Sideboards, Servers & Buffet Cabinets
How to Choose a Sideboard
Whether holding food, tucking away kitchen gadgets, or displaying fine china, sideboards are a stylish, functional addition to any home. Also called buffets, servers, or credenzas, these long, low storage cabinets typically sit against the wall in dining rooms and kitchens. Sideboards are the host's best friend, easily providing space for serving dishes or extra drawers when kitchen cabinets aren't enough. Picking the right sideboard is all about considering your space, storage needs, and decorating style.
Size Restraints & Budget
Sideboards are budget-friendly alternatives to more expensive and bulky china cabinets. They can instantly pull a dining room together, but only when they are the right size for the space. Although sideboards come in many shapes, most have between two and five rows of drawers, shelves, or cupboards. With each added feature, they tend to be larger and have a heftier price tag.
For long rooms with plenty of open space, a large sideboard can create a cozy, coordinated atmosphere. To avoid crowding small spaces, a piece with only two rows of drawers may be perfect to fill a niche or provide a little extra table room. Try to leave a few feet between the table and the sideboard, especially if it has doors that open outwards. In tight areas, a piece with sliding doors or open shelves may have more placement options.
Choosing a Style
To pick a sideboard that looks custom-made for your room, consider your home's overall style. While not all pieces in a room need to match perfectly, they should fit within the same design type. For example, the curved lines and ornate details of a French country sideboard would look out of place next to the straight lines and simple charm of a mission-style dining table. If storage is a priority, choose a piece with wood, metal, or mirrored drawers. Open shelves, wine racks, and glass doors are great features to put wine and decorations on display.
Style options also include:
Selecting a Color
A sideboard doesn't have to be the same shade as the dining table or kitchen cabinets. While wood tones will always be popular and elegant choices, a sideboard can also be a great place to bring in one of the room's accent colors. Because it is a smaller piece of furniture, sideboards can safely handle bolder colors like black, blue, gray, red and white without overwhelming the eye.
Choosing Materials
The price and durability of sideboards vary based on their materials. High-quality pieces are often made of solid hardwoods like oak, walnut, and pine. More affordable sideboards may have composite wood cores with veneers glued on top. These materials are lighter than solid wood, but also less durable. While wood surfaces can be refinished to remove scratches and water rings, damage to veneers cannot be repaired easily. For those planning to use their sideboards for hot dishes, materials like tile and tempered glass won't require trays or trivets under plates.