I actually started writing this post a couple of months ago and then shelved it for reasons I can’t explain. My original inspiration came from a fun annual tradition at the architecture firm where I used to work. As part of the office holiday party, we in the marketing department would hold a contest for employees. One year, we asked everyone to submit photos of their closets which we printed out and pasted onto a board. Then at the party, everyone would fill out ballots and try to match each closet with its rightful owner.

That got me thinking: does a closet truly reveal a person’s identity? Her aspirations? Her character? 

My closet laid bare.

How about a night stand? Does it offer a better window into the sleeper’s soul?

Fast forward to yesterday morning when, lo’ and behold, what did I see in the New York Times? A long article called The Bedside Battleground about how “new electronics, sleep devices and meds” are making “the landscape of the bedside table…ever more complex.” In short, how do you keep all those phones, tablets, chargers, books, bottles of Viagra and Ambien, and all sorts of other “electronica and nostalgia” organized on a small-footprint, drawer-free modern pedestal table?

For the intimate stuff, experts suggest “closed storage”–everything from decorative boxes to skirted tables to makeshift drawers. I haven’t yet figured out the right concealment technique so here’s my slightly-edited night stand (hey, there’s something to be said for retaining a little mystery!):

Clockwise from left:

• A photo of my mom and me in a Tiffany frame
• ORGEL table lamp from IKEA
• iPad with pink cover
• My current book
• iPhone 5 (a.k.a. the alarm clock)
• Small purple tray from Korea
• Kiehl’s #1 Lip Balm
• Glysomed hand cream
• Angel santon from France

The LINDVED table from IKEA also has a handy lower shelf to hold magazines and more books.

Underneath it all.

According to social scientists, “bedrooms are honest spaces because they are private…Your real self can be found on that night stand.” Aha!

Well, I’ve shown you mine. Will you show me yours?