Compact Decorative Sideboard

Styling a sideboard can be a great way to incorporate your own style and character into your home. For smaller sideboards, keep your display asymmetrical by adding a bold lamp on the left and balancing it out with a print on the other side and keep to two or three small decorative items as there isn’t a lot of space to work with. This will help to create depth to your styling, don’t be afraid to play around!

For a medium sideboard, create a focal point in the centre of your display by choosing a large decorative item like a mirror or art piece. It’s important to consider the size of your decorative item that it should be roughly half the width of the sideboard as if it was bigger than the sideboard then it can make the display too overwhelming. When hanging a mirror or piece of art over your sideboard keep it to 30 cm above the surface top as this will keep the focal point within your eyeline and maintain a balanced look. 

Adding a lamp to a medium sideboard will certainly brighten up your display and this size of sideboard can be dressed asymmetrically or symmetrically with two small lamps or a single piece sized medium or large. Adding 3-5 accessories in a similar colour palette will create cohesion to your display. If you have a contemporary style space then consider choosing bright and colourful homeware accessories that match the colour palette, accessories like colourful candles, vases or ornaments would look great on a sideboard.

If you choose a large sideboard then you have a lot of space to work with. Create a bold focal point be it either one large piece of artwork or a small gallery wall/multiple pieces resting along the centre that amounts to approximately half the width of the sideboard. Similarly, if you want to add a mirror above a large sideboard, it can be tricky as the mirror will need to be around 1m wide in order to have an impact on your display. Go big or go home, choose an extremely oversized piece or mirrors with very ornate detailing to create a bang! Adding lamps is essential and don’t be afraid to go big as small lamps will get lost in the display. Going asymmetrical or symmetrical with your display by adding lamps on either side of the sideboard can create a bookend display. Add 4-6 decorative items to your sideboard in a similar colour palette varying in size and height, so play around with your display.

Traditionally, sideboards have been used in dining rooms but they also make excellent media units in large living rooms. Sideboards have ample surface area to house a TV. They also have storage underneath to store consoles or TV units you want to store away. You will also have leftover surface space to play around with the display by adding some decorative items like picture frames, vases or lamps.

Adding a sideboard as a TV/media unit stand is dependent on the width of the room as we recommend leaving at least 4-5m between the sofa and sideboard so your TV isn’t too high up!

Homeware accessories are a great addition to infuse your personality and add character to your display. Here are some tips of what kind of homeware accessories that would look great on a sideboard: 

1. Small Sideboards

For homeware accessories, stick to two or three small pieces for a small sideboard. You don’t want to crowd your display as there’s a smaller surface area to work with however that doesn’t mean you can’t go bold! For example, adding a modern style homeware item to a mid century style sideboard is a great way to mix modern and vintage together to create a unique display. As a rule of thumb stick to 2-3 accessories to dress a sideboard and at least one of these should be non-ornamental e.g. a plant, candle or book. This helps to add depth to your styling as too many accessories can look too frivolous! 

2. Medium Sideboards

Medium sideboards are very versatile and work well in almost any room, dress your display with around 3-5 accessories in a similar colour palette to your space. By doing this, it can create a cohesive look to the rest of your space. If you want to add a mirror or artwork piece to your display, you can rest the piece on the sideboard. Make sure that if you are hanging the mirror or art piece then hang it low to the sideboard top to create a balance effect. It should be no higher than 30cm.

3. Large Sideboards

Large sideboards have a lot of surface area to work with so think large across the board! Create a bold focal point that is either a large piece of artwork or a small gallery of pieces resting along the centre, it should be approximately half the width of the sideboard. It’s best for your display to be symmetrical with lamps, the bigger the better! Avoid adding small lamps as it will get lost in the display. Choose 4-6 homeware accessories in a similar colour palette varying in size and height, there is a large amount of surface area to work with so vary up the pieces from tall vases to bookends.