I recently redid our bedroom and also started with a dark wood bed. It turned out to be much higher than our original bed and we found that most bedside tables were too low for it. We matched the wood color and ended up buying 2 small chest of drawers which are the same height but slightly different widths and styles. They are higher than the nightstands which makes them much more comfortable to use and the drawer space allowed us to get rid of a dresser that had been taking up too much room.

I think the fact that they are the same height keeps them looking unified and not just like odds and ends.

I'm from the school where things don't have to match if you like that look, usually known as eclectic. I have a four-poster rice bed, and two different night stands, one being slightly higher than the other, but matching lamps. They're close to the same stain color, though different than the bed. I also have a large armoire, close to the stain color of the bed. Matter of fact, the only things I have that do match are a pair of leopard print slipper chairs in the great room.

I would get matching. Your cherry bed is probably traditional, so nothing wrong with styling it traditionally. Lamps will look better matched on those nightstands imo. I think it takes real skill to chose unmatched nightstands that work together, so why put yourself through that just because a blog or magazine says you should?

I like eclectic. I think mismatched side tables are great so long as they're in the same line. So, like in this pic, the side table are both beachy rustic, so they go well together while being different.

I think that, if you have matched side tables that don't match the bed, it might look like leftover furniture.

It might be considered a 'visual skill', but if it appeals to you, why not? I don't feel you need to be and interior designer/decorator to 'pull it off'.

I like the serenity of matching nightstands and lamps, but an unmatched bed.

If your bed is massive enough, look for small chests as night stands , the drawers can hold a lot and it gives you a good surface for your stuff, clock, lamp etc...

I think any of the options you mentioned will work. Personally, I don't like all of my furniture to match, but I have friends who wouldn't have it any other way. I like my bedside tables to have storage and a large surface area, so I think the idea of using chests with drawers, desks or two tier tables would work very well if you have the space for them.

Here are matching nightstands in contrasting wood, which might work if you can't find a finish that matches your bed (I know these are too light and airy, but just to show another option):

[Contemporary Bedroom[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-bedroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_715~s_2103) by San Francisco Home Stagers studio D

I think I'd prefer either matching nightstands that contrast with the bed, or non-matching (shape) nightstands that are the same finish as the bed, just to keep from it looking like they are all leftovers.

Or if you do pieces that are SO different that it looks deliberate and then use the matching lamps to pull it together:

I really prefer mine to match, but clearly either direction can be correct depending upon your taste. :)

I really like matching nightstands with a bed that does not match. And I am a very eclectic style person. After trying all different arrangements with my own bedroom furniture, I have finally decided that I do like matching in our master. Guest rooms in my house do have unmatched nightstands however.

I have "pieces that are SO different that it looks deliberate and then use the matching lamps to pull.. together...."

My sister who is a designer/decorator of high price clients told me not to do the matchy-matchy thing. She said it looked like I had been to a fire sale. I will never forget that (back in the 1980s). She is wont to change her mind about things like that, from time to time. I must ask her if she still feels that way. Bet she doesn't.

Oh, thank you all so much! I love the idea of small chest of drawers! I never would have thought of that. And also having two matching lamps, I think, does really help pull everything together. The lamps really seem to be the key.

I do like symmetry. It makes me feel calmer somehow.

I don't think I will be able to match the bed perfectly, but I am going to try to get something in a color close to the wood. And I will get 2 nightstands or chests that match each other and two new matching lamps.

I am so bad at this. I can look at a picture and know I like it, but I can never really pinpoint what about it makes it work. Likewise, I can look at a picture that I don't like, and again, I cannot figure out why. But looking at the pics posted above, and after searching on Houzz all weekend, it seems the ones that really appeal to me visually are the ones that have matching stands and matching lamps, but not necessarily a matching bed - but the bed color is in the same family (not drastically different like dark and light).

Glad to know matching is not out of style, after all! Again, thank you for all your advice! Now, to find something nice in my price range... :-/

Do not forget to think about FUNCTION. Nightstands that look pretty (matching or not) but don't have the space for your glasses, tissues, books, lamp, etc., are pretty worthless imo.

Make sure you know how much surface space you need, whether you want drawers or shelves, and how high they need to be (usually the same height as the bed).

I have to agree with Violet. There is nothing worse than getting out of a warm and cozy bed to go get something that you normally would keep next the bed.

Don't forget about including functionality.