Sideboards have been around for hundreds of years, so it makes sense that there a lot of different looks and materials that make up the category of sideboard furniture. The Sideboard Furniture Guide will help you sort through all the different types of sideboards so you can make sense of it all and at the same time narrow down exactly the right kind of dining cabinet for your home.
Most sideboards are made from wood. Oak is the most popular material used, with the light oak sideboard being a favorite, but pine antiques are popular as well. Keep in mind however that a pine antique can get quite expensive. A dark wood sideboard is very popular too, with an antique mahogany sideboard being perhaps the cream of the crop. Antique sideboards are sometimes passed down through generations of family members and can be the center piece in whatever room they are used. As far as storage units go, the right side board will be a stunning piece of functional storage. In addition to the storage available internally, the flat top exterior of a sidebord is ideal for anything from that television to family photos. If you are short on space, consider a narrow sideboard. Many people are finding great uses for this furniture as living room sideboards or as a
tv sideboard.
Sideboard piece of
furniture designed to hold plates, decanters, side dishes, and other accessories for a meal and frequently containing cupboards and drawers. When the word first appeared in the Middle Ages as an alternative to “side table,” it described a stepped structure used (as sideboards often have been) for the display of conspicuously valuable eating utensils. It preserved a basic table shape (sometimes with eight legs) until the 18th century. The first innovation was the substitution of hollow storage pedestals.
Drawers (for napkins, cutlery, and the like) were added in the space beneath the main surface and between the pedestals. A serpentine front was popular in the latter half of the 18th century; other additions consisted of a marble top and a brass rail at the back, partly for protecting the wall, partly for propping up large plates and similar objects. In some examples a wine cooler is incorporated into the main structure of the sideboard, and there were often spaces for chamber pots.
In the early 19th century sideboards became an established part of mass-produced dining room suites, and they themselves became much heavier in design. The whole of the lower section was divided into cupboards extending to the floor. The metal rails at the back were supplanted by massive panels, usually ornate in design, and the whole piece was covered in carvings. Elaborate fantasies of design often converted the sideboard into a replica of a medieval cathedral or something equally improbable. The sideboard still retains its function in the 20th century, but stylistically there has been a reversion to simpler types, closer in feeling to 18th-century designs.
The pricing for sideboards can vary greatly. The reasons are fairly obvious as the type of wood and level of craftsmanship and artistry that goes into the piece will determine its price point. Some antique sideboards are very elaborate in their design and have high sentimental value to the family that has owned it for so long. For those reasons these antiques are sometimes quite expensive. Having said that, it is possible to find moderately priced sideboards if you are willing to go with a factory made piece that is more of an assembly line item rather than a hand made
work of art. All those things add up to the fact that there are many different ways to go in finding the sideboard that is right for your situation. there are so many options that if you look hard enough you will find one to fit your style rather than choosing a sideboard and then trying to build the rest of the room around it.
When looking for sideboards, start by thinking about color and size first. Sideboards are not typically built to standard sizes. You can find them in a wide variety of sizes and, to some degree, heights. If you are trying to fill a particular space, get good measurements prior to starting your search. Just as the external size is not standard, neither is the internal storage structure. You might find anything from a wide open cabinet to different combinations of shelves and drawers.
As you can see, there are a lot of things to consider when looking for the right
sideboard furniture for your home.
Luckily you have come to the right place. Visit our pages on oak sideboards, pine sideboards, antique sideboards, TV stands for flat screens, and all the rest of the options. The internet truly is your best resource for both narrowing down what you want, then finding the best price and making your best deal. Gone are the days of driving all over town looking for the item you need. Nowadays you can handle the entire process from the comfort of your own home. You can even sit in the very room you are looking to place a sideboard in and work through the whole process while you looking at the very place it will sit!