10 Sideboard Styling Ideas to Suit Your Home
Play up your personal style by decorating your sideboard in a way that suits both it and you
Sideboards come in many styles and sizes, from a classic mid-century original to a rustic chunky beast or a contemporary designer piece, and these useful storage units are ubiquitous in our homes. But whichever look you choose, these classic pieces of furniture don’t just fulfil a practical function: the large surface space they provide makes them a substantial display area. But what to fill (or not fill) yours with? Check out these quick ideas from homes on Houzz to get some inspiration.
2. Max your mid-century style
Here, the sideboard is part of a magic trio with the mid-century chair and table, each of which is made from wood in similar tones.
The display ramps up the vintage era of the sideboard, particularly in its use of colour. The earthy accent hues used are pure 1950s/1960s and, combined with the bright-but-muted blues in the painting and recurring black, create a distinctly mid-century palette.
Check out some instantly nostalgic period-specific palettes or colour swatches online and use them to build your display.
Browse more mid-century spaces
Here, the sideboard is part of a magic trio with the mid-century chair and table, each of which is made from wood in similar tones.
The display ramps up the vintage era of the sideboard, particularly in its use of colour. The earthy accent hues used are pure 1950s/1960s and, combined with the bright-but-muted blues in the painting and recurring black, create a distinctly mid-century palette.
Check out some instantly nostalgic period-specific palettes or colour swatches online and use them to build your display.
Browse more mid-century spaces
3. Make it practical
This painted piece is positioned at the end of a dining table, and makes itself eminently useful for holding plates and glasses.
It can be tempting to put only your ‘for best’ crockery and glassware on display, but make your sideboard part of the family by using it daily, and make your everyday tableware lovely instead.
To boost the well loved furniture effect, further combine function with beauty by creating a gallery wall of artworks above your sideboard. Pay close attention to colours and frames when assembling your collection, ensuring you have some element of coherence to prevent it looking too busy.
This painted piece is positioned at the end of a dining table, and makes itself eminently useful for holding plates and glasses.
It can be tempting to put only your ‘for best’ crockery and glassware on display, but make your sideboard part of the family by using it daily, and make your everyday tableware lovely instead.
To boost the well loved furniture effect, further combine function with beauty by creating a gallery wall of artworks above your sideboard. Pay close attention to colours and frames when assembling your collection, ensuring you have some element of coherence to prevent it looking too busy.
4. Keep an eclectic collection tidy
This sturdy, rustic piece of furniture bears a packed and eclectic display. But don’t be fooled, it’s been carefully styled with an artful eye. And here, symmetry comes into play again, but in a slightly different way.
For your own busy arrangement of objets, choose something that’ll provide symmetry – a trick that will ensure your display looks pulled together rather than chaotic. In this home office, the matching table lamps either end of the sideboard do that job, allowing a free-flowing collection of treasures in between.
This sturdy, rustic piece of furniture bears a packed and eclectic display. But don’t be fooled, it’s been carefully styled with an artful eye. And here, symmetry comes into play again, but in a slightly different way.
For your own busy arrangement of objets, choose something that’ll provide symmetry – a trick that will ensure your display looks pulled together rather than chaotic. In this home office, the matching table lamps either end of the sideboard do that job, allowing a free-flowing collection of treasures in between.
5. Have a theme
A sideboard can become a helpful focal point for establishing your room’s theme in a flash. Here, you can see how vividly a coastal feel can be conjured up in a space, simply by the use of blue, white and natural rope, along with thematically selected objects.
Again, be aware of balance with your display – take care to vary heights and shapes and, as shown here, try playing with different textures too.
A sideboard can become a helpful focal point for establishing your room’s theme in a flash. Here, you can see how vividly a coastal feel can be conjured up in a space, simply by the use of blue, white and natural rope, along with thematically selected objects.
Again, be aware of balance with your display – take care to vary heights and shapes and, as shown here, try playing with different textures too.
6. Let an artwork shine
Sideboards have a surface that’s ripe for housing pretty ornaments, good-looking books, stylish lamps and plants or flowers… but you can also use them as a mini stage by leaving them almost bare.
Here, you can see how. It’s all about that wonderful large-scale artwork, which has little – bar a low plant and delicate bowl in colours that echo those in the art – to detract from it. If you have one standout object or image, don’t be afraid to keep things simple to make the most of it.
10 tips to help you care for your artworks
Sideboards have a surface that’s ripe for housing pretty ornaments, good-looking books, stylish lamps and plants or flowers… but you can also use them as a mini stage by leaving them almost bare.
Here, you can see how. It’s all about that wonderful large-scale artwork, which has little – bar a low plant and delicate bowl in colours that echo those in the art – to detract from it. If you have one standout object or image, don’t be afraid to keep things simple to make the most of it.
10 tips to help you care for your artworks
7. Go au naturel
These sprigs of green foliage make the most of the beautiful wood texture in this sideboard with shelves.
