It is right there, literally at arm's length, carrying the weight of all the books we thought we would read but haven't had the time to, safe keeping 2-3 different pairs of glasses in different drawers and, of course, getting new water rings from the condensation dripping glass that apparently doesn't need a coaster.  It is constantly a mess and, eventually, gets used to being ignored.

Well, it's time we pay these tables the kind of attention they deserve.

Options are unlimited. You can go for the Victorian ones or the modern ones. If your bed doesn't come with a pair of bedside tables, you can buy them separately. Just make sure they match the colour of the 

varnish of all the other furniture in the room. Also, while making the purchase please consider keeping two tables on either side of the bed unless it is absolutely impossible to do so.

The size of the bedside table should depend on the size of the bedroom. If you are blessed with a big room, go for something grand. You can choose the number of drawers that go in the table. The surface doesn't necessarily have to be too wide as long as they come with drawers which have depth to hold all the essentials.

Keep the drawers as light as possible. Getting organised always pays off. So decide what you absolutely need right before sleeping or as soon as you wake up because getting out of bed during these two times is the hardest. One drawer could consist of all the electronics related accessories: chargers, power banks, earphones, bluetooth etc. The top drawer should however, be set aside to contain a telephone directory, loose slips that are useful for making small lists, and some basic medicines along with a nasal spray or an asthma pump for emergency purposes. 

A small reminder: while setting everything up, remember to put the bedside tables, or at least one of the tables, by the electrical point. This way you can set up a multi-plug to charge more than one device at a time. You'll be close to your phone, Ipad or kindle and be safe because otherwise you'll end up leaving them on your bed and that is a serious hazard.

Because these faithful bedside tables are always living in a mess, we can do them a favour and keep it really simple when decorating them. Less is more; go for a light bedside tablecloth and on top of that, have a single lamp, a small vase or, as clichéd as it is, a family picture.  

We tend to have a very generic idea of bedside tables. And no one is to blame because we all do end up keeping the same things here. We can use these tables to show a side of our uniqueness though. If these tables are kept neat and clean, you'll feel like putting in a greater effort to make it look nicer, after all, it does reflect a part of us.

By Maaesha Nuzhat Nazmul
Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed
Special thanks to Samina Qasem