Have a Seat (But Not To Sit On)

Nearly everyone I know has a JOKKMOKK dining set from IKEA (as well as an EXPEDIT bookshelf, but that's not a part of our post today). I had one, Vanessa has one, Brian has one, Elena had one before she moved to China, Dave has one... I'm not talking smack about it, no way. It's an awesome set: a table and four chairs with a medium wood finish for a very reasonable price. The only reason I got rid of mine was because I inherited an antique table instead. I love you IKEA, but blood is thicker than an allen wrench. (In this metaphor, anyway.)

But I just couldn't get rid of one of the chairs. It's such a USEFUL chair! Solid wood, very sturdy. I kept it and used it in the closet area of my old studio to throw clothes onto that I didn't feel like folding. Of course I also used it as extra seating when I needed it, and I pulled it out every time I needed a stepstool. Even upon moving to my one bedroom, I still certainly couldn't get rid of it! This time, I got to try a configuration I've loved in magazine pictures: chair as nightstand.

My current favorite bag, my favorite shawl, and my favorite JOKKMOKK chair

Chair-as-nightstand has such a carefree and shabby chic vibe to it. It's less formal and more haphazard, almost romantic. If I were into Twilight, I could imagine that creepy fucker Edward sitting in it and watching me sleep. Er... nevermind. Ew.

Having a chair double as a nightstand is ideal in a TAA for a few reasons. First, a single chair can be bought for next-to-nothing on Craigslist or at a thrift shop, and though nightstands come in varying widths, most chairs are fairly narrow and should fit in even small spaces. But the reason I like using them is because anything that pulls double duty saves space. Your chair can hold your books and alarm clock until you need it to seat an extra guest at the dinner table, or until you need to reach something on the top cabinet shelf. You get multiple uses out of it, all depending on where you choose to drag it.

From Aesthetic Outburst

From Domino via This Is Glamorous

From Apartment Therapy

Now, how to put this delicately? Oftentimes a lady (or gentleman, I don't judge) will have a few personal items she needs to keep tucked away in her nightstand drawer. (Or if you're my friend Queerie Bradshaw [uh, NSFW], a single drawer will not suffice!) So how to get the look of a chair-as-nighstand while keeping your private items private? Simple! A chair with a drawer!

Apartment Therapy: San Francisco has a great roundup of chairs with drawers already built in. But if you're a DIYer, you can follow Kate Pruitt's how-to on Design*Sponge here. Her end result is fab!

So what say you? Do you like chairs as nightstands, or should I make like Potsie and "sit on it?" (I am WAY too young for that joke.) Feedback is always welcome in the comments. And don't forget, you can always email me at tinyassapartment (at) gmail (dot) com, become a fan on Facebook here (actually, I think you can only "like" me now, but it's the same thing), or follow me on Twitter.