

• 6 - File Cabinet. In practical use, a file cabinet might again invoke the workplace a bit too much for my taste, but this particular one, designed by Mauricio Alejo and featured on Treehugger, is just so cute! I love the time-clock as well.

• 7 - Pet House. The Hunde Hus bedside table is also a pet house, complete with a little porch. As Gregory points out in his post, this is a fun DIY idea too.

• 8 - Ladder. For a loft or another open-plan, minimalist or industrial space, this would be gorgeous, and if you used a ladder with flat rungs, you'd have space for a water glass too. The clip-on reading lamp is a great touch. From Livingetc.

For more alternative bedside table inspiration, check out this post's list of non-furniture objects that make great nightstands:

• Alternative Nightstands

(Images: Better Homes and Gardens/Kaelin Zawilinski; Cara McBroom; The Estate of Things/Paul Costello Photography; Colorado Creative Decor; Domino, via This is Glamorous; Mauricio Alejo/Treehugger; Modern Cat; Livingetc)

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