If you have open shelves or shelves above your sideboard, keep either the top of the sideboard or the shelves sparsely populated or they’ll compete visually.
Even if you don’t have shelves, stacking books on their sides is a great way to display attractive hardback tomes on a sideboard; choose your colours with care though, and consider removing paper jackets, which might reveal a potential stack of lushly hued matt hardcovers. For the super stylists out there, you might fancy turning the books around so that the spines are hidden and the pleasingly neutral pages are on show. Not, perhaps, one for bookworms.
These sprigs of green foliage make the most of the beautiful wood texture in this sideboard with shelves.
If you have open shelves or shelves above your sideboard, keep either the top of the sideboard or the shelves sparsely populated or they’ll compete visually.
Even if you don’t have shelves, stacking books on their sides is a great way to display attractive hardback tomes on a sideboard; choose your colours with care though, and consider removing paper jackets, which might reveal a potential stack of lushly hued matt hardcovers. For the super stylists out there, you might fancy turning the books around so that the spines are hidden and the pleasingly neutral pages are on show. Not, perhaps, one for bookworms.
8. Use mirrors
This floating sideboard in an open-plan living/cooking space has been given the kitchen cabinet treatment – it’s got a mirrored splashback. This one is purely for aesthetic purposes though.
If your sideboard is positioned to face a view of greenery, or is perpendicular to windows or doors onto the garden, the mirrored effect can be especially lovely as all the reflected foliage becomes part of your interior too.
This floating sideboard in an open-plan living/cooking space has been given the kitchen cabinet treatment – it’s got a mirrored splashback. This one is purely for aesthetic purposes though.
If your sideboard is positioned to face a view of greenery, or is perpendicular to windows or doors onto the garden, the mirrored effect can be especially lovely as all the reflected foliage becomes part of your interior too.
9. Don’t forget flowers
The sideboard is the perfect place for a fresh vase of flowers or a jungle-y stem or two.
Make sure you have a couple of really good vases of different shapes and sizes (for varied flowers) that work with the colours in your sideboard room, and make your blooms a key part of your display. It’s a great way to vary your sideboard display weekly, as different styles of flowers will create different moods, from strong and sculptural to soft and country. Or simply opt for blooms in a striking shade that complements a large piece of art, as seen here, or a statement ornament.
Fresh florals for the modern home
The sideboard is the perfect place for a fresh vase of flowers or a jungle-y stem or two.
Make sure you have a couple of really good vases of different shapes and sizes (for varied flowers) that work with the colours in your sideboard room, and make your blooms a key part of your display. It’s a great way to vary your sideboard display weekly, as different styles of flowers will create different moods, from strong and sculptural to soft and country. Or simply opt for blooms in a striking shade that complements a large piece of art, as seen here, or a statement ornament.
Fresh florals for the modern home
10. Focus on colour
Here, the ornaments are sparse, but there’s no lack of interest with a colour scheme like this.
If you have a strongly coloured piece, or are inspired to revamp your sideboard with bright paints, you can get away with keeping your surface clutter-free and focus on echoing and amplifying your chosen palette instead. These artworks cleverly pick up on just two of the hues in the cabinet, since the third, that lush teal, is a feature in its own right. Elsewhere in the room, for balance, you might like to dot a couple of small accessories – a cushion or a framed photo or candleholder – in the same green-blue hue.
Tell us
Do you have a sideboard in your home? Where is it, what do you use it for and what’s on top of it? Share all in the Comments below.
More
Read more stories on decorating
Here, the ornaments are sparse, but there’s no lack of interest with a colour scheme like this.
If you have a strongly coloured piece, or are inspired to revamp your sideboard with bright paints, you can get away with keeping your surface clutter-free and focus on echoing and amplifying your chosen palette instead. These artworks cleverly pick up on just two of the hues in the cabinet, since the third, that lush teal, is a feature in its own right. Elsewhere in the room, for balance, you might like to dot a couple of small accessories – a cushion or a framed photo or candleholder – in the same green-blue hue.
Tell us
Do you have a sideboard in your home? Where is it, what do you use it for and what’s on top of it? Share all in the Comments below.
More
Read more stories on decorating
This clean-lined white sideboard (made from three cabinets joined together and mounted onto a wooden plinth) has been styled with confident restraint – and hidden symmetry. While it’s not bookended with identical lamps or ornaments, there is still a lot of balance going on here.
Check how the glimmering gold artwork sets the tone, and is connected to the display below by a couple of colour-matched details and the wall lights punctuating the arrangement either side. The black, glossy lamp is partnered by the picture frames, and while the greenery and tonally similar pots are on their own, there are three of them – the design magic number that creates its own balance.
When arranging any display, use your eyes to decide whether there is equal visual weight on either side, if your colours have partners and if there’s enough variety of height and shape.