The Experimental DIY Nightstand That's Built With Just Books

Whether you are an avid book lover, a fan of gorgeous art books, or just someone looking for cool, low-cost design hacks that are interesting and dynamic, you may be able to store your books without using a bookshelf. While many dedicated readers often have a stack of their favorites, currents, or to-be-reads on the nightstand or next to the bed, you can actually combine both your books and your nightstand into one and the same.

A great idea for both the literary-minded and those who are looking for a quick way to fill a small bedside space, the bookish nightstand is a great combined solution that can be customized to your desires, both in both size and aesthetics. It's a particularly stylish idea for both laid-back boho-inspired rooms and dark academia-driven spaces, where the stack of books not only fulfills the functionality of a bedside table but adds some more visual and literary weight to your books as art.

For stability, larger and hardcover books are best. Start with the bigger, heavier books on the bottom and build upwards, with any books you may still want to read placed near the top if you need to pull them out. It's a great chance to use books suffering from a lack of shelf space, or a chance to start a new collection. Thrift stores, flea markets, and library or garage sales are great places to pick up books, both inexpensively and with interesting covers and content.

If you want the look of a single stack, look for large-format books like old atlases and oversized photo books. You can use these as a base layer, and then add smaller books on top. Old dictionaries and encyclopedias are also a good solution, as they can be quite heavy and thick, sometimes with beautifully engraved and cloth-bound covers. You can choose books based on the decor or colors of your room, a visual or literary theme, or place the text block sides out for a more uniform, neutral look. You can also change out the books with the seasons, say horror novels in the fall and gardening books in the spring and summer.

While a book stack as a bedside table can be customized to any size, remember that the higher (and narrower) the stack, the less stable it may be. This may make it a less perfect solution for homes with children, or pets that like to launch themselves from the nightstand onto your bed. If necessary, keep items like alarm clocks, lamps, and decor on the lighter, less fragile side.

Placing the stack in a corner space between the wall and the bed will also offer some extra stability to your stack. To add a little more stability, consider adding a base of concrete blocks, bricks, or wood slats as a framework for greater support. For a more permanent and tumble-proof solution using older books you do not plan on reading again, you can also consider adhesives or small bolts to fasten your books together via the covers or run a metal dowel through the stack.