Decorating A Sideboard In Dining Room

Styling Secrets for Beautiful Buffets and Sumptuous Sideboards

Keep these timeless pieces fresh and relevant with art, flowers and well-thought-out accessories

Melisa LaBancz-Bleasdale

July 11, 2016

Award-winning interior designer, Houzz contributing writer, technologist and proud mother of an amazing daughter. A 25-year career in security technology led to frequent travel that further inspired and solidified a deep love of design and things with soul. My goal is to create calm, beautiful and safe environments that allow people to take a break from every day stress and focus on their happiness.

Whether you call it a buffet or a sideboard, few pieces of furniture are as timeless and versatile at providing extra storage, serving space and display surface. Being long and somewhat lean, they're great additions to any room and offer a perfect opportunity for self-expression through curated and varied vignettes. Here's how to decorate a buffet.

The buffet, which dates back to the 16th century, is one of my favorite pieces of furniture to incorporate into a client's home. That's because it offers so many uses and has great form.

Acting as a storage space or sofa table, an ad hoc bar or bookshelf, or a place for fancy dishes and extra linens, the buffet is a multiuse wonder that offers the perfect opportunity for seasonal displays, curated collections or mixed drinks and pre-dinner snacks.

Installed in a dining space, a buffet is generally used for setting out serving platters, bottles of wine or extra dishes during large meals. When it's off-duty, it stands ready to add to the ambiance and showcase your favorite things.

Like all things in design, there really aren't any rules that can't be broken; however, time-honored styling tips can help you pull things together to create a look you'll love.

Traditional styling suggests a pair of elegant buffet lamps — purposefully tall and thin and providing low light to showcase the food — flanking a central object set in front of a piece of art or a large-scale mirror.

The look is simple and sophisticated and easily updated with the changing seasons. Swap out a tall vase of summertime flowers with a sterling silver ice bucket filled with fall gourds. Try changing plain linen lampshades for ones with pattern during the holidays and for spring, and add a beautiful bowl of forced paperwhites or hyacinth sitting on a bed of moss.

Low-slung and wide, a buffet provides a perfect display surface. A more relaxed take on styling might include large-scale art propped against the wall, a backdrop for an eclectic display of books, fruit, flowers and well-loved pieces.

For special occasions, a grouping of candles or a selection of lovely desserts on simple white cake plates could be used.

A buffet used in a living or family room is usually referred to as a sideboard, but it's essentially the same thing, also providing ample opportunity for expression.

If your taste leans toward modern, such as this white lacquered sideboard, try mixing things up by pairing more traditional elements (the pair of lamps) with an array of eclectic accessories and an unexpected statement piece (like the driftwood mirror). Avoiding a matchy-matchy look keeps the styling interesting and creates a fresher, more youthful point of view.

Getting downright whimsical, you might want less on the display surface and more on the wall above your piece. This collection of framed butterflies mixed with vintage mirrors and smaller portraits creates a curiosity-shop-style gallery, with the white sideboard acting as punctuation rather than the focal point.

A sideboard in the living room provides storage for everything from toys and board games to books and peripheral electronics.

Used behind a sofa, its top can hold a reading lamp, family photos, art books or fresh flowers.

The buffet-sideboard is the perfect spot for an impromptu minibar, with glasses and extra bottles stored below. This bold cabana bar sets the stage for a relaxing afternoon and summer evening and would be a great addition to a screened-in porch, sunroom or converted basement.

In an entry, the top of a buffet is handy for corralling the things we leave when we come in — and those we need when we're trying to get out the door. Try adding a central docking station for your phone and iPod next to a pretty bowl or box to hold keys and loose change.

Hang a mirror above the buffet for last-minute primping, or a row of hooks to hold scarves, umbrellas and the dog's leash. Leave a place for incoming and outgoing mail and a stash of catalogues, or add a few photos that always make you smile. To get the most of what a buffet offers, use the underneath to store extra shoes, pet toys, reusable shopping totes or rain gear.

Floating buffets add a sense of modern luxury. Placed higher on the wall than one that is free-standing, they are pieces of art in themselves. Minimal styling is needed to bring out the beauty in the buffet pictured here. A collection of thin candle holders and an arcing branch keep it from feeling sterile while letting the furniture be the star.

For smaller objects, displaying them together on a tray or platter makes the grouping feel cohesive and less like clutter. A small vase of flowers paired with a few tiny vessels on a timeworn tray makes a romantic vignette that's easily changed with your mood. Adding a taller piece on the opposite side, such as a vase, keeps the look balanced but leaves plenty of breathing room.

Besides being multipurpose, a buffet is also adept at filling those odd spaces few other pieces of furniture can handle. A long, empty wall calls for something with more visual weight and presence, and a buffet fits the bill. Whether your style is casual or contemporary, there really are few limits when it comes to decorating a buffet. Both beautiful and functional, it's a must-have piece for nearly every home.

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