lamp, alarm clock and current book on top. In the drawers - more books and 2 mah jong sets (to give as gifts sometime to someone!)

Lamp, small water carafe and glass, ipad and the latest Lee Valley catalogue that came in the mail today. Alarm is in the other nightstand

lamp, book,flower vase ,small photo frame of flower design on the display..Below the side table laptop and other magzine stored inside.

I do not have a night stand on my side of the bed;)

Reading glasses and a blackout mask

Kleenex, sleeping mask, a plastic cup filled with water, a coaster, ten thousand hair bands, my phone, InStyle magazine (I haven't read), and dust. My nightstand needs an overhaul.

a box, an alarm clock that i only use for time, an ashtray (i know, shame on me), and eyeglasses, and a battery operated scented candle...usually there's a glass or coffee cup on there too! and my cell phone.

Lamp, a phone alarm clock that is ugly and old. A decorator oval container with a lid that holds extra jewelry, hoping to not notice the old phone clock : )

Need to change the water in my flowers...eww.
Kindle, hair tie, lamp and sea urchin :-). I'm laying in bed and snapped the picture. Too lazy to get back up.

Regina5697, love your lamp!

A pile of design books with a posy of flowers in a round crystal vase on top, metallic swing arm lamp above and black and white picture hanging on wall between side table and lamp.

Trunk look attractive

Thanks, LB! I love it too. I have a matching one on my husband's side. They were a Homegoods find.

Love Home Goods !!!!

My home phone, my cell phone, my glasses & my eye mask

A lamp, tissue in ORB colored holder, phone(land line), iPad mini, and a super old plastic alarm clock that used to have a horizontal crack in the middle of face and now is missing lower half of face. Disgusting I know, just can't make myself go buy another one! Oh and my glasses when sleeping. And glass of water at night.

Margo must subscribe to Oprah's philosophy of bedroom utilization: the two "ses", sleep and sex. I, on the other hand, need a nightstand to "houzz" my iPad, Kindle and water glass. Before and after the "ses" I explore.

Mine is an antique teacart with a cut-glass tray holding tissue, and a copy of Buck Branaman's " Faraway Horses". and... a bottle of water.

I have tissues, books, eyeglasses and jewelry box.

Clock,pint of water and the cat !

books, my glasses...

Not the best photo since it was taken in a dark room, but there are my two beasts (I did blacken his eyes, officer, but it was for his own good!); and can you spot the cat?
Anyway, there's never any space on his bed side table; he falls asleep listening to audio-books so the laptop is always there taking up a lot of space. (I have an ipad - great night stand space saver!)

I have preserved hydrangeas from the family garden, a watercolor painting given to me as a gift from my best friend, a mirrored box that I keep my loose change in, a ginger jar that my Mom gave me and finally a book that I am reading.

How lovely! Your preserved flowers look great, what's your secret?

I have a lamp, alarm clock, a journal I don't write in but I love the "live your dream, make it happen" cover, the book I'm currently reading and a stack of the next in line on the edge and a lovely oriental soap dish that holds eye cream and lip balm.

I have a high chest of drawers from IKEA (Malm model in black-brown colour http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/90106506/#/60127973 ) with a bottle of water, eye drops, lip balm and hand cream, a jewelry tree, a little dark word carved pagoda jewelry box, and a meditating small buddha (and at night, there is my cell phone too, which I use as alarm clock)

2 plastic water glasses, 1 pencil, 1 lamp "a Storm of Swords" 3rd book of Game of Thrones, snowbird pad of paper, Khaled Hosseini "and the moutains echoed" 1 recipe for Hogwash for oysters. device for regulating the sleep number bed.

A green beaker...

Lamp, reading glasses, body lotion, assortment of books, pens, cell phone, tablet and thesaurus!

clock, books (to many!) supplies, and my binder of designs- always designs!

A lamp with necklaces hanging from it , an iPhone alarm clock, a telephone, a photo of my husband and I, a bottle of water and my MacBook (occasionally).

Water, water, water, Vaseline for dry lips and a lamp!

My favorite thing is the little lady, smiling while she's caught in the middle of doing a jig....I found this exquisite little bookend in a card store in Wellfleet, Ma. We're still looking for her other half!

Not much on top - lamp, alarm clock, charging iPhone. Everything else is in the drawers. Need drawers. Can't leave a box of tissues on top or my German shepherd will snag the box and I'll have tissues strewn all over the backyard :)

Now the drawers have lots! Tissues, cough drops, back scratcher, hand lotion, stationary, pens, pencils, crossword puzzle books, pencils, good erasers....

rosebud3, you mentioned a backscratcher, the best one I have found is a nylon pasta fork. Feels perfect and better than those dinky wooden ones from World Market.

unwantedadvice, I got this backscratcher at my local bookstore. It is metal and telescopes. Only problem is it doesn't stay where you put it - it collapses in on itself. I'm not so flexible to make a short plastic fork work for those hard to reach spots :) one day I will find the perfect one!

No,no. Not a short fork, a large like Calphalon one for taking pasta out of a big pot.

Oh, when you said plastic all I thought of we're the plastic forks you get with takeout. :)

Dust!!!

Dust, box of Kleenex, alarm clock, lamp, Vaseline for dry lips (so glad to hear I'm not the only one who does this!) and a magic bag.

I have an alarm clock and telephone

Robin - a magic bag????? Explain please!

Magic Bag: filled with some kind of grain, heat in the microwave for a minute or so.

Thanks. Never heard it called magic bag before :)

Our nightstands are actually bookcases... The height works for our tall bed. On mine I have a mirrored tray so I can put massage oil on there without it ruining the wood from oily bottles. I have my heater control for my electric mattress pad, my iPhone charger, and a pretty etched glass bowl I found at Goodwill that I put my wedding ring in. :) on the shelves below I have a framed photo, a couple of jewelry boxes, a large wooden bowl that holds a variety of pretty silk jewelry pouches containing my pearl necklace collection, and there's a pretty lace thing with a wood platter for often worn costume jewelry to go onto.
No lamps on the bedside tables... My clever hubby mounted hanging pendants on either side of the bed. (Replacing the original can light that would shine directly into our eyes!!!) he keeps the remote/dimmer for those lights on his bedside table. He used LED lightbulbs so they don't put out heat like the incandescent do. He also keeps the alarm clock on his side. I am sleeping better without those numbers glaring straight into my eyes whenever I happen to wake up. ;) he also has the tv remote.... But us watching tv in there is quite rare. :)

Oh, in the winter I typically add a roll of toilet paper (what I tend to use to blow my nose) and a handful of cough drops whenever I come down with something. Not very pretty... But something I consider a need. LOL!

Mine is a useful spot to put lamp, jewelry, books, note pad, eye glasses, t.v. remote, phone, and photos what's missing is water and tissue.

I wanted to ask Sbfigel how she preserved her flowers on her nightstand. I still have beautiful limelight hydrangeas. They are now drying. They are beautiful pinks, green, white and soft browns.

I like all the different types of night stands people have -- especially the suitcase at the top. But, I tend to be more conventional. I do like this color stain, though for visual interest to a standard night stand -- http://www.expressfurniture.net/bedroom-furniture/night-stands/night-stand2013-10-03-06-33-161997631394-detail.html

sbfigel, I have one of those journals too (also in the nightstand drawer)...I bought it because I LOVE the cover and the quotes throughout, but I NEVER write in it!