How To Organize A Sideboard + Why You Need One

Learn how adding a sideboard to your dining room can free up cramped storage space in a small kitchen and how to organize the cabinet for maximum functionality. Sponsored by Wayfair

About a year ago we moved into our “forever home” and we plan on staying in this house forever. We have big dreams of hosting holiday dinners in our dining room and welcoming grandchildren into our living room. My husband and I are big fans of entertaining our family, and that was a big reason why we chose this house. But there’s one thing that makes those dreams a little difficult…our kitchen is pretty small.

The house was built in 1979 and the kitchen is a closed-off galley style kitchen in the back corner of the house. Honestly, I like that it’s not open to the living area, and I have no plans of creeping into the open-concept trend. But keeping the current footprint means I’m pretty much maxed out on storage space.

As a former professional organizer, I’m super comfortable with getting creative on storage space, and that’s exactly what I did in this situation. I partnered with my friends at Wayfair to add some much-needed entertaining dishware storage space into my dining room using a new sideboard. If your kitchen lacks space, too, then read on, because this is the hack your house is begging for.

What Is A Sideboard?

There are a lot of different terms for this dining room superhero, but I use the word sideboard. You may have heard buffet, credenza, china cabinet, or something else along those lines. They all pretty much mean the same thing. A sideboard, or buffet, is a piece of freestanding furniture with doors and sometimes drawers that’s used to hold dishware and dining supplies.

Sideboards come in all shapes and sizes, and have a flat top like a dresser. They’re usually about the same height as a TV console and typically have adjustable shelves inside the cabinets. I prefer a sideboard to have at least one drawer, but you can find just about any type of configuration on Wayfair with a quick search.

What Do You Store In A Sideboard?

You can really keep anything you want inside a sideboard. Most of the time you’ll store extra dishes and glassware that isn’t used as often, like your fancy dinner party dishes and stemware. But you can also keep tablecloths, napkins, serving dishes, alternate flatware, and table decor inside.

If you have enough kitchen storage, you can use a sideboard to hold other things instead like craft supplies, kids’ homework supplies, board games, or personal hobbies. The options are really endless.

How I Use A Sideboard To Expand Kitchen Storage

I really needed a place to keep my entertaining dishware and barware since they aren’t used as often and don’t need to take up precious real estate in my kitchen. So let me walk you through exactly what’s in my own sideboard and how I organize it.

I picked this specific sideboard because it’s extra long and has a super wide drawer in the middle. I had three different cabinets saved in my Dining Room inspiration board on Wayfair.com. After trying them all out with the 3D room feature on the Wayfair app, I knew it was the one. I love the modern black marble finish and it’s very heavy so I know it’s sturdy.

I had a handyman assemble it for me, and then I added brass knobs to the cabinet doors to make them a little easier to open. The cabinet didn’t have holes drilled for knobs, but it was really easy to add them in. The wood quality is really nice and the drill went right through without splitting the door. (I did pre-drill small pilot holes first)

Inside the drawer, I added two utensil trays to hold our antique gold special occasion silverware and bar accessories. I also added a square tray to hold napkins because we always seem to forget them when we sit down for dinner. Having them right in the room with us makes it easier to grab them while we set the table.

On the left side, we store our stemware. I had originally planned to hang a wine glass holder under the top of this cabinet, but I think I like them just freestanding inside. I may still add it later, but it’s fine this way for now.

On the right side, we store a few other bar glasses, pitchers, and random dining accessories that don’t have a home elsewhere. I added a heavy duty wire shelf inside to double the storage space.

The middle cabinet is where I keep our serving dishes. Platters, serving bowls, appetizer plates, charcuterie boards, gravy boats, butter dishes, etc. I used two more wire shelf risers to double the space.

Having everything right here in one place is going to make things so easy when I’m prepping for Thanksgiving this year. Last year I was scurrying around like a crazy person looking through all my cabinets to piece together some matching dishes.

How A Sideboard Can Rock A Dinner Party

While I may have decor on top of my sideboard right now, that tabletop surface can serve as a buffet during dinner parties. This holiday season I plan on clearing off the top of the sideboard and loading it down with either finger foods, desserts, or our family’s favorite: a soda bar.

I love that I can use this piece of furniture as a functional addition to my kitchen-dining storage space while also creating extra serving space for food. I’ll definitely come back to this post this holiday season and update with photos of how I set it up.

Shop My Favorite Sideboards On Wayfair

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