If you don't think the current mattress looks too low now, you won't if you get a thin boxspring for the new mattress.

29" high is dining table height. I personally think this high mattress thing has gotten out of hand.

The problem with a mattress higher than the side tables besides esthetics can be function. If you knock the pillow off when you sleep, or a book etc. It will knock things off the nightstand. So much for the glass of water next to the bed...

And if you are very nearsighted, you won't be able to read your clock easily.

And sometimes finding nightstands that are high enough can be a problem.

As Palimpsest says, 29" to 30" is dining table height. Take a good look at your table and imagine getting up onto it every night to get into bed. For very petite people, the newer, thicker mattresses can be a real problem.

If the lower profile boxspring is an option, I'd say go for it. Find out how high it is, add that to the thickness of the mattress and how high off the floor the boxspring will be. Then go and measure that against your existing furniture.

I do have the option to order the low profile boxspring. I think I might have to do that.

If you planned for a dust ruffle, remember that the lower box spring makes the standard dust ruffles too long. Not an issue if you're not planning on using one.

I'm so glad to see other people's opinions on this! We bought a new bed a year or two ago, and both of us thought with the mattress and boxspring on the frame, it was way too high. We didn't want to return the set (after the long and painful search) so we just took it off the frame, and the boxspring sits on the floor.

It's tacky, and now we don't have any storage under the bed, and I'm sure it's not great for the boxspring, but it's better than falling out of bed, or feeling like you have to climb into bed at night.

Why are they made this way? My guess is that the quality of the innards aren't nearly what they used to be, so they add all of this plush fluffy stuff on top to make it seem more luxurious. Years ago, a mattress and box spring would last for many years, and still be comfortable. Now, I'd say the average lifespan is a few years before they start to sag and lump.

I just got a new set, and it's high, but I've got a Parson's style table just the right height. I can store stuff underneath, and I had a bedskirt made. I have 12 foot ceilings, so it doesn't look too out of place.

Well, 29" off the ground sounds just about perfect to me. I think it really depends on the size of your room and the ceiling height. I just measured my bed and can tell you that the top is 31" from the floor. I'm not tall either (5'1") so you might think that'd be a problem...not so. No bending to get in and no struggle to get out.

As for nighstands, you might want to consider taller ones. I use a small chest of drawers for my n/s. Lemme tell ya, it's a lot more practical! Because it has 3 drawers, it holds a ton of stuff that would otherwise be jammed into my other storage pieces. There are photos on RMS if you'd like to see how it looks.

What are the dimensions of your room? What is your ceiling height? There are really loads of options for nightstands. Don't feel you have to limit your search to furniture that has "nightstand" written on the tag :)

Here is a link that might be useful: My bedroom on Rate My Space