Floating Nightstand With Drawer: Mount It at Mattress Height

Hang a floating nightstand so its top sits level with the top of your mattress, or within about 2 inches (5 cm) above or below it. Measure from the floor to the mattress top with the bedding on, fix the wall half of the French cleat into studs at the matching height, then lift the nightstand onto it. Choose drawer only or drawer and shelf by what you keep at the bed.

A floating nightstand has no legs, so you decide its height. That makes it an easy match for a low platform bed, and it leaves the floor underneath clear, which helps when the bed sits close to a door, a window or a radiator. The trade-off is that you fix it to the wall, so the height and the fixing are worth getting right the first time.

In this guide (6)

Your mattress sets the height, not a standard number

Nightstand guides quote typical heights, but your own bed decides. A low frame, a thick mattress or a topper can each move the mattress top by several inches, and the nightstand should follow it.

1. Make the bed as you sleep in it: mattress, topper and fitted sheet.
2. Measure from the floor to the top of the mattress at the edge where you get in. That is your target height for the top of the nightstand.
3. Pick level, a little higher or a little lower. Nightstand guides generally keep the top within about 2 inches of the mattress either way. If you are unsure, a top slightly above the mattress is easier to reach than one well below it.
4. Measure the back of the nightstand from its top surface down to the point where it hooks over the wall cleat. Subtract that from your target height: the result is where the top of the wall cleat goes.
5. Tape it out before you drill. Outline the nightstand on the wall with painter’s tape at that height, lie down and reach for a glass, a phone and the lamp switch. Moving tape costs nothing; moving screw holes means patching the wall.

A low bed is where floating pays off most. Our walnut low platform bed frame stands on geometric walnut legs 11.5 inches (29 cm) tall, so its mattress sits closer to the floor than on a standard frame. A floating nightstand simply goes lower to meet it; a nightstand on legs keeps the height its legs give it.

A French cleat holds the nightstand; the wall has to hold the cleat

All four of our floating nightstands hang on a French cleat. It is a pair of strips with matching angled edges, usually cut at 45 degrees: one strip is screwed to the wall, the other sits on the back of the furniture, and you lift the piece onto the wall strip so the angles lock together and its own weight holds it in place. Because the wall strip is hidden behind the nightstand, you can place its screws where the studs are, not where the nightstand’s edges happen to fall.

The joint itself is simple. What carries the load is the fixing behind it:

• Studs first. In most US homes, wall studs are set 16 inches apart, center to center, and sometimes 24. Find them before you settle the position; sliding the nightstand an inch or two sideways so the cleat crosses a stud is usually worth it.
• Heavy-duty anchors where there is no stud. In drywall, use toggle or butterfly anchors and stay well under the weight rating on their packaging. A drawer unit is opened, loaded and bumped every night, so treat the rating as a ceiling, not a target. Small plastic plugs meant for pictures are the wrong fixing here.
• Other walls, other fixings. Plaster, brick and concrete need screws and plugs made for that material.

Mounting checklist

1. Find the studs with a stud finder and mark them lightly in pencil.
2. Check for outlets, switches and anything else in the wall where you plan to drill, and keep screws clear of them.
3. Draw the cleat line at the height you worked out and check it with a level.
4. Drill pilot holes and screw the wall cleat in place: into studs where you can, otherwise with heavy-duty anchors.
5. With a second person, lift the nightstand and lower it onto the cleat until it seats.
6. Check the top with the level, open the drawer fully, and try it with a light load before you fill it.

There is nothing to build first: our floating nightstands are delivered assembled, so mounting is the whole job. If you are not sure what is behind your wall, a handyman can find the studs and fit the cleat for you.

Drawer only or drawer and shelf: our four floating nightstands

We make four floating nightstands, and each is sold as one piece or as a set of two. Woods, finishes and storage below are taken from each product page:

In the twelve months to 10 November 2026, floating designs made up 6 of the 16 nightstand units we sold (a set of two counts as one unit): three of the walnut drawer-only piece and three of the black drawer-and-shelf piece.

Choose by what lives at your bedside:

• A lamp, a glass and a phone: a drawer-only piece keeps the front closed and the top clear for the lamp.
• A book you read every night: the open shelf above the drawer holds it without opening anything, and keeps the top free.
• Things you would rather not see: chargers, medication, glasses cases and remotes go in the drawer on either version.

Walnut is the darker, browner wood; oak is lighter and more golden. For how the two compare in color and grain, see our oak vs walnut guide; it is written for dining tables, but the color differences carry over to the bedroom.

One nightstand or a matched pair

A pair on both sides of the bed reads as one design, and every one of the four comes as a set of two. Hang a pair at the same height: work out one cleat line, then carry it across to the other side with a long level or a laser line instead of measuring up from the floor twice.

A pair also needs wall width. The headboard wall has to fit the bed plus a nightstand on each side; a floating piece saves floor space, not wall width. Our Olympic Queen size guide walks through that wall arithmetic for each bed size. For the exact width, depth and height of a nightstand, email support@upphomestore.com before you order and tape the outline on the wall.

Most of our pieces are made to order, and each product page shows its own build and delivery time. Shipping within the US is free.

The same solid wood in the bedroom as at the table

If your dining table or chairs came from us, our bedroom pieces are solid wood too. That lets you plan a bedroom as one family instead of a set of near matches: a walnut floating nightstand beside one of our solid walnut platform beds, or the oak version in a lighter room.

If you rent or would rather not fix anything to the wall, the mid-century walnut nightstand on tapered legs is solid European walnut on beech legs, with a drawer and an open shelf, sold as one or a set of two. It arrives pre-assembled; only the legs go on.

Solid wood has its own grain, knots and color, so no two walnut pieces are identical. If you are adding to a room over time, look through every photo on the product page and compare it with the wood you already have, in daylight.

Frequently asked questions

How high should a floating nightstand be?

Level with the top of your mattress, or within about 2 inches above or below it. Measure from the floor to the mattress top with the bedding on, then work out the cleat line from that.

Can a floating nightstand be mounted without studs?

Studs are the better fixing. Where the cleat can’t reach one, use heavy-duty drywall anchors such as toggles and stay well under their rated load. Small plastic plugs meant for pictures are the wrong fixing for a drawer unit.

Do your floating nightstands come assembled?

Yes. All four are delivered assembled and hang on a French cleat, so the job is fixing the wall cleat and lifting the nightstand onto it.

Can I return a floating nightstand after mounting it?

A standard piece can be returned within 30 days of delivery in the US and Canada. Once it has been opened or assembled, take it down, pack it safely and return it in like-new condition; a 15% restocking fee applies, and for a change of mind you pay the return shipping (see our refund policy). Taping the outline on the wall first is the cheapest way to avoid that.

See every wall-mounted piece in our floating nightstands collection, compare them with the walnut nightstands, or browse the rest of our solid wood bedroom furniture.

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Sizes and materials are taken from our product pages, and sales counts come from our own orders (10 November 2025 to 10 November 2026). Mounting heights and stud spacing are common planning guidelines. Photos show our own pieces. Illustrative images marked as such were generated with AI; product photographs are of our own products. This article was prepared with AI assistance.