Why the Sideboard is Special
A sideboard or credenza occupies a unique position in the home: it's a piece of storage furniture with a top surface designed to be displayed on. Unlike a coffee table (too low to be a statement) or a dining table (always in use), the sideboard top is a dedicated display surface — visible from across the room, usually at eye level or just below, and large enough to support a genuinely composed arrangement of objects.
Getting this surface right elevates the entire room. Getting it wrong makes the sideboard look like a dumping ground.
Start with a Hero Piece
Every well-styled sideboard has a focal point — one object that anchors the composition and draws the eye first. This might be a large statement vase, a piece of artwork leaning against the wall, a sculptural lamp, or a pair of matching objects that command the space. Everything else on the surface should play a supporting role to this hero piece.
Lean artwork rather than hanging it where possible — it creates a more layered, relaxed feeling than a formally hung piece, and allows you to change the composition easily.
Build a Composition, Not a Collection
The common mistake with sideboards is placing objects across the surface without a sense of composition — a row of things, or random clusters without rhythm. Instead, think about the surface as a whole and build a composition within it.
A useful approach: anchor one end of the sideboard with a taller arrangement (a lamp, a large vase with stems, leaned artwork) and graduate down toward the other end with lower objects. This asymmetric approach creates movement and visual interest across the full width of the piece.
The Essential Objects
A well-styled sideboard typically includes some combination of these elements:
- A lamp — both functional and decorative, a table lamp on a sideboard creates a pool of warm light that draws the eye and adds vertical height.
- Vases — one or two vases, at different heights, with or without stems or botanicals.
- A tray — useful for corralling smaller objects and creating a defined zone within the larger composition. Browse our trays & serveware.
- Books — a stack of two or three coffee table books adds colour and a sense of the personal.
- Candles — individually in holders or grouped as pillars, candles add atmosphere and tie the surface to the rest of the room's fragrance.
- Something natural — a plant, a stem, a dried botanical, a stone or piece of driftwood. Organic material softens a styled surface and makes it feel alive.
Vary the Heights
Sideboards fail when everything sits at the same level. Use objects of genuinely different heights: something tall (60cm or above), something medium (30–40cm), something low and wide (a tray, a stack of books, a low bowl). The variation in elevation is what creates depth and visual interest when the surface is seen from across the room.
Leave Space
The final and most important rule: don't fill every inch. A crowded sideboard reads as storage; a composed one reads as design. Aim to leave at least 30–40% of the surface empty. The breathing room around objects is what allows each one to be seen properly — and what gives the whole arrangement a sense of considered restraint.