How to make a DIY bedside table

DIY bedside table: Ikea shelves used as a bedside table with integrated light in a modern bedroom with blue walls

(Image credit: Ikea)

published 2 September 2019

This DIY bedside table will save you space and cash. Now that can't be bad. How, well, it's a clever space-saving Ikea hack. And while DIY might not appeal to everyone, there's something quite satisfying about taking an item and using it in a completely different way from which it was originally intended.

Here at Real Homes HQ, we love picture ledges, but we love this creative new way to use them even more – as a DIY bedside table! The perfect storage solution for stowing away a few books while displaying plants and picture frames, it makes the perfect charging station in other rooms, too, if you site it around an electrical socket. What’s more, wall-hung furniture is a clever space-enhancing trick, freeing up the floor and giving the illusion of a larger room.

For more clever, easy-peasy projects that even the most novice DIY-er can do, check out our other weekend projects. Or buy yourself a ready-to-use bedside table in our guide to the best.

You will need:

Two Mosslanda picture ledge
Drill
Nearby plug socket
LED light

Step one: Get the DIY bedside table's height right

Decide on the perfect height for your bedside table and position your lower picture ledge accordingly. Consider what you might want to place above or below your bedside table to maximise the space you have between them.

Step two: Attach your first picture ledge

Just as you would normally, attach the lower picture ledge first, using Ikea's instructions. You'll need to use a drill and the included screws to attach the picture ledge to your wall. This one should be the right way up.

Step three: Flip your second picture ledge and attach

Place your second picture ledge upside down on top of your first picture ledge and drill and fix into place.

Step four: Position the light

Attach your light to the bottom of the top picture ledge and secure the wire to your wall for a neat finish.

Step five: Style it up

No bedside table is complete without some flowers, books and a cute-as-a-button alarm clock. Step back and admire how much bigger your room looks without a bulky bedside table taking up floor space.

bedside table made from two picture ledges with blue walls and white bedding — Mosslanda picture ledge, £5, Ikea

After joining Real Homes as content producer in 2016, Amelia has taken on several different roles and is now content editor. She specializes in style and decorating features and loves nothing more than finding the most beautiful new furniture, fabrics and accessories and sharing them with our readers. As a newbie London renter, Amelia’s loving exploring the big city and mooching around vintage markets to kit out her new home.

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