How to Choose a Sideboard or Buffet: Sizes, Styles and Placement
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A sideboard earns its keep the first time you host. Suddenly there's a place to set the platters, a surface for a lamp and a bowl of clementines, a drawer that swallows the cloth napkins you can never find. If you've been wondering how to choose a sideboard — or a buffet, since the two names get used for the same piece — the answer comes down to three questions. How much floor do you have. How much do you need to store. And how does the thing read against everything already in the room.
Start with the tape measure. That's where most people trip.
How to choose a sideboard that fits your room
Height first. Most sideboards land between 34 and 38 inches tall, roughly counter height, which is comfortable for serving and tall enough to anchor art or a mirror above it. If you're placing one behind a sofa, aim for the lower end so it doesn't loom over the backrest.
Then length. A good rule: the piece should span about two-thirds of the wall it sits on, or two-thirds of whatever hangs above it. A 60-inch sideboard under a 40-inch painting looks bottom-heavy. Flip those numbers and it sings.
Depth matters more than people expect. Fifteen to twenty inches is the sweet spot. Go deeper and a narrow dining room starts to feel like a hallway. And clearance is the number nobody measures until it's too late: if the sideboard sits behind dining chairs, leave at least 36 inches between it and the table edge so chairs can pull out without a fight. In a tight room, 42 inches is kinder.
Match the style, not just the footprint
Once the size works, the piece has to belong. Look at the legs. A sideboard on slim tapered legs feels light and reads mid-century; one on a solid plinth base feels grounded and modern. Neither is better. It's about what the rest of your furniture is already saying.
Doors versus drawers is a real decision, not a cosmetic one. Doors hide bulky things — serving bowls, a stand mixer, board games. Drawers organize the small stuff and keep flatware and linens flat. Most people are happiest with a mix. At ARCADA we lean toward pieces that combine two drawers over a pair of cabinets, because that covers almost every kind of clutter a dining room throws at you.
Hardware is the quiet tell. Aged brass pulls warm up a pale oak cabinet. Recessed or integrated handles let a piece disappear into a minimal room. If you're mixing woods elsewhere, our notes on how to mix wood tones will keep the sideboard from clashing with your floor or table. Browse the full Furniture range to see how legs, tops and finishes change the mood of the same silhouette.
Where a sideboard actually works
The dining room is the obvious home. Set it against the longest clear wall, use the top for serving when guests come, and store the good glassware and table linens inside. Pair it with the right table and you've built a room that hosts itself. If you're still sorting the table, our guide to choosing a dining table size pairs neatly with this one, and the Dining Room edit shows the two pieces together.
But the dining room isn't the only spot. An entryway sideboard becomes a drop zone for keys, mail and a lamp — and a mirror above it does double duty. Behind a sofa, a low, shallow sideboard works almost like a console, adding storage without stealing walking room; if that's your plan, the same principles in styling a console table apply here. Even a wide hallway can take a shallow one, as long as you keep to that 15-inch depth so nobody clips a hip on the way past.
One last thing. Buy for the storage you actually have, not the storage you imagine you'll grow into. A sideboard that's half empty for a year is a sideboard that was too big.
Frequently asked questions
How do I choose a sideboard for a small dining room?
Keep the depth to about 15 inches, choose a length near two-thirds of the wall, and pick a piece on legs rather than a solid base — the visible floor underneath makes the room feel larger. Leave at least 36 inches of clearance behind the chairs.
What's the difference between a sideboard and a buffet?
In practice, almost nothing. Both are long, low storage cabinets used for serving and stashing dining gear. "Buffet" tends to describe the piece by its job at the table; "sideboard" is the more general furniture term. Shop them as the same category.
How tall should a sideboard be?
Most sit between 34 and 38 inches, which is comfortable for serving and leaves room to hang art or a mirror above. If it's going behind a sofa, choose the lower end so it stays below the seat back.