Sideboards

My idea of a beautiful sideboard. Lots of storage, yet not flush with the floor. Curves and straight lines for both masculine and feminine appeal. Not to mention some gorgeous crotch mahogany!
via sideboards.com

A sideboard/buffet/server just completes a dining room. They are so practical! It's a serving piece, storage unit, beautiful accent, and if all else fails...a room filler! Add a stone topper and you can even set hot dishes on it! Imagine....me liking something practical! Shocker, I know:)

I got to wondering what the difference is in those three pieces? Are they all the same thing? I ask because whenever I refer to a "sideboard" I often get a funny look here in the south. I'm then asked if I mean a "buffet". The answer would be "Yes". They are three in one, although the proper name is apparently a sideboard that is used to serve a buffet meal. For those of you who already knew that, ignore my ignorance/confusion. I have a sneaky feeling I'm not the only one who wasn't clear on this:)

"Sideboards are also known as buffets as they may be used to offer the dishes of a buffet meal to guests.

A sideboard is an item of furniture traditionally used in the dining room for serving food, for displaying serving dishes such as silver, and for storage. It usually consists of a set of cabinets, or cupboards, and one or moredrawers, all topped by a flat display surface for conveniently holding food, serving dishes, and even lighting devices. The overall height of the tops of most sideboards is approximately waist level.

The earliest versions of the sideboard familiar today made their appearance in the 18th century, but they gained most of their popularity during the 19th century as households became prosperous enough to dedicate a room solely to dining. Sideboards were made in a range of decorative styles and were frequently ornamented with costlyveneers and inlays. In later years, sideboards have been placed in living rooms or other areas where household items might be displayed.

In traditional, formal dining rooms today, an antique sideboard is a desirable and fashionable accessory, and finely styled versions from the late-18th or early-19th centuries are the most sought after and costly today. Among its counterparts in modern furniture styles, the form is often referred to as a server. Some of the earliest production of sideboards arose in England, France,Belgium and Scotland. Later, American designs arose.^[1] Characteristic materials used in historic sideboard manufacture include mahogany, oak, pine, andwalnut."

via Wikipedia 

I've wanted a buffet for a while, but... also typical of me....I haven't found one I thought was cheap enough. Darn my champagne taste! So, the search continues. China cabinets can be pretty, but since I'm not really in love with my china and wonder why I registered for it to begin with, there isn't much use for one in my dining room. A buffet would just be so much more useful for big family get togethers and having friends over. We aren't formal people, but we do use the dining room a good bit...for casual get-togethers. Everything is a help yourself concept around here when entertaining:)

My idea of a great buffet or sideboard is one with legs that doesn't sit right on the floor. When light is able to pass through underneath, it lightens the visual weight of the piece as well as creating more of an open feeling within a room. In order for it to not just be a console, though, it also needs to have good storage. Just because it's not flush on the floor, doesn't mean it's going to have a tremendous amount of space between the floor and bottom drawers. A good example is the Federal style sideboards that I love (apparently so does everyone else!). French Provencial runs a close second. In my hunt for the perfect piece, I've run across all kinds and styles, which I thought I'd share with you.

I SO wanted to keep this piece, but I needed it at the booth and of course...it was gone in no time:)
B.E. Interiors

I love this idea of repurposing old card catalogs!
via andreaolsen.wordpress.com

via roomandboard.com

via wantstudio.com

via therustichome.com

via sideboard.com

via sideboard.com

How cool is this concept of an extendable sideboard?
via alfredoharber.com

via restoration hardware

via handcraftedtable.com

via thialandtrade.net

via clarnerwoodworks.com

via fokal.com

via icollector.com

There's our lesson for today! I am like a sponge...constantly soaking up new info I run across, especially when it's related to home decor/design. I also discovered while image hunting that the subject of sideboards/buffets is quite a common post topic. BUT, what I didn't find was the main thing I was looking for...clarification on exactly what is what. Maybe it helps clarify the term for some of you:)

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