Sideboards & Buffets: Ultimate Dining Room Additions for Holiday Dinner

If you're hosting a holiday dinner this year and want to really impress your friends and family, you've come to the right place. Sideboards and buffets enhance the holiday ambience and help you stay organized.  

In this article, we'll help you find the best sideboards and buffets that will elevate your holiday get-together. We'll also go over how to style a dining room sideboard and answer once and for all if you even need a sideboard in your dining room. 

Let's Start With Sideboards

Sideboards are an item of furniture used to store dinnerware and to serve food. They're usually long and low storage units with short legs and cabinets that reach all the way to the floor. 

Do you need a sideboard in your dining room? 

Sideboards are usually placed in the living room and can function as an entertainment system or storage unit for your fine China and other dishware. However, they can also be placed in your dining room and act as a buffet. 

When thinking about how to style a sideboard, the best thing to do is to keep it practical. Put select dishes and glassware on display and balance it out with personal touches, like framed photos or art pieces. Keep it minimalistic and create some symmetry. You can also pick a theme for your sideboard and change it up to match the holiday season! Sideboards are a great way to elevate your holiday get-together as they offer great storage space that's easy to access. A great example of a multi-use sideboard is this Ikeada Leather Sideboard.

Buffets

Buffets are similar to sideboards in that they're both usually long pieces of furniture that are low to the ground with great storage options. The difference is that a buffet is usually much more substantial and has larger cabinets. You can store lines, dishware, cookery, and silverware underneath. 

Buffets are also usually placed in the dining room and are used to serve food, hence the name. Buffets actually originated in Sweden, where they were used to serve smorgasbords; a type of Scandinavian buffet-style meal. 

Does a dining room table have to match a buffet? 

Buffets can match your dining room table and decor, or they can be completely different, it really depends on your own personal style. Ultimately, a buffet and a sideboard are basically interchangeable, the only real differences are where they are placed, and their height. For a beautiful, modern addition to your dining room, check out this buffet.

Credenzas

So then, what's the difference between a credenza and a buffet? Credenzas are a bit different from sideboards and buffets. They can also be used to serve food and store dishware, but they are usually smaller and more formal looking. 

Fun fact: the Italian word "credenza" meant "trust" or "belief." During the Italian Renaissance, the act of "credenza" referred to a person taste-testing food before serving to an important individual, such as a pope or cardinal. Nowadays, they are beautiful accent pieces that are incredibly useful for hosting dinners. 

Start planning Your Holiday Feast

Now that you know the difference between a sideboard, a buffet and a credenza, you can elevate your holiday get-together. 

No matter which one you choose to go with, or where you choose to place it in your home, they can all help you stay organized and enhance your decor. Keep browsing our website to get more inspiration on how to make your holiday dinner pop.