How to Decorate HIS Nightstand

If there is one thing I have learned over the past 31 days of Interior Styling, it is good style can’t be rushed. I had lofty goals to restyle almost every surface in my home. I made good progress with the entryway bench, the sofa table, the ottoman, and our dresser, but we have a ways to go. I know you are eager to see it all done, but inspiration from our master bedroom makeover is going to come on a slow drip. Today’s drop is how to style a nightstand for a man.

I see lots of inspiration for how to style a pretty nightstand with candles, flowers, and ruffles. Okay, not ruffles, but decidedly feminine inspirations none-the-less. What about his side of the bed?! I want my man to have a well-styled nightstand, too.

By going with a few more masculine options and personalizing it to my guy, here is what I came up with:

1. Great lamp – We have matching bedside lamps. More about how we chose those here. A gourd shape is usually curvy and feminine, but this version is faceted making it edgy enough to be masculine, too.

2. Framed print – I love the look of a frame leaning against the wall to fill up visual space. We have large nightstands, so this is a simple trick to make the styling look more full without lots of things. I choose this fun geek-chic print of glasses by Honey & Bloom. My hubby wears similar glasses, although not gold.

3. Wooden Urn and Manly Flowers – Flowers are certainly feminine, but a guy deserves some life next to his bed, too. I pulled it off in a masculine way, by using a small wooden urn for the vase filled with faux bells of Ireland. At our wedding, the flowers were calla lilies and bells of Ireland. I always thought of the bells as a masculine flower.  A plant would work well here, too.

(I know I said faux greenery was one of the 10 Interior Styling Mistakes to Avoid, but there is no way we can keep live bells of Ireland and calla lilies year-round. The symbolism is more important to me here than the real stuff.)

4.  Man Candle (Mandle?) – Yep, I just made up a new word.  The black candle looks manly and has an equally manly scent.  It is by Odin, when they had a collection at Target.

5. Stack of Books – I needed some horizontal lines.  My husband loves to read, in particular business self-help books that are interesting and thought-provoking. Unfortunately, those books don’t have the most attractive covers.  I used three stacked with the pages turned out.  The one on top (Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell), has an all white cover.

On top of the books, I added a photo of the boys.  My hubby loves being a daddy more than anything.  I couldn’t resist taking the opportunity to bring in a little sparkle.  The clip holding the photo is a smoke crystal card holder.  Love how it repeats the faceted shapes of the lamp.

6. Small Tray – I found this great nickel tray in the bathroom section at Target (we use the same style to hold dryer sheets in the laundry room). It makes a perfect coaster for a water glass and a spot to set his glasses or a watch at bedtime.

Can’t wait to show you my side of the bed and how I coordinated the two nightstands!