Dimensions / Furniture / Nightstands / Standard 2-drawer
A standard two-drawer nightstand is about 40–66 cm wide, 38–51 cm deep and 54–68 cm tall: IKEA’s HEMNES is 54 × 38 × 66 cm (21 1/4 × 15 × 26 in). Set its top within 5 cm (2 in) of your mattress top, which is about 64 cm (25 in) on a standard bed, and stand it about 5 cm from the bed. IKEA asks for even this small chest to be attached to the wall.
| IKEA HEMNES, W × D × H | Top against the mattress | Gap to the bed |
|---|---|---|
| 54 × 38 × 66cm21 1/4 × 15 × 26 in | ± 5cm2 in | 5cm2 in |
Sources: IKEA (HEMNES), Homes & Gardens, dimensions.com. Checked October 2026.
Enter the nightstand, your bed and the headboard wall. Each check uses the numbers in the tables on this page.
All in centimetres. 1 in = 2.54 cm.
The top is at 66 cm and your mattress top at 64 cm, 2 cm apart; within 5 cm either way reads as level.
Homes & Gardens and Ideal Home’s designers allow 2 in or 5 cm; IKEA prefers level or slightly below.
Your 160 cm bed and two 54 cm nightstands, each 5 cm from the bed, take 278 cm of your 300 cm wall.
About 5 cm from the bed (dimensions.com); IKEA gives 5–10 cm. Measure the bed across its frame.
It is 38 cm deep, within the 60 cm at the head of the bed where bedside furniture can go without blocking the way in.
UK accessible-home rules let bedside furniture take the first 600 mm beside the bed head.
Choosing a pair for a client’s bedroom? Photograph it, mark the bed and the wall in SizeMarker and check them before you order.
Mark a photo| Nightstand | W × D × H | Inside a drawer |
|---|---|---|
| IKEA HEMNES 2-drawer chest“Please attach to the wall” | 54 × 38 × 66 cm21 1/4 × 15 × 26 in | 31 cm deep12 1/4 in |
| IKEA HAUGA 2-drawer chest | 50 × 46 × 68 cm19 5/8 × 18 1/8 × 26 3/4 in | 42 × 38 cm16 1/2 × 15 in |
| IKEA MALM chest of 2 drawers | 40 × 48 × 55 cm | 43 cm deep |
| IKEA NORDLI 2-drawer chest | 40 × 47 × 54 cm15 3/4 × 18 1/2 × 21 1/4 in | 37 cm deep |
| Room & Board LinearWeighs about 49 kg (108 lb); drawers rated for 100 lb; anti-tip hardware included | 66 × 51 × 66 cm26 × 20 × 26 in | 55 × 43 × 16 cm21.5 × 17 × 6.25 in |
| Room & Board HudsonDrawers rated for 100 lb | 66 × 51 × 56 cm26 × 20 × 22 in | 57 × 38 × 13 cm22.25 × 15 × 5 in |
Sources: IKEA (HEMNES) · IKEA (HAUGA) · IKEA (MALM) · IKEA (NORDLI) · Room & Board (Linear) · Room & Board (Hudson)
| Guide | Size |
|---|---|
| Top against the mattress topHomes & Gardens, a designer’s rule | Within 5 cm2 in |
| Above or below the mattress top, at mostIdeal Home, a designer’s rule | 5 cm |
| IKEA | Level with the mattress top or slightly below |
| Standard bed, floor to mattress topCasper | 64 cm25 in |
| Divan beds, total heightIKEA | 55–70 cm |
| Nightstand for a divan bed | 50–70 cm tall |
| Gap to the beddimensions.com | About 5 cm2 in |
| Gap to the bed, IKEA | 5–10 cm |
Sources: Homes & Gardens · Ideal Home · IKEA · Casper · dimensions.com
| Rule | Size |
|---|---|
| Bedside table in UK home plansTwo per double bedroom, one per single | 400 × 400 mm |
| Bedside furniture allowed beside the bed headInside the access zone | 600 mm |
| Oak Furnitureland: deepestSo it does not block getting in and out of bed | 60 cm |
| US clothing storage unit rule applies atFree-standing, and all three at once | 69 cm tall, 13.6 kg, 90.6 dm³ enclosed27 in, 30 lb, 3.2 ft³ |
| Nightstands under 27 in tallCPSC, 2022 | Outside the rule |
Sources: Approved Document M · Oak Furnitureland · CPSC · Federal Register
Two-drawer nightstands run about 40–66 cm wide, 38–51 cm deep and 54–68 cm tall. IKEA’s HEMNES is 54 × 38 × 66 cm (21 1/4 × 15 × 26 in) and its MALM 40 × 48 × 55 cm; Room & Board’s Linear is 66 × 51 × 66 cm (26 × 20 × 26 in).
About level with the top of your mattress. Designers quoted by Homes & Gardens and Ideal Home keep it within 2 in or 5 cm; IKEA prefers level or slightly below. A standard bed is about 64 cm (25 in) to the mattress top, and IKEA pairs divan beds of 55–70 cm with nightstands of 50–70 cm.
About 5 cm (2 in), says dimensions.com; IKEA gives 5–10 cm. For a pair, the headboard wall needs the bed’s width plus two nightstands and both gaps.
IKEA asks for it even on small chests: its HEMNES 2-drawer page says “Please attach to the wall”, and Room & Board includes anti-tip safety hardware with its nightstands.
Only some. The rule covers free-standing clothing storage units at least 27 in (69 cm) tall, weighing 30 lb (13.6 kg) or more with 3.2 ft³ (90.6 dm³) of enclosed storage. In 2022 the CPSC said nightstands under 27 in tall fall outside it; larger multi-drawer ones can be in it.
Check the inside, not the outside: IKEA’s HEMNES drawers are 31 cm (12 1/4 in) deep inside and HAUGA’s 42 × 38 cm (16 1/2 × 15 in), while Room & Board’s Linear drawers are 55 × 43 × 16 cm (21.5 × 17 × 6.25 in) and, like Hudson’s, rated for 100 lb.
UK accessible-home plans allow a 400 × 400 mm bedside table, two per double bedroom, inside the first 600 mm beside the bed head. Add two nightstand widths and two 5 cm gaps to the bed width to size the headboard wall.
Two-drawer nightstands are sold in pairs, and buyers ask the height against the bed, the depth, what fits in the drawers and whether anti-tip hardware comes in the box. Mark the real sizes on your own product photo in SizeMarker, as in the picture at the top, and send one product card for WhatsApp or WeChat.
