While eBay is a great resource for vintage items - I've purchased numerous items via eBay - was $3.25 a closing/winning bid on that nightstand, a buy-it-now price, or is it simply the current bid on a live auction?

If it's merely the current price on a live auction, the prices could go much higher...
...plus we have to account for shipping.

Lol, thanks to Apartment Therapy... I don't know if this article was planned beforehand or if it was commissioned in response to the cranky readers like me who gave out about the high prices of the other bedside tables!

Timely post - I just cleaned off my bedside table last night, and I'm trying to think of ways to appropriately replace it.

www.bymaggie.com

@bepsf - I clicked on the eBay link and found that it is currently at $3.25, open for bidding, and local pickup only. I believe the poster's idea in including an eBay auction is that a cheap bedside table can be found via auction, garage sale, craigslist and then painted or otherwise DIY'd into an affordable/practical option.

@bepsf
Or you could click the link to find out....

But it does seem that lots of furniture being sold on ebay is for local pickup only. I guess it's like craigslist, with more insurance and less hassle (for the seller....)

I found free teak danish modern nightstands on craigslist. They were single drawer/shelf units that originally attached to a head board (the owner kept that). We pondered what to do with them -- put legs on them or what? -- then realized that the backs simply unscrewed and could be removed. We floated them on the wall flanking the bed with $1.50 metal L-brackets from Home Depot (brackets remain hidden behind the drawer). One of my favorite craigslist finds ever -- we get lots of compliments and you can't beat free.

I got a pair of vintage end tables on eBay a few years back. I think they were $40 or thereabouts. Anyway, they're great, although they don't offer closed storage:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/visualingual/2544389767/

This was my answer to the nightstand dilemna.

These prices are much better!
I am really diggin' the white eaton end table!

And yes Deirdre, I think it was cranky readers like us who pushed this post onto AT.

I'd love a post on bedside tables with storage for narrow spaces, 15" and under. Any ideas?

oooh, really like #11... now if only a CB2 magically appeared in Vancouver, BC ;)

Deirdre & applebomb- Let's just say that you *inspired* me to dig deep for a wide variety of more affordable options! :)

perfect timing! my fiance and I are moving in together and I was thinking about 2 malm 3 drawer chests as bedside tables for more storage. I want to stencil them with a metalic border for a more hollywood regency feel. Has anyone done anything similar they want to share?

anyway to find out where that lamp is from in the first photo?!

I recently graduated from having a mini-fridge by the bed to having grown up night tables. I couldn't believe the prices but I ended up getting 2 matching night tables at a local thrift store. They were $7 each and in pretty decent condition. I sanded and re-stained them and they look phenomenal. One of the best purchases I have made.

"Or you could click the link to find out...."

Actually, I can't - eBay is blocked from my office computer.

^ or you could wait to comment on that until you got to a computer network that doesn't block eBay...

I have the Malm night tables and I love their spacious drawers and modern look. However, I highly recommend buying the glass tops for them that Ikea now makes because the veneer is cheap and after two or three water glasses standing or spilling on them and the veneer starts to bubble and crack. That said, having drawers is fantastic for keeping all kinds of things handy next to the bed without creating a big mess.

@bepsf
Ah. Sorry for the inadvertant pile-on, I guess.

It's not technically a piece of bedside furniture, but the Ikea Helmer (http://www.ikea.com/ie/en/catalog/products/00107874) is the best bedside locker I've ever had. It comes in white, red or silver and it holds LOADS even though it's only 30cm (1ft) wide so it's perfect if space is tight.

The lamp in the first photo is just what i've been looking for! Does anyone know where to find it (or one like it)??

My husband had been complaining for some time that his nightstand was too small. We shopped quite a while for the one he'd been imagining. I finally realized that our superseded small TV stand matched his description of the ideal nightstand.

Initially, he protested my putting it by his side of the bed because it hadn't been sold as a nightstand. He tried it and liked it, and has kept it several years. It's funny how long we shopped while it had been at home for free.

@ geekyfemme (and others)

Another great option (from Ikea) that we have in my house, is the Kullen 2-drawer chest. It is almost identical to the Malm 2-drawer chest above, but is slightly smaller (only 13 3/4" wide, yay!) and only costs $29.99. It only comes in the black-brown color, but if that's what you want anyway, it's a win-win.

For those that live in the LA area, hotel surplus is a great resource for items like this. I scored a couple of great deals there, and the quality is much better than the fiberboard/laminate stuff.

Of course, the paint colors are usually terrible. You have to be prepared for a re-finish job.
http://hotelsurplus.com/tables.html

Alas ... budgetary constraints are much tighter than these budget items allow.

Too bad. George would look great in my master bedroom. :)