A sideboard is a type of furniture that became popular in the 19th century when folks’ homes were afforded the luxury of rooms used strictly for dining. Used for storage of dishes and silver as well as buffet-style food service, sideboards currently abound in antique shops. You can also find their reproduced counterparts in retail furniture stores. The first image is a traditional sideboard in its original state. I wanted to include it as a reference.
This is my sideboard, painted black by my grandfather because the wood was not in very good shape. It is one of my favorite pieces of furniture and serves as a wonderful storage space for my collection of dishes. I love how he left the top unpainted. {picture taken last year during Halloween…I love the holiday, but I haven’t decorated quite this early!}
This is a sideboard I photographed in a quaint restaurant in New York’s Little Italy. My mom spotted it as being very similar to mine, except painted white. Sorry it’s a bit cluttered, but clearly this piece is fully functional as a serving station. I love the distressed look of it, but I can’t see myself doing this treatment to my beloved sideboard any time soon. How do you feel about furniture such as this? Do you prefer it left in its original state, painted a dark color (like mine) or distressed in a light color? I’m curious as to what you think.
