How to use your mid-century sideboard

If your living space looks like an advert for a dream 1950s home, you might be wondering, is a mid-century sideboard the right look for me? If everything else screams mid-century, then you’re missing a trick if you haven’t completed the look with a sideboard from the era. Sideboards can be the perfect way to add a touch of sophistication to any room, regardless of size. Here are a few tips on how to maximise storage potential and style your interior space appropriately.

1. Firstly, choose a size of sideboard that is right for you and your home. Yes, those 7ft long numbers might look amazing, but if your space is on the smaller side, you may want to tone it down and go for something that fits with what you’ve got. It’s the style that makes a sideboard, and big isn’t necessarily better. Decide where the sideboard is going to go: do you need additional storage in the hallway, or is it going to line up along a wall in your dining area? Make your mind up and you’ll be able to measure up the area you’re looking at and pick out a model that fits perfectly.

2. Now that you’ve chosen a size of sideboard that will fit snugly into its allocated space, it’s time to decide what manufacturer you’re going to go for. G Plan is an obvious choice – their British made sideboards are the last word in mid-century cool and they have retained their appeal for decades because they are such quality, robust pieces of furniture. That being said, there are plenty of other craftsmen who have made beautiful mid-century style sideboards over the years, too, so don’t get too hung up on finding a G Plan model – do a bit of online research and you may find an unbranded piece that is absolutely perfect. Create a Pinterest board of options you find online and see if you can imagine them working well alongside the rest of the furniture in your living space.

3. Deciding how to use your sideboard is lots of fun because there are so many options to choose from. Maybe you’ll opt to turn it into a liquor cabinet, storing alcohol and your best glasses inside, and perhaps a decanter of whisky on the top – they make fantastic little home bars! Or maybe you’ll pop your TV on top of it and store the DVD player and X Box inside, creating a modern-day multimedia cabinet from a piece of design history. If you go for this option, you may need to pop your DIY hat on and drill a hole in the back to feed the wires through, but that’s easily done and brings your sideboard right into the 21st century. Sideboards can also be used to look after Christmas decorations until the winter rolls around. If you find one with a set of drawers, use it to store table linen and your finest cutlery and porcelain, or, if you’re at a loss for what to do with a ton of children’s toys, why not allocate a couple of the sideboard’s cupboards to those?

4. Styling your sideboard is perhaps the best bit! Give your sideboard pride of place and top it with some carefully chosen family photographs and a jug of freshly cut flowers. If you’re worried about damaging the wood by resting drinks on the sideboard, make a runner to go the length of its surface, using a beautiful strip of vintage fabric that compliments your colour scheme.

*Collaborative post