While it is generally agreed that the main focal points of bedroom feng shui are the position of the bed and sleeping direction, there are various other aspects to energy dynamics in a room one has to consider.
Saying that bed placement is all that matters is like saying sugar is all that matters in a piece of fruit cake.
In relation to the bed, nightstands (or bedside tables) are the closes furniture to it.
In fact, interior designers sometimes consider them as part of the bed due to their ability to completely change the visual impression of the sleeping area.
You wouldn’t expect anything from professional artists and designers.
To them, everything that makes up the bed including the mattress, bed sheets, pillows, etc, all make up part of the element which is called the sleeping area.
The night stand is particularly special as it can change the form of the bed, adding width, depth and light.
This is also why when homeowners are fully intent on adding side tables to the bedside, then feng shui concepts can help them make the most of it.
Here are some of the common suggestions for nightstands beside the bed in terms of feng shui.
1) Two night stands
Whether it’s one night stand or two night stands, you should first get your head out of the gutter.
We are discussing furniture here. Not lustful pleasure. 😀
The notion that there should be two bedside tables, one on each side, is that it helps manifest romance luck into your life.
Singles would find better opportunities for love, while couples would be happy with each other with little tendency to stray.
The default best practice is therefore to have matching night stands, with one on each side.
Having just one can create an imbalance of chi. And since the bedroom (especially the bed) is associated with one’s love life, it is understandable how many feng shui practitioners link the two together.
However, there is not one room configuration that applies to all people.
Some individuals might have no qualms with being single, some choose to be. Some couples are already experiencing very blissful relationships. And some people simply have no space for two night tables.
There’s little point in squeezing two tiny side cabinets on the bedside just so you can adhere to the feng shui principle of two. That’s just impractical and can even make matter worse.
In addition, when we talk about two side tables, the assumption is that the bed in question is a king or queen sized bed. A single sized bed can look rather odd with two side tables.
So while two is the way to go, it’s not a rule that needs to be followed under all circumstances.
2) Items on bedside table
The surface area of a side table is not that big. So don’t treat it like a mini warehouse of sorts.
It should be clear of clutter and there should be no excuses at all if it’s in a messy state.
The only permanent fixture on the table should the table lamp. And the remaining space should able to accommodate small items like cell phone, note pad, a book, reading glasses, coaster and cup, alarm clock, etc.
With or without stacking on top of another, that’s really not a lot of space to ask for.
Leave bigger things like landline telephones and laptops away.
I do acknowledge that I’m not a nanny and different people have different personal preferences. The point I’m trying to make is that the table space don’t have to be that big and large items should be kept away from them.
Remember that some nightstands have top and bottom areas. Allowing you two times the space to place and organize your personal belongings.
Many come with drawers to hide and keep more stuff. That’s alright.
Remember that the mess and clutter being referred to here concerns the exposed surface area such as the table top.
A simple rule that can be applied is that everything on the table at any one time should be able to let you observe them all without having to think about what is underneath one of the items. And ideally, there should always be at least one-third empty table space.
3) Table height
I’m not kidding when I say that I have seen night stands taller than a sleeper’s head when in the sleeping position.
This can be puzzling to some as bedside tables are usually ergonomically designed to prevent such comedy from happening at home.
But this can happen due to a low bed’s height.
The ideal height of the table should not exceed the height of the mattress on the bed.
And if you want to push that limit, the height should not exceed the height of the pillow where your head rest.
If you still want to see how far you can push the envelope, just go with night stands that go above your head. See where that lands you in a month.
If the day stand is squared or rectangular, then there would also undoubtedly be a sharp corner pointed right as the sleeper.
A lower table height hide this corner, effectively eliminating it. A tall table would give the corner more exposure, increasing the safety hazard that comes with it.
Go with rounded corners if it’s an option available to you.
