Sideboards & Their Purposes

Storage Space

• Sideboards, or buffets, as they are interchangeably designated today, continue their historical purpose to provide storage space in the dining room. Fragile plates, cups and assorted serving pieces are hidden safely behind securely shut cabinet doors. Sliding drawers provide dust-free storage for fresh table linens, and velvety compartments protect sparkling flatware. Wicker or rattan baskets placed on bottom open shelves are attractive and useful storage spaces for candles, tea lights, napkin rings or other nonbreakable tableware.

Display Area

• Serving as a complementary piece of furniture to the dining table, the top surface of the sideboard should not be cluttered with a myriad of items. A few magnificent and unusual vases, statutes or pottery pieces can add visual interest to the room without detracting from the dining table. A small lighted Christmas tree lends a bit of seasonal holiday ambiance to the dining room decor. Artwork or a large mirror hung above the sideboard expands the display area to include the wall.

Serving Buffet

• A practical and stunning serving buffet can be arranged on a dining room sideboard, providing convenience and aesthetic appeal for dining room guests. Assorted patterns, colors and styles of serving-ware create enticing displays of aromatic dinner dishes. An after-dinner dessert and coffee buffet is a tantalizing visual treat to enjoy while dining on the main course. A soup and salad bar is a gratifying dinner party utilization of the sideboard as a food service area.

Conversation Piece

• Sideboards are no longer explicitly carved from mahogany wood. Artistically crafted from sturdy oak, inexpensive pine, traditional mahogany or a different wood type, the decor styles range from traditional to contemporary. Sideboards can be stained in a color as sophisticated and mysterious as Merlot or painted as bright and contemporary as canary yellow. Intricate and ornate detail or sleek simple lines lend to a sideboard's character and charm. Whether an antique or newly forged, a sideboard is an intriguing conversation piece.