Sideboard AU Buying Guide: Size, Storage and Where to Put It

A sideboard is the piece that quietly fixes a dining room. It takes the serving dishes, the table linen, the spare glassware and the things that otherwise live on the table, and it gives you a surface at the right height for setting things down. It is also one of the most useful pieces of furniture you can put anywhere else in the house, which is why it is worth choosing on function first.

The quick answer

Decide what the sideboard is for before you look at sizes. In a dining room it is serving surface plus storage for things used at the table; in a hallway it is a drop zone; in a lounge it is media storage with a display top. Then size it: aim for a piece no wider than two thirds of the wall it sits against, at a height of 75 to 90 cm so it works as a serving surface, and a depth of 40 to 45 cm so it does not intrude into a walkway. Choose solid timber for a piece that will be loaded heavily and last decades, and check drawer runners and door hinges, since those are what fail first.

What a sideboard is actually for

The name gets used interchangeably with buffet, credenza and console, and the differences are worth knowing because they describe different jobs.

• Sideboard. Storage cabinet with doors and usually drawers, typically 75 to 90 cm high, designed to sit against a wall in a dining room and serve from.
• Buffet. Effectively the same piece. The word emphasises the serving role, and in Australia the two terms are used for the same furniture.
• Console table. Narrow, often without doors, and about serving as a surface rather than storage. Shallower than a sideboard.
• Credenza. Usually lower and longer, often with sliding doors, and associated with mid-century styling.

If you want storage, you want a sideboard. If you want a surface in a narrow space, you want a console table.

Where it goes, and what changes

In the dining room

The classic position, and the one the piece was designed for. It holds the things that belong to the table: placemats, linen, serving dishes, the glassware you use for guests, candles and the good cutlery.

The top matters as much as the storage. During a meal it takes the dishes that will not fit on the table; the rest of the time it takes a lamp, a bowl or whatever the room needs.

Height is the detail to get right here. A sideboard at 75 to 90 cm is a comfortable serving height. Lower units look sleek and are awkward to serve from.

In the hallway

A sideboard in an entry becomes the place keys, post and bags land. Drawers matter more than cupboard space in this role, since what you are storing is small and needs to disappear quickly.

Depth matters most here. In a corridor, 40 cm is usually the maximum before it starts to feel narrow.

In the lounge

A sideboard works well as media storage where a low TV unit is not wanted, particularly if the television is wall-mounted. It gives a display surface at eye level rather than at knee level.

Check ventilation and cable access if you are putting equipment inside, and consider whether doors will block a remote control signal.

In a bedroom or study

Long, low storage along a wall handles linen, files or overflow that a chest of drawers is not shaped for. In a study it takes printers, paper and the things a desk cannot hold.

Sizing a sideboard properly

Width

The usual guide is that the piece should occupy no more than about two thirds of the wall it sits against. That leaves visual breathing room and stops the sideboard dominating.

In a dining room there is a second consideration: a sideboard that is close to the length of the table looks intentional, while one that is markedly shorter can look undersized next to it.

Height

75 to 90 cm for a piece you will serve from. Lower if it is going under a window, in which case measure to the sill and leave a few centimetres.

Depth

40 to 45 cm is standard and holds dinner plates comfortably. Anything deeper starts to encroach on the room, and in a walkway you want to keep the total clearance to 90 cm or more.

The measurement people forget

Door swing. A sideboard with hinged doors needs clearance in front to open, which matters if it sits opposite dining chairs. Measure the pushed-back chair position, not the tucked-in one.

Storage layout: drawers, doors or both

The internal layout decides whether the piece actually solves your problem.

• Drawers suit small items: cutlery, linen, placemats, keys and paperwork. Everything is visible when open, and nothing gets lost at the back.
• Cupboards suit bulk: serving dishes, appliances, boxed items and anything tall. Adjustable shelves make a substantial difference to how usable the space is.
• Both is the most common configuration and the most flexible, with a row of drawers above cupboards below.

Two practical checks before buying: whether the shelves are adjustable, and whether the drawers run on proper runners with a soft close. Runners and hinges are the components that fail first on a piece that gets opened several times a day.

Why solid timber matters more here than elsewhere

A sideboard gets loaded heavily. Stacked plates, glassware and serving dishes add up to real weight, and it is carried by shelves and by the carcass.

Solid timber handles that over decades, and it can be repaired. Engineered board sags under sustained load and, once a shelf has bowed or a screw has pulled out of a particle board panel, there is no good fix.

Our sideboards are made in solid oak, walnut and cherry, in ranges that match the dining tables and chairs so a room can be furnished as a set. See the full range of sideboards.

Timber tones

• Natural oak is light and warm, and it suits most Australian interiors without dominating them.
• Rustic oak shows more grain and character, and it hides marks better.
• Walnut is darker and reads as more formal, and it works well against pale walls.
• Cherry sits between the two, with a warmer red undertone that deepens over time.

What a sideboard costs in Australia

Across our current in-stock range, solid timber sideboards sit between roughly AU$408 and AU$5,099, with most around AU$1,300. Small two-door units sit at the lower end, and large multi-section pieces in walnut or cherry at the upper.

Width is the main driver, followed by timber. A larger sideboard is not proportionally more expensive than a small one, so if the wall takes it, sizing up is usually better value per centimetre of storage.

Styling the top without cluttering it

The surface is the part people struggle with, and a few simple rules solve most of it.

• Work in odd numbers. Three objects sit better than four.
• Vary the height. A lamp, a piece of art leaning against the wall, and a low bowl gives you three levels.
• Leave at least a third of the surface clear so it stays usable.
• Hang art or a mirror centred above it, with about 15 to 20 cm between the top of the sideboard and the bottom of the frame.
• If it is a serving piece, keep the styling to one end so the other end is free during meals.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a sideboard and a buffet?

In practice, nothing. Both describe a storage cabinet at serving height designed for a dining room, and the terms are used interchangeably in Australia.

How wide should a sideboard be?

No more than about two thirds of the wall it sits against. In a dining room, a sideboard close to the length of the table looks proportionate.

What height should a sideboard be?

75 to 90 cm suits serving. Lower units look sleek but are awkward to serve from, and if the piece is going under a window, measure to the sill first.

Can I use a sideboard as a TV unit?

Yes, particularly with a wall-mounted television. Check ventilation and cable access if equipment will sit inside the cupboards, and consider whether solid doors will block a remote signal.

Does a sideboard need to match the dining table?

It helps, and it is not essential. Pieces from the same range share timber and finish, which is the simplest route. Otherwise, aim for clear contrast rather than a near match.

What should I check before buying?

Solid timber construction rather than engineered board, adjustable shelves, drawer runners with a soft close, and enough clearance in front for the doors to open past a pushed-back dining chair.

Where to start

Measure the wall, the depth you can spare, and the door swing, then browse the sideboard range. If you are pulling a dining room together, the dining room collection keeps tables, chairs and sideboards from matching ranges in one place.