The Small-Space Gem IKEA Needs to Bring Back (It Sells on eBay for 5x the Price!)

When I moved into my first New York City apartment 10 years ago, I was pleased to discover that neighbors in my building would often leave free unwanted items in the lobby. Over the years, I scored a few great pieces — including one classic piece of IKEA furniture, free for the taking: the NESNA bamboo bedside table. 

Immediately, I knew this tiny table would be an amazing addition to my 7×10-foot bedroom, and I carried it upstairs without a second thought. Ever since, it’s been one of the most versatile pieces of furniture I’ve ever owned. Sadly, it’s since been discontinued in the U.S., but I think it really needs to make a comeback. Here’s why and where you can still find a table like it.

The NESNA bamboo bedside table is nearly 18 inches tall, with a 14×14-inch surface. Designed by Jon Karlsson, the table is made of durable natural bamboo coated with clear acrylic lacquer, and it’s topped with a tempered glass panel. It also features a slatted bamboo shelf about 9 inches below the glass top.

On IKEA Canada’s website, where it’s still sold, the table has an average rating of 4.6 stars based on more than a thousand reviews, in which customers note that the table is “easy to assemble” and “light to move around.”

I love the NESNA because it’s so versatile — I have put it to use in so many different ways around my home. Most often, I simply use the NESNA as a coffee table or a place to rest my laptop when I’m working from the couch. 

Whenever I’m in a crafting phase, I set my NESNA up in front of my couch as a coffee table-meets-crafting station. I store my bracelet-making, drawing, and watercolor painting supplies in a cloth basket on the NESNA’s slatted shelf, and then I use the glass surface as a workspace.

Each winter, I use the top shelf of the NESNA as a perch for my humidifier. Or, whenever a friend stays with me and sleeps on my couch, I clear off the NESNA and put it next to the sofa as a nightstand. At some point, I discovered that the lightweight table was miraculously strong enough to support a lot of weight. So right now, I have the NESNA under my desk, stacked with all of my personal file folders on the bottom shelf and all my notebooks on top.

I love this small table so much that I recently decided I simply need another one (even though it’s incredibly easy to move around). But when I went to buy it, I realized that IKEA’s NESNA is currently discontinued in the U.S., though customers in Canada can still shop the NESNA online and in stores for $19.99 CAD (though even there, it’s listed as “Now or Never,” meaning it’s not being restocked once it sells out!). 

My search to find a replacement I could actually shop brought me to secondhand sites like eBay, where you can still find it, though its rare and coveted status means it’ll run you much more than the original $20 price (like upwards of $100). This Nathan James’  Solid Wood, Rattan & Glass Top End Table looks the most similar but costs well more than the coveted IKEA NENSA. 

The most promising replacement I’ve found is this one available at Walmart. The HONEIER 2-Tier Side Table is made of engineered wood rather than bamboo and is a bit shorter and more rectangular than the perfectly square NENSA. Still, reviews say it’s sturdy and easy to assemble. It’s just $25.99, and it has that modern, light wood look I love and that essential shelf for my craft supplies, books, or whatever else I find myself needing to set down. 

I’m definitely adding the Walmart version to my cart — as well as keeping an eye out in case IKEA USA decides to restock the original NESNA.