Diy Fast Easy Night Stands to Make

In this post, I'm sharing how to build a DIY modern nightstand with two large drawers!

And if you like this nightstand design, I've got plans to build an entire matching modern bedroom set in a full build series here.

This entire bedroom set series were some of my favorite pieces to build ever!

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The clean lines and warm poplar color make my favorite combination! You can mix and match this nightstand with any other dresser or bed easily since the style here is so simple and clean.

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My favorite part of these nightstands is the fact they provide so much storage space in the large drawers.

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In fact, in our previous home, we didn't have room for a dresser in the bedroom, so we just used our nightstands as little "mini dressers" and it worked out great!

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So if you're ready to see how to build your own DIY modern nightstand, I've got the video, details and plans all below 🙂

**This post contains affiliate links. See policies.

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Tools & Materials:

Grab the printable plans here:

Some notes about the build:

I made this whole matching bedroom set out of poplar and it really gave it a modern feel.

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I was able to build two large nightstands and the bed for about $200 (100 board foot of rough sawn) in poplar in 2018 (it would be a little more than that now haha).

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I bought my lumber rough sawn from a local lumber yard because it's cheaper. I planed and milled it down myself, but you could build it with standard construction lumber (spruce, pine, or even cabinet grade plywood) for about the same cost.

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The project overall dimensions are 17″ deep, 24 ¾″ tall, and 33″ wide.

Step 1: Build Modern Nightstand Side Frames

I cut four "legs" and four top and bottom pieces for my two nightstand sides from 2x2s.  You can purchase precut 2x2s or make your own 2x2s using this tutorial.

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Step 2: Add Side Panels to Nightstand Frames

Once I had two frames assembled, now it's time to add the panels.  For this, I glued (or pocket hole screw if desired) two pieces of 1×8 together to make a panel about 15″ long and 14″ wide.

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Typical 1x8s are 7 ¼″ wide, so gluing two together will make 14 ½″ wide…so just trim these down once glued.  OR, feel free to use ¾″ plywood and cut to size.

.Drill ¾″ pocket holes along the two long edges and attach like shown using 1 ¼″ pocket hole screws.

Step 3: Assemble the Remaining Nightstand Frame

Now that the two side panels are assembled, next, we have to put them together.  I cut three more 2x2s to assemble the sides together to make the overall nightstand frame.

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There will be a 2×2 at the top front corner, the top back corner, and the back bottom corner.

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Just like the side frames, I attached using wood glue and dowels. But of course, you can use pocket holes and screws if you wish.

Step 4: Add Decorative Edge to Nightstand Frame

Using a router and a rabbeting bit, I cut a small (about ⅛″ deep) notch around the edge of the top of the frame.

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This is totally optional and serves no other purpose other than I just thought it looked cool haha.  It makes it look like there's a "riser" or something between the frame and the top.

I used this same method to create a "gap" between the frame and the top on this DIY keyboard stand, too!

Step 5: Add Top to Nightstand

For the top panel, I glued two pieces of 1×10 together to make a panel.

RELATED: How to glue up wood panels

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I wanted it to be exactly the same size as the top of the frame–so no overhang.  Gluing together two 1×10 will give you a width of 18 ½″.  So to get it the right size, I just trimmed down after the glue dried.

I sanded and glued the top panel onto the top of the nightstand frame.  The top should sit flush on all sides.

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NOTE: After building this I learned this isn't the correct way to attach tops because of the issue of wood movement.

That said, I've had these nightstands for almost four years now, three moves, and it spent a summer in a non-climate controlled storage shed while we built our home.

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It's never had any issues with wood movement, cracking, or splitting.  We are still using them daily and they look the same as the day I built them. So, take that for what it's worth.

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However, you can see how you're "SUPPOSED" to attach table tops correctly in this post.

Step 6: Install Drawers

The last step in building these nightstands is to install the drawers.

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I built two drawers for each nightstand for this from plywood scraps and used poplar for the fronts so it would match the rest of the piece.  You can see how I assemble drawers in this post.

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First, I attached the 16″ slides to the carcass.

For my drawer boxes, I ripped some scrap plywood to about 6″ wide.  But you could also use 1×6 boards for this instead.

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I assembled the drawers with dadoes for the bottoms and pocket holes and screws for the sides.

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Step 7: Finish DIY Modern Nightstand

The last thing is to finish the piece and add drawer pulls.  First, the finish.

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I used natural color Watco Danish Oil.  I wanted the natural color of the poplar to show up, but wanted something that would dry "clean" and not still feel oily even after it's dry.

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I added some modern drawer pulls to finish this build off. I used these long pulls on these nightstands.

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And, that's it!  This two drawer DIY modern nightstand is complete and ready to start filling up.

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NOTE: If both drawers of this nightstand open at the same time, it could potentially tip over due to the weight distribution.  It's recommended to anchor to the wall once complete.

I love the variation here in the wood.  I know some people don't like poplar, but I really love the look.

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I love leaving it out in the sun to darken some after oiling.  Did you know wood "tans" in the sun?  It does…it's crazy how much darker it can get just from sun.

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Plans for the modern bed I built to match can be found here. And plans for the modern dresser to match these nightstands can be found here.

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Until next time, happy building! 🙂

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Source: https://www.woodshopdiaries.com/diy-modern-nightstand-two-drawer/

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