BH | Studio Stamford Slatted 23-Inch 2-Drawer Nightstand

Rows of narrow wooden battens were a favourite way for mid-century cabinetmakers to give a small case presence without a single carved line, a habit learned from Scandinavian furniture and the wooden screens of Japanese houses, and one British makers of the 1950s and 60s took up along with the rest of the Scandinavian look. On a bedside table, a piece seen up close every night and morning, that texture earns its keep.

This one is wider than most nightstands, with two drawers behind a front faced in horizontal slats from top to bottom and a narrow line of shadow between each. Both drawers run out on full-extension glides, so the back is as easy to reach as the front, with room for books, chargers, glasses and a journal. With no knobs or pulls, the front stays clean and calm. Four tapered legs lift the case off the floor. Its engineered wood is finished in a laminate in Charcoal or Almond. Assembly is required.

The wide top holds a lamp, an alarm clock and a stack of books at once, which suits a king bed or anyone who reads late. In a living room it does duty as an end table beside the sofa. It is quietly modern: set it against white plaster or a pale gray wall with a white ceramic lamp, a black-framed photograph and bedding in white and slate. This listing is for one nightstand.