I Spent 7 Years Looking for a Nightstand in My Tiny Bedroom — Then I Found This Garden Gem

I’ve found so many ingenious ways to make my tiny, cramped apartment in New York City feel so much larger than it actually is. I’ve lived on the Upper East Side for over seven years in the same micro one-bedroom home, and I’ve created storage hacks (hello, wall space!) and invested in space-saving furniture (IKEA for the win!). But I haven’t been able to resolve this one bedroom pain point — until now. And rather than a piece of traditional furniture, I found my solution in the outdoor gardening section. 

My apartment’s layout is infamous among my social circle for being quite literally the most convoluted. More than 100 square feet of the total 420-square-foot floor plan is dedicated to a three-foot-wide entry hallway that spans about 30 feet in length (really!). And the dedicated bedroom space has an interesting layout as well, given that an enclosed closet was built as an afterthought — the woes of a pre-war building. I had a very hard time squeezing my queen-size bed into place, which means I had to sacrifice a handy nightstand. 

There’s only about 9 inches of clearance between the edge of my bed and the closet wall. When I first moved in, I hired a TaskRabbit to mount floating shelves adjacent to my headboard, only to find out the thin closet drywall couldn’t handle the weight. I resigned myself to not having anywhere to put my charging phone, cup of water, or nightlight for over six years because I simply couldn’t find something small enough to fit into such a tiny nook.

That all changed on my latest stroll through T.J. Maxx, where a quick return errand led me smack into a seasonal outdoor offering in the Home section. Front and center were intricate, detailed metal plant stands — and many of them were nested, in a myriad of sizes. One option was perfectly small, measuring just about six inches wide, and stout enough to be level with my pillow.  A lightbulb went off in my head! 

I can’t believe I didn’t think of this hack sooner. Because I was already in T.J. Maxx, I sprung for this mini-sized plant stand, made of simple black metal and featuring a delicate design in its inlaid tray. The price was the best part: This small outdoor staple only set me back $9.99. 

Right now, the biggest reason why I need a nightstand is to make room for a lamp. My bedroom has no ceiling lamps or pendant lighting (next on my to-do list!), and the floor lamp I have in there currently is simply too bright at night when I’m trying to read a book before heading to sleep. My solution was to find an adorable LED mini lamp, which I’ve waxed poetic about to my colleagues for months. But I needed a home for this mini lamp to actually live.

Whether you choose to use a nightstand for lighting, as a storage spot, or simply as somewhere to put your phone while you sleep, a plant stand offers just enough room to hold a few essentials. And its condensed circular shape just may be easier to slide into bedside nooks like mine. 

The best part is that many modern plant stands fit nicely into a myriad of styles, given how low-profile and minimalist they are in design. If you can’t make it to T.J. Maxx, many home retailers offer space-saving plant stands that can beautifully double as a nightstand in a spot where you might not have room for a full bedside table.

Looking for something a little bit more glam and overstated? I also contended with picking up what’s known as a “drink” table — a living room accessory that’s often floated around plush seating for guests to rest their ice-cold beverages. Many of these micro side tables are under 9 inches in diameter, which means they’d too be able to pop into my cramped bedside nook without issues. 

A plant stand might not have been designed to be a nightstand — but that’s exactly why I adore it as a hero solution for anyone living in a cramped bedroom. Its mini footprint leaves enough breathing room around my bed, while giving me just enough surface space for my reading lamp, and a place for me to slot my phone at night. In a tiny home where quite literally every inch counts, this hack is proof that the best furniture swaps are often the most unexpected.