IKEA’s $80 SATSUMAS Is More Than Just a Plant Stand, and It Transformed My Guest Bedroom in the Most Unexpected Way

For years, I craved an apartment with a guest room. I cringed every time I had to relegate an out-of-town friend to the couch or worse, force them to spend money on a nearby hotel. I longed to be a proper host and create a real sanctuary for my visitors — a wish that was granted when I finally upgraded to a two-bedroom, where the spare room could operate both as my home office and a cozy guest room.

Then came the task of furnishing it. The IKEA HEMNES bed we chose is a fold-out daybed, so unless fully opened, its stacked mattresses perch significantly higher than a typical bed. This made finding a suitable nightstand quite the task. For a while, all the ones I tried looked comically small next to the daybed, especially because I wanted space to adorn whatever surface I chose with toiletries and other amenities for my guests. Just when I was losing hope during another stroll through IKEA, I happened to wander into the store’s plant section and find exactly what I had been looking for: The SATSUMAS plant stand. At a whopping 27.5 inches tall, it was an outstanding (and at $80, affordable!) fit. 

The stand nestles up nearly level to the bed, blowing all of those comparatively tiny tables I’d tried out of the water. It provides an ideal spot for a charging phone or a glass of wine, and the white and bamboo colors are neutral enough to blend seamlessly into whatever decor surrounds it. I styled the top with fresh flowers in a thrifted crystal vase and a cool catch-all my friend made from an old 45 record — and still had plenty of room to spare. Because the stand also flanks my office corner, that extra space comes in handy to store my to be read pile or a cup of coffee when the room is otherwise unoccupied. 

The second shelf is what truly makes this stand a godsend: It’s the perfect home for folded towels and a cute basket that offers necessities like extra phone chargers and toothpaste. Given the stand’s height and open design, there’s also plenty of room underneath the lower shelf to keep a small trash can or allow guests to shove a weekender bag during their stay. Finally, if the bed needs to be folded out to its full size, the stand is super light and easily portable, so its narrow shape can still slide up to the foot of the bed for continued use.

This inexpensive piece of furniture may have been created to show off house plants, but it’s truly transformed my guest room into a practical, yet adorable little station for my guests to decompress, spread out, and feel at home.