How to choose the best-sized sideboard for a dining room

What is the use of sideboards?

These are flat-topped pieces of furniture with drawers and cupboards to store and display table linen, crockery, serving dishes, cutlery and glasses. Sideboards or buffet are traditionally used in the dining room to lay out the food on serving dishes before presenting it on the table. When the surface is not being used for laying out the food on serving dishes they also display decorative accents.

Sideboards come in various shapes, sizes and styles. You could take your pick from the era and type according to the décor of your home. They can be large grand ornate pieces from the Victorian era or zen-like with the minimalistic shape. You could also a choose a mid-century modern piece; you can pick from endless options.

How to choose sideboards for your home

 

According to their styles - sideboards can be classic Georgian, Shekhawati, French country, or urban contemporary. You could also use a chest of drawers or a console table that goes well with the rest of the decor and serves your purpose.

 

Space required - besides the style keep the amount and kind of storage required. You would require compartments to store the silverware, the linen, the delicate china and silver dishes, etc.

 

Closed versus open storage - there are benefits of having open sideboards and closed ones. If you opt for closed sideboards you don’t have to work maintaining a neat and artful display. While open sideboards are glassed in spaces where you can show off your heirlooms and artistic pieces.

 

In both the cases, you can place a lock on your wares. If you opt for a sideboard that does not have glass doors then there may be an issue of regular dusting, possible breakage and stealing of the precious pieces of dining ware.

 

Size - usually dining room furniture is sold as sets thus you would choose the dining table, the chairs and sideboard in matching sizes. But you could go in for an eclectic mix of furniture. Sideboards come in three sizes - large medium and small. To decide which one is for you consider the size of your dining room.

 

If it is a setup for four people, then a small sideboard is the right choice. If your dining table is a six-seater then get yourself a medium sideboard, while and eight-seater would be served well by a large sideboard. The size may also be decided by the number of items you are going to store on the sideboard.

 

Sideboards should be higher than the dining table. Ideally, they are 36 inches high. Make sure the height. Width and depth of the table and sideboard match and balance each other.

 

Functionality - but of course the size may also vary according to the size of your household. Some households use the sideboards to store other things such as lighters, cigarettes, cookery books etc. While others add decorative accents to the flat surface to add life and character to the room.

The strength of the wood - silverware, cutlery, crockery, China and other metal ware is heavy, you need a sturdy wood or base to carry their weight. You could opt for teak, sissoo, satinwood, sal, rosewood, pine, mulberry and mahogany wood. The shelves can be reinforced with metal strips for additional support to ensure that your precious heirlooms are kept safe. These woods lend great longevity to the sideboards as they tolerate the wear and tear for decades.

 

Colour of the wood - you can opt for Dakota mango wood if you are looking for something darker than rosewood. If you prefer something in lighter shades of the wood, then you could opt for acacia wood sideboards.

 

Two instead of one - some people buy two sideboards to flank the two sides of the dining table. They arrange them along the opposite walls to balance the room. This also affords them more storage space.

 

In conclusion,

Think out of the box and find varied uses of sideboards. They can serve as a workspace for work from home people. You can dedicate storage space to your tools of the trade and use the top as a workspace. After you are done, just slide the tools and devices back into their designated spaces. The piece of furniture that served as the workspace during the day can serve as lounge space after work. Sideboards keep the clutter out of sight yet just opening the doors can offer easy access to the tots to their toys and gaming devices. Add this useful piece of furniture to your collection today!