An Organized Nightstand at Last

Do You Need a Nightstand?

The short answer is yes, you do need a nightstand. The long answer will be that you do not necessarily need a nightstand, but you need a surface or table at your bedside where you can put things down at night and store and organize essentials. In most cases, nightstands are necessary to hold a table lamp or a night light that you can shut off once you’re tucked in bed.

This is a super easy way to update your nightstand drawers before organizing them. It literally takes minutes.

Drawer #1. The ‘Super Essentials’ Drawer

Inside the first and most shallow drawer of my nightstand, I keep all the things essential for my nighttime routine. After a while, of course, it became a jumbled mess. The drawer organizer I placed here (7 years ago!) wasn’t enough to hold all the things.

To organize all the little (and not so little) things, I used an office drawer tray (similar). While I could have used the same system I used in my makeup drawer organization, I used what I had. And this clear organizer was completely underused in my office (another overdue project!).

Here’s what I kept inside my first drawer.

• Remote controls: TV, ceiling fan and light, Tempurpedic bed.
• Pain reliever pills.
• Sleep mask.
• Essential oil rollers.

• Rosary.
• Handbag light with sensor. Super useful when it’s dark!
• Headphones and AirPods.
• Bible highlighters.

I filled the gap behind the organizer with an (empty) Apple watch box. I keep all the fancy and sturdy boxes from Apple products, and when I’m in a pinch, I use them as drawer organizers.

Drawer #2. The ‘Skincare Products Junkie’ Drawer

I’ve mentioned before that I love makeup. And that makes me also a skincare products junkie. Not only do I buy, but I receive many free samples (usually when I buy makeup!), and my sister gives me a lot, too. She also loves makeup; it runs in the family.

The mess in the first two drawers was the catalyst of the nightstand organization. However, this second drawer was really the pit of despair. I could not take one more night looking at this. It was in such bad shape. After accumulating products and lotions, it became a dumping ground.

Another drawer organizer went to waste inside the nightstand because there was no definition. And too much of everything. There’s that Apple watch box in the back. So, to organize this drawer in particular, I needed deep bins with compartments. I loved these ones because the dividers are removable. So I was able to accommodate big lotions but also small tubes and containers.

The container in the back does not have any dividers. Inside, I placed larger bottles of creams and lotions. As well as my giant-sized migraine medicine bottle. On top of them, I put my makeup remover wipes for those lazy nights.

The container in the front only has one divider (out of 4) containing three bottles that I prefer to keep upright. Next to them, I nested two small square containers I had left from this set of 25 clear drawer organizers. Inside the little cubes, I keep the following:

• Facial tools – Gua Sha and Roller
• A tube key (similar)
• Cotton rounds. These are my favorite. They don’t have a rough edge like some do and cut your skin. Especially when you clean under the eye area.

On the right side of the drawer, there’s a spread of skincare products. Believe me, when I tell you, I use them all! Not necessarily on the same night, but they are all being used. So for this wide assortment of creams and serums, I used all the dividers in the clear drawer organizer.

Drawer #3 – The Book Storage Drawer

Lastly, drawer #3 of my nightstand wasn’t as bad as the others, but it was full of irrelevant books buried at the bottom. Once I removed those books and kept only what I am currently reading, I made some ‘breathing’ room.

I moved the Bible highlighters to the top drawer and inserted a small rectangular clear bin to store my iPad and Kindle chargers. I rarely store my glasses in their case, so I tucked the case in the back of the drawer. My glasses sit on the nightstand overnight, and I store them inside my medicine cabinet during the day.

Because I mostly keep books inside this nightstand drawer, I didn’t need to add any drawer organizers, except for the small bin containing the chargers.

These are the items I keep in this drawer:

• Currently reading:
  • The Catechism of the Catholic Church – Amazing! Following along with the Catechism in a Year podcast.
  • Holy Moments by Mathew Kelly.
  • Rediscover Lent – I read this book every Lenten season!

• Kindle
• iPad Pro and keyboard.
• A notebook/journal
• Frixion Erasable Highlighters – These are different from the Bible highlighters designed especially for thin Bible pages.

How to Decorate a Nightstand

Frankly, my nightstand drawers might stay super organized, but I can not guarantee that the top will always look Pinterest-perfect. And if I am being completely honest, I overly staged my nightstand for this post’s purposes. That night, I realized I had no room for my multi-charger and essential oils diffuser. I also think that my lamps are a bit big.

With that said, how you decorate your nightstand is up to you. A small flower arrangement, whether faux or real, an old-school clock over a stack of books; all these decorations look beautiful, especially in magazines and blogs! However, they’re not the most practical thing when you LIVE here. Especially when I place my reading glasses and a cup of water on the top of the nightstand every night.

happy organizing, Flavia