Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Your Bedside Table Has Too Many Gadgets And Sex Toys, Says The NY Times
By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 14, 2013
Modified Mar 14, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 14, 2013
Modified Mar 14, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
For the "NY Time Is On It" files: Your nightstand is becoming too cluttered! Why? Well, people like to buy and use lots of junk, like smartphones and vibrators.
Here's what the Times says it found on the Ikea night stands belonging to a visiting scientist at MIT's Media Lab and his wife: "A Zeo sleep monitor; a Philips Sleep light (it dims as he gets ready for shut-eye); a cordless phone; an iPhone; a Bose speaker dock that his wife uses as her phone charger; a wristwatch; and a few paperbacks." And an interior designer "keeps photographs of her husband and children there, along with her iPad, her iPad Mini and her BlackBerry (which serves as her alarm clock), each with its own charger, as well as a riot of cosmetic equipment like tweezers, cuticle clippers and a magnifying mirror. All that, plus her eyeglasses and a stack of books, sits in a jumble on a silver tray." Does no one keep a Camelbak of water handy to stay hydrated?!?
Another man interviewed demanded, "Are we going to talk about the sex toys?"—"For examples of a few of the items stored in his night stand, he directed this reporter to Good Vibrations, an online emporium with a dizzying array of wares, including a collection of hot-pink silicone vibrators that looked as if they might have been produced by Alessi."
Apparently decorators don't like night stands with drawers (too declasse, we suppose), but for those bold enough to spend $499, you can get Blu-Dot's Modu-licious night stand, which can hold six Architectural Digest issues, a box of tissues and "ten T-9 ball gags." Apparently the NY Times can't explicitly mention ball gags, so it refers to them as "multiples of a particular bondage accessory." And if you really want to turn your "clutterstand" into a night stand, here are some tips from Real Simple but, really, it should remain a place where you can hide your old diaries.
Tagged
ball gags
bed side table
gadgets
home decor
night stand
night table
smartphones
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
Thanks to Dua Lipa, Kim Kardashian, Timothée Chalamet and more, the rideshare program is having a moment.
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Published Oct 8, 2026 at 11:10 a.m. ET
Is the NYC’s hottest attraction the free observation deck at 1 Centre Street?
If you're playing tourist in your own town, this is an in-demand option.
By
James Ramsay
Arts & Entertainment
Is the NYC’s hottest attraction the free observation deck at 1 Centre Street?
If you're playing tourist in your own town, this is an in-demand option.
By
James Ramsay
What happens when NYC kids take lessons in rock music? Really good bands.
By
Jayson Greene
Inside a photographer's journey to visit every neighborhood in New York City
By
Sonia Rao
Banned books and Winnie the Pooh: October in NYC libraries
By
Alec Hamilton
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .