Are you planning on redoing a bedroom and looking for something that isn’t perfectly matching out of a catalog? There are so many ways to decorate a bedroom, sometimes it can be overwhelming. It can be especially daunting when you have existing furniture that does not already match. So how can you mix the new and the old? The gifted and the bought?

Bedside tables do not have to match the bed. In this post, we are going to go through different ways to decorate your room without needing to match the bedside tables to the bed and bring your space together as a calming oasis. You will learn different design elements that can help you make all of your furniture complement each other! 

Bedside tables (and beds for that matter) come in so many different materials. If you’re looking to mix it up, you have many different varieties to deal with. Wood, iron, brass, are all popular options, and we are going to go through how to use them together without it looking disjointed. If you have some existing pieces, we are going to help you either accentuate them or spruce them up so you will love them in your room. We will also be linking brand new options to create the look you want (for less!).

Designing Your Bedroom

Let's walk through the design elements that can make a difference in your bedroom! You can find individual helpful hints or use as many as you want to create the room you want.

Bring on the Color

Another way to add contrast to your space is to add a pop of color with your bedside table. If you have an all-white bedspread and some blue and white pillows, try to paint your bedside table (or buy one here! ) a pop of blue to bring out the pillow color! This can create either a simple harmonious look, or you can get more complex with a fuller color palette. Instead of just blue and white, add a blush undertone or gold fixtures.

Be Bold With Paint

Most people will choose a neutral, calming color for a bedroom. However, if most of your furniture is more traditional and you would rather not touch it by sanding or painting, you can add a wall color to bring your bedside table and bed together, even if they don’t match! Sometimes a moody bedroom color can bring the life out of your furniture that you may not have noticed before. Bold wall paint can really pull out natural wood colors and give you a beautiful color palette to work with within your space.

Using White Contrast to Find What You Want to Pop!

Instead of matching your bed to your bedside tables, try using a bedspread or a comforter to bring the room together. If you have a wood frame that can speak for itself, use white bedside tables to complement a white bedspread. That will make your bedframe pop and be the feature piece in your room! Adding other natural or rustic elements will create a cohesive ambiance for your space.

White is usually thought of as a safe bet, but you can really play with the contrast of having an all-white room by choosing which pieces to stand out among the rest of the room. Even a white and cream palette can make your bedside table the star of your bedroom. The white from the bedside table brings in the white comforter but isn't too matchy-matchy with the cream color on the headboard. Together, they all play nicely and make each other look better together while showing the gorgeous natural wood bench. Get this look for less!

Inspirational Artwork

Artwork can be a great way to bring a room together. If you have a natural palette, such as grays and light neutrals, a white bedside table can be more of a standout in your space. Artwork can pull different colors from pillows, comforters or even your tables to make a more cohesive room. Many times in a room, artwork can be the inspiration, showing a homeowner which colors will help the room take shape. When you find that piece, but do not want to see all one color with your furniture, you can take different elements of the painting or picture and give each one to a different item in your room. Love the flower color? Headboard. Obsessed with the frame? Bedside table material idea! Use the inspiration around your home to help you build a successful room.

Mix and Match Metal Finishes

In the past, using different metals in the same space was frowned upon.  However, if done correctly, a bedroom is a great space to mix and match different metal finishes. This can especially be helpful if you have many pieces that have been passed down through generations, and you are mixing old and new. A lot of times, you don't want to touch older furniture and redo it but you don't have anything in your house that can match the finish! No worries-you can use all the finishes and still create a cohesive room. It just takes some beautiful additions to your space.

If you have an upholstered headboard with silver nailhead detail, don't be afraid to have brass hardware on your tables! You can find a mirror that has both silver and gold in it and makes them all work together as a trio. Decor pieces can go a long way in creating the perfect atmosphere for your bedroom.

Another way that we like to mix and match finishes is with lighting. For instance, if you have a bronze mirror frame that doesn't match anything else in your room, try to find a great sconce or lamp for your bedside table. This can be especially helpful if you found some great bedside tables that are a bronze furnishing (like these!), but do not have anything else in your room that will match them... yet! We would add lighting to match the tables, maybe metallic lamps so you have elements that complement each other.

Add Texture

Do you ever look at your room and think, something is missing? A lot of times, we don't put enough texture in our space. We love the artwork, colors are on point, but the room is falling flat. Texture may be to blame. Adding simple textural elements can help your room take fuller shape. We love this bedside table pair to add to your space! A 3-dimensional piece on the wall, as in this example, is a great way to achieve that. Woven art is another trendy way to bring texture into your room. Even adding different layers of pillows can help you build a more well-rounded room.

Building Your Space: Step By Step Guide to Creating Balance

If you have two completely different bedside tables, and neither of which match your headboard or bedframe, you can make this work as well. Let's walk through how this room became such a success step by step to make decorating your room a quick and fun process.

In this particular example, the tables are different colors and sizes and do not match the headboard (we found a look-alike here!), but the room looks put together because of some of the other design elements in the space. There are white walls to bring a bold headboard to the forefront and some great texture via a white woven wall hanging.

The bedside tables pop because they are contrasting the light walls and decor. Using the white and blue pillows creates depth within the space, and the tassels on the throw at the end of the bed echo the same texture from the wall decor.

Most of the items on the bedside tables are white, so they aren't detracting from some of the more powerful and bold design choices. Except for the lamps, they are bringing some contrast to the white walls and we love that they are different metal finishes! One is silver and has been placed on a bedside table with gold hardware. This helps bring in the other lamp, which is also gold on the other side of the room, creating a great overall balance.

Less is More

Choosing bedside tables and headboards can be a difficult task, but hopefully, this post has helped you see that there are so many ways to have fun with materials, textures, and colors! You do not have to be bored with your design. Find the components that you want to pop in your room and create a look that is as quirky and individual as you!