A sideboard is the one surface in a dining room or living room that is made for display, which is exactly why it so often ends up as a landing strip for post and chargers. Styled well, it becomes the calmest corner of the room. The secret is a few larger pieces grouped with care, art above and some space left empty. Here are ten easy ways to style a sideboard, plus how to adapt them to a long or a narrow one. Prices were correct when we published this guide, and each product page always shows the current price.
The short answer
Hang or lean art above it, then group a few pieces in threes with a tall, a medium and a low one in each group. Add one living thing and one source of soft light, and leave about a third of the top empty so everything has room to breathe.
1. Start with the wall above
A large print, a mirror or a pair of frames above the sideboard sets the scale for everything on it. Hang it with the bottom edge about 15 to 25cm above the top, or lean a big frame against the wall so the objects in front can overlap it slightly.
2. Anchor it with one larger piece
One generous piece stops a long sideboard looking bitty. On a sideboard of 120cm or more, the extra large double piece on wood (£76.80) sets two hand-blown glass bowls on one piece of gamal wood about 75cm long; it weighs about 10kg, so choose its spot before it arrives.
3. Group in threes
Three objects of different heights look natural together: a tall piece, a medium one and something low. For example, the V-shaped vase (£52), about 24.5cm tall, with a medium glass bowl on wood (£17.15) and a short stack of books.
4. Give it a trailing green
Something that spills over the edge softens all the straight lines. The hanging vase on wood (£48) holds a pothos or ivy cutting in water at eye level, and the cutting will root as it sits there.
5. Add a terrarium
A terrarium is a living centrepiece that needs almost nothing from you. The extra large ball top terrarium (£45), about 23 x 23cm on dark tung wood, holds a whole moss landscape under its wooden ball stopper; for a smaller sideboard, the large pentagon (£19.95) suits a fern or two air plants. Plants are not included.
6. Use a bowl, empty or full
A glass bowl catches the light and gives the eye somewhere to rest. The large glass bowl on wood (£29.30), about 23cm tall on its wood, looks finished empty, or holds smooth stones or an air plant. Our guide to what to put in a decorative bowl has more ideas.
7. Layer from back to front
Put the tallest and flattest things at the back (art, a mirror, a tall vase) and smaller pieces in front, overlapping a little. A sideboard is deeper than a console, so it can take two layers comfortably.
8. Add soft light
A small lamp at one end makes the sideboard glow in the evening. In a dining room, a triple candle holder (£30) adds candlelight for dinner; keep it clear of plants and paper, and never leave it burning unattended.
9. Leave a third empty
Empty space is part of the arrangement. If every inch is covered, nothing stands out; leaving a gap between groups makes each one easier to see.
10. Change it with the seasons
Swap the stems and the small things, not the anchor pieces: tulips in spring, a bare branch in winter, and at Christmas a little greenery and candlelight. Our Christmas centrepiece ideas work on a sideboard too.
Long, narrow or in a living room?
- Long sideboard: two groups of three with space between them, or one large piece in the middle with a smaller group either side.
- Narrow sideboard: slim pieces in one layer; see our guide to styling a console table.
- Living room: a lamp, art and one sculptural piece; keep the top clear enough for a speaker or a stack of records if that is what lives there.
- Dining room: keep the middle free for serving dishes, with decor at the ends.
Common questions
What do you put on a sideboard?
Art or a mirror above, then a few groups of three: a tall vase, a bowl and a low stack of books, with one plant or terrarium and a lamp. Leave some of the top empty.
How do you style a long sideboard?
Use one larger anchor piece or two balanced groups, and leave clear space between them so the arrangement does not look crowded.
How high should art be above a sideboard?
Hang it with the bottom edge about 15 to 25cm above the top, so the art and the objects read as one arrangement.
Should a sideboard be symmetrical?
It can be, with a matching lamp or vase at each end, but an asymmetric layout with one tall end and one low end usually feels more relaxed.
Browse our statement pieces, bowls, vases and glass terrariums, or see our dining table decor ideas and how to style a mantelpiece.
