6 Australian creatives share their bedside table must-haves

Sleeping sanctuary.

You can tell a lot about someone by the state of their bedside table. A cluttered brain equals a cluttered bedside table. On my frazzled days, it’s hard to even see the table – mess piles up and multiple mugs sit there in shame. On my better days, I’ll try to have fresh flowers, a neat pile of essentials and a lit candle or incense.

Sleep hygiene is all-encompassing. Screen time and supplements like Swisse Beauty’s Multivitamin Beauty Complex have the ability to affect our quality of sleep, as does our sleeping environment.

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In the sanctuary of our sleeping quarters, what we choose to surround ourselves with matters. That’s why I asked six Australian creatives to share what’s currently sitting atop their bedside tables.

Sabina McKenna, she/her, writer, model and curator

Items on my bedside table are [in] constant rotation! I usually have a book of some sort though and at the moment that is a stack of zines – some I bought in New York last year and a few more I have collected over the years.

My favourite is called Brooklyn to Mars by Markus Almond who is a writer and has been making this zine for several years. I found it first in 2017 when I was living in Brooklyn and have collected an edition most times I’ve gone back since then! I love that you never know what to expect from zines and how DIY they are despite being sold in everyday bookstores.

I also always have a big bottle of body cream by my bed as this is a must right after every shower. At the moment it’s Grown Alchemist’s Body Cream. Having a solid night routine really helps me have better sleep and switch off. So I also have a nice room spray on my bedside table that I spritz before listening to a sleep podcast. Chef’s kiss!

@art_workr

Lauren Burns, she/her, digital content creator

My bedside table (like everything else in my life) is extremely minimal. Clutter makes me feel anxious and overwhelmed, so from a distance my bedside solely features the Marloe Marloe’s Lully vase.

Tucked away neatly inside of it, however, contains my lip balm and engagement ring – two things I put on every morning and keep close to me every night. I often bring a glass of water to bed with me and sometimes a candle or two for extra cosy vibes. But otherwise, this remains it!

@laurennburns

Julia Sansone, she/they, photographer and content producer

I need to have my Loop Earplugs, it’s noisy where I live so they help me get to sleep. They’re so comfy and soft, I have the Quiet ones. I also use This Works Deep Sleep [Pillow Spray] – it’s a lovely lavender smell and so nice to spray on my pillows and put on my temples before I sleep.

You’ll find the Figr Fluid Mini [lube] there too. The packaging is so cute and I love having the 20ml version on my bedside table. Lastly, a cute trinket tray to store all of my mini items so they don’t disappear into the ether. It’s fun to thrift a little bowl or cup and change it out [occasionally]. Functional and fun!

@sansberry

Lolita Olympia, she/her, content creator and ceramicist

On my bedside table, you’ll find a cute Lolita by Lolita trinket tray for me to put my jewellery on each night. I always have a candle, my favourite one at the moment is an orange and vanilla-scented one from Isla Candle Co. I’ll also have a lip balm, as well as a roll-on lavender essential oil (for anxiety lol).

@lolitaolympia

Kaylah Du Cane, she/her, environmental educator

My three bedside table must-haves right now (pregnancy edition) are a good quality lavender oil in the diffuser, my salt lamp and my favourite book at the moment, which is The Complete Australian Guide to Pregnancy and Birth by Sophie Walker and Jodi Wilson.

@environmentaleducation__

Hayley Marlow, she/her, designer

I’m always changing up my bedside table setup, but at the moment it’s home to my bedtime essentials along with books I’ve got on the go. (Sometimes that stack gets reeeaaal high!)

I always have my wireless charger on my bedside table. I’m someone who often dozes off while scrolling, which means I end up clumsily putting my phone on charge at 4am after I find it wedged under my pillows.

It’s so easy to pop it on the wireless charger when I’m basically asleep, eyes still closed – I hear the little buzz and I know I won’t be waking up to an empty battery the next day.

I also must have a trinket bowl for my rings. I take my rings off every night before I sleep and feel happy knowing they’re in their designated spot. I get a lot of anxiety around losing things that are special to me, so having my little bowl just for my rings makes me feel much calmer.

Lastly, I have a light shaped like a snail and I love it so much. It’s quite dim and perfect to have on when you’re just relaxing in bed and feeling tired but aren’t quite ready to sleep. If you walk past my room every night at about 11pm, you’d hear “Alexa, turn snail lamp on.”

@coloursandhoney