IKEA Has a Space-Saving Nightstand for Under $40 and It’s Perfect for Tiny Bedrooms
Some people think the most artful homes out there were furnished with secondhand finds, crafty DIYs, and budget-friendly design tricks.
College students Gaby Neira and Chris Yera live in a super-stylish 450-square-foot studio on the Upper West Side of New York City with their cat, Moon. According to their house tour, the couple had trouble finding a rental apartment because they were on a tight budget. Once they found the perfect place, they immediately started strategizing on how to make the place their own, and staying under budget came into play here, too. “I imagined what could be and spent hours drawing our apartment’s layout and rendering different furniture items that would perfectly suit our personalities and feel like home,” Neira says.
The style of this apartment is minimalist with splashes of bold color and a little bit of a Scandinavian meets mid-century modern vibe. “I take inspiration from modern interior spaces that still embrace that ‘old New York’ charm by using color, clean lines, and functional furniture pieces to elevate the space,” Neira says. “I also love the colors blue and green!”
While the young couple has certainly honed their aesthetic, their budget, as mentioned above, did present a bit of a challenge. “We resorted to buying as much furniture as we could online through IKEA, Wayfair, and Facebook Marketplace, and getting most of them delivered straight to our apartment,” says Neira of their sourcing strategy. One of the smartest, most budget-friendly space savers the duo brought into their home though just might be their “floating nightstands” from IKEA, pictured here.
Since their entire studio’s footprint comes in under 500 square feet, floor space is valuable. Instead of buying pricey, bulky nightstands that take up space on the floor, the couple mounted two square EKET cubbies from IKEA on both sides of the bed. Available in eight different colors, the light gray version was chosen to keep the space bright and airy. In that shade, these pieces also contrast nicely with the blue geometric shape painted behind the bed.
Just under 14 inches square, the EKET cubby provides just enough tabletop space for a small lamp, a glass of water, and maybe an alarm clock or frame — basically all you really need bedside for a little bit of decor and extra comfort while you sleep or rest. Neira and Yera saved additional space by using wall sconces for illumination, and the cube’s interior is the perfect place for books or other objects that you can easily keep tidy, since this doorless area is always on display. (White and dark gray EKET cabinets are also available with doors for the same price, if you want closed storage and don’t have your heart set on a poppy hue).
One thing to keep in mind is that if you choose to hang the EKET, you do need to purchase suspension rails for safe mounting separately. Even then, they’re only $5 each, so that brings these floating nightstands’ price up to roughly $38 pre-tax. Not a bad deal! If you can’t hang a cubby in your place, you can set yours up directly on the floor instead. In this case, adding feet or legs (also sold separately) will provide additional stability and height for easy access to your things from bed.
According to Neira, living in a studio apartment is all about maximizing space, and she’s right. This smart little cubby is the perfect solution for a bedroom because it’s inexpensive, sturdy, and made for mounting to work your walls pace. So if you’re struggling with a lack of square footage in your bedroom, this may save you some floor space and a few bucks bedside!