This Mid-Century Modern Nightstand, made from walnut, can be configured with doors or drawers depending on your aesthetic and functional use. The sides and top were milled in such a way as to keep the grain aligned, so it flowed continuously from the top down the sides like a waterfall. The drawer are dovetail construction, with a light maple interior, so you are not looking into a dark drawer for your socks, and it also adds a nice contrast with the walnut where the dovetails intersect. For the option with doors, the inside is equipped with an adjustable shelf.
Whenever I think of Mid-Century Modern design, I think of a less is more attitude, a design that is simple in its form but apparent in its function. These walnut nightstands, from a distance, showcase those design aesthetics. They show off their simple joinery method of mitered corners, subtle details of the tapered legs, and simple back beveled picture frame front, framing the drawers and doors.
When fabricating them, I wanted to add some special touches, as I do in all my work, so I took care to be sure the grain matched along the miters so it flowed across the top of the nightstand and down its sides like a waterfall, continuously flowing. I selected a board that was wide enough for the widest drawer and arranged the grain so it flowed across each drawer, picking up the grain pattern in the next. For the doors, I re-sawed thicker boards in half so I could book-match the grain, mirroring it across the front of the doors.
Sizes are approximate:
28” high
30” wide
20” deep
Bedroom Furniture
