My girls needed larger nightstands for their shared bedroom so I designed these diy nightstands with a pull out ledge to fit the space between their beds. A fully functional nightstand with a pull-out ledge, large drawer and open lower shelf for storage.
A DIY tutorial to build a nightstand with pull-out ledge, drawer and open shelf below. Make your own nightstands using my free plans.
This bedroom is a bit tricky because of the low windows and ceiling eaves. This is the best spot for their beds so naturally their nightstands must go here too.
The pull-out ledge is a bonus feature that I thought my girls would appreciate. In fact they like to pull the whole shelf out and use the hard surface for writing while in bed. You could easily attach a small rope at the back edge of the ledge then attach the other end to the back of the carcass for safety in order to keep the ledge from pulling all the way out.
It’s also worth noting I cut the pull out ledge against the grain which causes the ledge to bow ever so slightly. I did this on purpose to allow for some give when you go to pull out the ledge. Also DO NOT PAINT the underside of the ledge so the plywood can run freely against the shelf.
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The drawer is enormous and deep and I actually might regret that because my girls will just fill it up with junk but at least I won’t have to see the junk! I highly recommend the slow close drawer glides, they can definitely handle the weight of a drawer full of odds and ends.
I love the open bottom shelf which allows the light from the floor windows to come through and it’s the perfect spot for a basket. The maximum basket size is 25″w x 20″l x 10″h, I found the basket above at Homegoods and it fits just right.
This is definitely a heavy, solid nightstand built with an entire sheet of 3/4″ plywood in the design. The wall sconces are IKEA Arstid wall sconce
spray painted Rust-Oleum berry pink gloss
. There really isn’t much space for lamps with the ceiling eaves plus the sconces are better for nighttime reading which my girls love.
spray painted Rust-Oleum berry pink gloss. There really isn’t much space for lamps with the ceiling eaves plus the sconces are better for nighttime reading which my girls love.
Below are step by step instructions to build a nightstand with a pull-out ledge. Always follow all safety precautions when using power tools and read through all the steps prior to beginning.
Supplies:
- 1 – sheet ¾” plywood
- 3 – 2x2x8 boards
- 1 – 1x2x6 pine board
- 1 – 1x8x8 pine board
- 1 – 1x10x6 pine board
- 1 – ¼” plywood handy panel
- 6’ – 1 3/8” x ¼” flat molding
- 1 – set 18″ soft close drawer glides
- 1 1/4″ pocket hole screws
- 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws
- 1 1/4″ wood screws
- 3/4″ wood screws
- 1 ¼” & ¾” finish nails
- wood glue
Step 1: Attach the undertop to top using wood glue and countersunk 1 ¼” wood screws. Keep ¾” inset on front and sides and ¼” inset
at back.
at back.
Step 2: Taper bottom of legs as per sketch. Use a miter saw or jigsaw. Also predrill pocket holes at top. Make 4.
Step 3: Attach legs to undertop at corners using wood glue and 2 ½” pocket hole screws. Keep pocket holes towards back and consider plugging front leg pocket holes before continuing to next step.
Step 4: Attach sides to legs flush to interior using wood glue and 1 ¼” pocket hole screws. I used tongue and groove beadboard pieces here cut to fit but regular 3/4″ plywood works too.
Step 5: Attach side trim to exterior of sides using wood glue and secure from interior with countersunk 1 ¼” wood screws.
Step 6: Attach pull out shelf support to sides using wood glue and 1 ¼” pocket hole screws. Keep a 1” gap for pull out tray space. I recommend using a scrap 3/4″ plywood piece plus a scrap 1/4″ plywood piece in between to give the correct spacing then slide them out once the shelf support is attached.
Step 7: Attach drawer shelf flush to sides using wood glue and 1 ¼” pocket hole screws.
Step 8: Make bottom shelf. Attach trim flush to shelf top using wood glue and 1 ¼” pocket hole screws. Be sure to predrill pocket holes in ends of trim pieces prior to assembly.
Step 9: Attach bottom shelf to legs using wood glue and 2 ½” pocket hole screws.
Step 10: Make drawer carcass. Attach front and back to sides using wood glue and 1 ¼” pocket hole screws.
Step 11: Attach drawer base using wood glue and countersunk ¾” wood screws.
Step 12: Make drawer front. Cut trim to fit and attach using wood glue and ¾” finish nails.
Step 13: Install drawer glides
on drawer body and interior of carcass.
on drawer body and interior of carcass.
Step 14: Attach drawer front to drawer body using wood glue and 1 ¼” finish nails from front. Keep 1/8” spacing on all sides then secure from interior using countersunk 1 ¼” wood screws.
The pull-out ledge should slide into place. For safety consider attaching rope to back of pull-out ledge and again to back of carcass.
Step 15: Attach backing using wood glue and ¾” finish nails.
Sand well and finish as desired. I used oil based primer plus two coats of semi-gloss white.
I installed a knob on the pull out tray by super gluing the screw that came in the packing into the knob. Then I cut off the screw head, predrilled a hole in the ledge and screwed the knob in place. The drawer hardware pulls are from Restoration Hardware, 4″ Aubrey pulls in polished chrome.
This grainy pic above shows the beadboard side detail best but you could easily use plywood instead, I just had the beadboard scraps on hand so I used them.
Enjoy!
SHOP THIS PROJECT:
Beautiful, Jaime! Love the pull out ledge!
You are ahhhhhmazing! This design is brilliant! They look so good! Well done! I hope you have a great day!
Smiles!
Terry
Wow!!! These are fantastic! I'm in a tiny home and always looking for furniture that can do double duty…these fit the bill! Thanks for the plans!
Wow Jamie these are stunning!! I have a question about finishing… Did you use edge banding around the top before you painted? Or did you fill with wood filler? It looks so flawless in your picture at step 15 before you painted.
@HoppingAlong yes there is edge banding applied to all visible plywood cut edges. It's a lot of edge banding (3 rolls!) but worth it.
The pull-out shelves are my favorite parts! Such a great added touch.
Wow Jaime! These are just beautiful! The pics and plans are awesome too. Thanks for sharing! I found you on Pinterest.
Thanks Camille, my girls love having them bedside their beds. So functional and pretty too.
AMAZING! How much did the project cost?
Thanks Nelly, I don’t have exact numbers on the cost since lumber varies greatly depending on where you are located.