History of Furniture: Sideboards

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18th Century, 19th Century, 21st Century, American, antique, antiques, Atlanta, cabinets, carved wood, China, cupboard, custom furniture, Décor, dining, dining room, display, drawers, dresser, furniture, furniture history, handcraft, handcrafted, history, hutch, interior design, kitchen, mbw furniture, mirror, modern, pewter, rental, rentals, server, shelves, shelving, Sideboard, silver, Solid wood furniture, table, veneer, Welsh dresser, wood

Traditionally utilized to serve food as well as display fine china and family silver, sideboards have always been among the most practical pieces of furniture. As they grew in popularity, cabinetmakers began creating sideboards to be more elegant and aesthetically pleasing.

Variations in construction include cabinets, drawers, mirrors, shelving, and even lighting. One unifying characteristic is the flat surface for food service. Many modern sideboards feature lamps or illumination, whether on the table or around it, to enhance the surface’s contents.

Deep English Tea Sideboard – From the Essex Manor Collection, this sideboard and mirror set feature solid birch construction and Deep English Tea finish with antiqued hardware, carved panel detail, and scrolled footing. The mirror’s edge is beveled with a scrolled, carved frame.

Chocolate & Marshmallow Asian Sideboard – Individually crafted by hand, this sideboard boasts contemporary Asian style with spade footing, adjustable hinges, and 4 doors featuring geometric patterns with mirror inserts.

Café Latte Bar Top Sideboard – From the Sovereign Collection, this traditional-style sideboard features a Café Latte finish with silver and gold tipping as well as solid Birch construction with cherry and elm burl veneers.

Early sideboards (18^th Century and before) were simple tables situated against a wall, no doubt. Almost always waist level, they became quite popular during the 19^th Century with the advent of the dining room. As people began to use an entirely different room for eating meals, a need arose for all new types of furniture. Veneers and inlays were a common choice, as well as mahogany, oak, pine, and walnut construction.

Modified versions are called servers, Welsh or kitchen dressers, china hutches, and pewter cupboards. Sideboards have moved into other rooms during the 21^st Century, no longer assigned strictly to dining. Many living rooms and design spaces in need of flat surfaces are now home to the service table from the 18^th Century.

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