Coralina Nightstand

The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw sweeping social change and major scientific advances — both of which contributed to a new aesthetic: modernism. Rejecting the rigidity of Victorian artistic conventions, modernists sought a new means of expression. References to the natural world and ornate classical embellishments gave way to the sleek simplicity of the Machine Age. Architect Philip Johnson characterized the hallmarks of modernism as “machine-like simplicity, smoothness or surface [and] avoidance of ornament.”

Early practitioners of modernist design include the De Stijl (“The Style”) group, founded in the Netherlands in 1917, and the Bauhaus School, founded two years later in Germany.

Followers of both groups produced sleek, spare designs — many of which became icons of daily life in the 20th century. The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics. While Bauhaus principals Marcel Breuer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe created furniture from mass-produced, chrome-plated steel, American visionaries like Charles and Ray Eames worked in materials as novel as molded plywood and fiberglass. Today, Breuer’s Wassily chair, Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona chair — crafted with his romantic partner, designer Lilly Reich — and the Eames lounge chair are emblems of progressive design and vintage originals are prized cornerstones of collections.

It’s difficult to overstate the influence that modernism continues to wield over designers and architects — and equally difficult to overstate how revolutionary it was when it first appeared a century ago. But because modernist furniture designs are so simple, they can blend in seamlessly with just about any type of décor. Don’t overlook them.

Nightstands, which are pieces of bedroom furniture that are often just small bedside tables, are traditionally designed with functionality in mind. Prior to the advent of indoor plumbing, early nightstands contained a porcelain chamber pot in a cabinet that provided a convenient and private alternative to visiting the outhouse. The antique and vintage nightstands in so many homes today are typically low-profile tables that are positioned alongside one’s bed or elsewhere in a bedroom.

A nightstand is mainly used to store or support objects that may be needed at night, such as a phone, a book or a small carafe of water. But this table can easily be personalized. "I’ve got a huge vintage lamp, and when I’m lucky, I’ll have fresh flowers in a bud vase," Chicago interior designer Summer Thornton tells 1stDibs about styling a nightstand.

Whether you take a minimalist approach to bedside table decor or prefer a set of two nightstands topped with stacks of books and other essentials that you'd like to have at arm's length — this furniture can also change the look and feel of a bedroom, rendering any interior more comfortable and cozy.

Practicality plays a prominent role in perfecting your bedside space, but the decision to furnish your bedroom with a cherrywood mid-century modern nightstand or an antique mahogany piece can have an impact on how you start your day.

Take the first step in setting the perfect tone of your morning — find vintage Art Deco nightstands, burl-wood nightstands, oak nightstands, three-drawer nightstands and other nightstands for sale on 1stDibs.