There’s nothing plainer than an undecorated tabletop in your home. When it comes to decorating a sideboard, you might need some suggestions on how best to style this larger piece of furniture. We’ve researched what others are doing, and are sure that these ideas will inspire you!
There are a number of ways you could choose to decorate your sideboard. We found the following approaches to be fun and popular amongst homeowners.
- Floral arrangements
- Decorate the sideboard for the season
- Consider tabletop wine displays
- In a living room, decorate the sideboard with artful decor
Now that we have some solid decorating tips for your sideboard, we’ll look more in detail at each one. You might also be wondering if your sideboard should match your dining room table or if a sideboard could be used in the bedroom as a dresser. To find out the answers to these questions and more, read ahead in this post to see what we’ve discovered.
Popular Decorating Tips For Any Sideboard
Floral arrangements
Artfully arranging live or faux flowers on your sideboard will help bring your dining room to life. And if flowers just aren’t your thing, consider potted plants. They look great in any room of the house and will even improve the indoor air quality.
For those wanting potted plants, we found this set of small pots. These could be arranged in a number of fun ways on any tabletop.
To view this item on Amazon, click here.
Decorate the sideboard for the season
No matter the time of year, you will be able to find a season or holiday theme to style your sideboard. In this photo, we see a Christmas-themed sideboard.
Consider tabletop wine displays
This homeowner is a wine drinker and has utilized the top of the sideboard for a place to store wine bottles and glasses. This piece we’ve featured holds one bottle and six glasses. Centered on the top, it would look great in any dining room.
To view this item on Amazon, click here.
In the living room, decorate the sideboard with artful decor
Here we see that the sideboard has been moved into the living room of the home. The homeowner has placed several decorative objects on the top of their sideboard and arranged them masterfully. Larger, framed prints are propped in the back, set behind smaller sculptures.
What is the difference between a sideboard and a buffet?
It may surprise some of you to know that a sideboard and a buffet are different names for the same piece of furniture. When a sideboard is placed in a dining room or an eat-in kitchen, it is referred to as a buffet. Whenever this same piece is arranged in any other room in the home, it’s called a sideboard.
Should a sideboard match a dining table?
If your dinette set did not come with a matching sideboard, you’re not alone. Most sets do not include one. So if you’re shopping for a sideboard now, you might be wondering if you should pick one that matches the dining room table.
Before you scour every single furniture store and antique mall looking for an exact matching piece, you should know that matching them isn’t really that important. This piece sets against the dining room wall or might even be set in an adjoining kitchen. The most important pieces to match in your dining room are the table and chairs. Hutches, china cabinets, and sideboards are their own pieces, and it’s ok if they stand out visually.
Sometimes, a person will repurpose the buffet sideboard into another room in the home. If it’s placed in the living room, it will definitely not matter if it matches any piece of furniture in the dining room or kitchen.
The most important thing is to make sure that your sideboard is at least several inches taller than your dining room table. The height difference will lend more uniformity to the room. Typically, a sideboard will be about 36 inches tall, while most dining room tables sit at 30 inches high.
How much space should be between sideboard and table?
Proper spacing between larger pieces of furniture is important in any room of your home. The dining room is no exception to this rule, as it is one of the most trafficked rooms in the house.
You’ll want to maintain a minimum distance of 24 inches between your sideboard and your dining room table. For safety reasons, keeping this distance is very important. Having these two pieces of furniture any closer than this might result in people bumping into each other as they try to maneuver around it, or someone bumping into someone at the sideboard as they are leaving a dining room chair that is too close to the sideboard.
Spacing your furniture pieces apart will also allow for the flow of the room to be maximized. If you have a large meal or a gathering, you’ll be better off with these pieces of furniture spaced far enough apart to allow people to utilize both without feeling crowded or cramped.
![A blue wooden sideboard with a withered palm plant on the side, How To Decorate A Sideboard [4 Great Suggestions]](https://homedecorbliss.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/A-blue-wooden-sideboard-with-a-withered-palm-plant-on-the-side-1024x683.jpg)
Can you use a sideboard as a dresser?
If your bedroom has the available space for one, you might be considering using a sideboard as a dresser. This is definitely a workable idea, depending on the design of the sideboard that you are considering.
Some sideboards are built to have all drawers below the tabletop. This design is the most ideal if you are thinking about repurposing your sideboard as a dresser. The depth of most sideboards is more than 16 inches, making them hold the perfect sized drawers for clothing. And since the average sideboard is nearly 60 inches long, you’re sure to have a good number of drawers to hold your wardrobe.
You’ll want to think carefully about getting a sideboard designed to have mostly shelving below the tabletop. While this would work great in a kitchen or living room, it might not be the most convenient way to keep your clothing.
In Closing
Sideboards have been institutional pieces in homes for centuries. Their multi-use designs have kept their popularity strong, and the variety of designs over the years ensure that you will be able to find one to suit your decorating tastes. Whether you use one in the traditional sense or repurpose it in a different room in your home, a well-built sideboard will be a piece that your family will enjoy for years to come.