Buffets and sideboards are not just functional pieces of furniture but essential elements in home décor, balancing both practicality and aesthetic appeal. With flat, spacious surfaces, styling your buffet is a key aspect of your overall home décor. Whether you're seeking inspiration for modern dining room buffet décor, farmhouse buffet décor ideas, or how to decorate a buffet hutch, discover styling ideas for buffets and sideboards in various areas of your home, no matter what your style preference.
Living Room Sideboard Decorating Ideas
In living rooms, buffets and sideboards can serve as storage for items like books, games or electronics. It’s also a perfect opportunity to fill up an empty wall with a curated display. Place your buffet next to a sofa or armchair, light up the space with a tasteful table lamp, highlighting the beauty of your sideboard and creating the perfect area for cosy reading nights. Thoughtfully placed accessories of varying heights and shapes, create balance, like candles, books, vases and greenery. Don’t neglect the space above your buffet, a piece of wall art, a mirror or a clock adds the perfect finishing flourish. Bring it all together with a common element, repeated sparingly throughout your décor - a unifying colour, texture, or theme. Take this Gavardo Buffet, pictured above. The copper of the handles is echoed in the lamp, vase, and mirror, creating a cohesive look without feeling overdone.
Dining Room Sideboard Decorating Ideas
Traditionally, buffets and sideboards are placed in dining rooms to provide extra storage for dinnerware, flatware, and linens. They also offer a surface for serving food and beverages during gatherings, making them both practical and stylish additions to the space. For example, this Metro Buffet doubles as a permanent coffee station while utilizing attractive coffee mugs, jars and serveware as décor. With everything neatly arranged, it's more than just functional—it's a conversation starter. Complete the look by adding a stylish mirror above and tall plant to the side.
Modern Dining Room Buffet Décor
While traditional dining room buffets look great setup in a functional way, a contemporary dining room décor style calls for a more minimalist approach. Begin with a neutral colour palette and decorate with a few carefully chosen ornaments to maintain a clean, uncluttered look. In this setting, featuring the Bruno Buffet, a large abstract painting sitting on the buffet adds a touch of artistic flair without overwhelming the space. A couple of spherical vases in neutral tones provide visual interest and balance to the display. Plenty of negative space allows the natural timber of the buffet to stand out.
Home Office Buffet & Sideboards Décor Ideas
A large wall unit like the Villager 2 Door Hutch, pictured in the home office above, is the ultimate solution to a clutter-free workspace. While more mundane items can be kept out of sight in the wooden cupboards and drawers, glass cupboards at the top provide an opportunity to display more frequently-used items like stationery and books- try arranging these horizontally and vertically to create visual variety. The open space underneath is your canvas for personal touches, buffet hutch decorating ideas such as picture frames, favourite books or small plants contribute a calm and refreshing look to the room’s overall aesthetic. In this image, light-coloured décor items offer a pleasing contrast against the dark wood of the cabinet.
Decorating a Buffet for Entertaining
Entertaining is made effortless with the right buffet. The top provides the perfect surface to serve food or pour out drinks. Make a bold impression in your entertaining space, by positioning your buffet beneath a feature wine wall, as shown above with the Fenton Buffet. Keep the décor simple, a stylish ice bucket and a placemat look neat while being fit for purpose.
Farmhouse Buffet Décor Ideas
If your style is more rustic, you can enhance your home with a farmhouse-style decorated buffet like this Marlborough Buffet. Warm woods are the perfect base for rustic charm and the décor should emphasise functionality, starting with everyday items in neutral tones. Utilise classic farmhouse accessories, such as ceramic dishes, mason jars, and wooden cutting boards, to add both style and utility. Open shelving above, with neatly arranged serveware and hanging cups add to the practicality and aesthetic, creating a well-balanced, cosy, and efficient farmhouse buffet setup.
Coastal Buffet Décor Ideas
To decorate a coastal-style buffet, like this two-tone Gavardo Buffet, focus on incorporating light and natural elements that evoke a seaside ambiance. A crisp, white buffet is an excellent foundation, providing a clean and bright canvas. Decorate the top surface with coastal-inspired items, such as a large, neutral-toned ceramic vase and glass jars filled with seashells or other beach treasures. A framed piece of art featuring a serene beach scene or palm trees enhances the coastal theme and adds height to your overall setup. To further emphasize the seaside feel, consider adding small decorative objects like driftwood, coral pieces, or sea glass. Keeping the overall palette soft and neutral, with hints of sandy beige and light wood tones, helps maintain the calm and relaxing coastal vibe.
Whatever your space or style, keep in mind 3 main considerations.
What’s going on the buffet/sideboard? Make practical items look pretty or curate a collection of decorative items relevant to your personal style. Don’t forget to use a combination of shapes and sizes and leave some negative space.
What’s going in the buffet/sideboard? If the sideboard has only solid door and drawers, then you can store pretty much anything, however if there’s glass cupboards or open shelves, utilise the opportunity for displaying carefully-arranged décor pieces.
What’s going around the cabinet? Space above can be filled with artwork, mirrors, clocks or shelving. Space around the cabinet can be enhanced with complementary armchairs, tall plants or floor lamps.
By carefully selecting and arranging décor items of varying heights and textures, incorporating personal touches, and maintaining a cohesive colour palette or theme, you can transform a simple buffet or sideboard into a captivating focal point that reflects your unique taste and enhances the overall ambiance of your home.
