Sideboard – 10 Easy Upgrades That Actually Work

Introduction

We often treat sideboards as the unsung workhorses of the home. They hold the holiday dishes, hide the overflow of kids’ toys, or serve as the dumping ground for mail and keys the moment we walk through the door. But from an architectural perspective, a sideboard provides a critical anchor to a room, offering horizontal weight that balances out vertical windows and doorways.

When a client tells me their dining room or entryway feels “unfinished,” the culprit is almost always a sideboard that is either cluttered, wrongly scaled, or styling that has gone stale. I once worked with a family who had a beautiful mid-century credenza covered in scratches and buried under paperwork. By simply refinishing the top and establishing a “lighting zone,” we completely changed the energy of the room without buying a single new piece of furniture. For plenty of visual inspiration on how these upgrades look in real homes, make sure to check out the Picture Gallery at the end of this blog post.

You do not need a massive budget to transform this piece of furniture. Whether you are renting a studio or designing a forever home, upgrading a sideboard is about fixing the function and refining the aesthetics. Below, I have outlined 10 specific, actionable upgrades—ranging from hardware swaps to evidence-based lighting adjustments—that will elevate your space immediately.

1. Correcting Scale and Architecture

The most effective upgrade costs nothing but effort: adjusting the placement. In architecture, we look at spatial relationships between objects. A common mistake is pushing a sideboard into a corner or centering it on a wall without considering the furniture around it.

If your sideboard is in a dining room, flow is paramount. You need a minimum of 36 inches between the edge of the sideboard and the back of your dining chairs when they are tucked in. If you have the space, 42 to 48 inches is the “Gold Standard” for a comfortable walkway behind a seated guest.

If the sideboard feels too small for a long wall, do not center it alone. This creates “floating furniture syndrome,” which makes the room feel disconnected. Instead, anchor it by placing a tall plant or a floor lamp on one side to visually extend the footprint of the piece.

Designer’s Note: The Height Rule
In a dining setting, the ideal sideboard height is 30 to 36 inches. This is standard counter height or slightly lower. This allows you to use the surface for serving food buffet-style. If your sideboard is significantly lower (under 28 inches), it will look more like a media console. To upgrade a low piece, consider mounting it on the wall as a floating unit or adding taller legs, which I will discuss later.

2. The Stone Remnant Upgrade

If you have a generic IKEA sideboard or a vintage piece with a damaged wood top, this is my favorite high-impact upgrade. Adding a custom stone top instantly increases the perceived value of the furniture. It also adds a layer of durability that is essential for pet owners or parents.

Go to a local stone fabricator and ask to see their “boneyard” or remnant pile. You can often find high-end marble, quartz, or soapstone scraps for a fraction of the cost of a slab. Have them cut it to the exact dimensions of your sideboard top with a polished edge.

From an evidence-based design perspective, introducing natural materials like stone can have a grounding effect on the room’s atmosphere. Furthermore, if you use the sideboard as a bar or serving station, stone is far more hygienic and easier to clean than wood.

Pet-Friendly Tip:
If you have cats that love to jump on furniture, a polished quartz top is fantastic. It is cool to the touch (which they love in summer), but more importantly, it is impervious to claw scratches and the occasional hairball cleanup. Wood veneers often swell if a liquid sits on them for too long, but stone is forgiving.

3. Hardwiring Sconces (Or Faking It)

Lighting is the number one tool architects use to define a mood. A sideboard usually relies on table lamps, which are great, but installing wall sconces above the piece elevates the look to a custom architectural feature.

Ideally, you want two sconces flanking a piece of central art. The general rule for spacing is that the sconces should be positioned roughly halfway between the art and the edge of the sideboard. Vertically, the center of the light source should be about 60 to 66 inches from the floor, depending on your ceiling height.

If you are a renter or do not want to hire an electrician, use the “puck light hack.” Buy beautiful sconces, mount them to the wall, and place a battery-operated remote-controlled puck light inside the shade. You get the high-end look without cutting into the drywall.

Common Mistakes + Fixes:

• Mistake: Installing sconces too high.
• Fix: The lights should relate to the furniture, not the ceiling. If they are closer to the crown molding than the sideboard, they are too high. Keep them connected to the vignette.
• Mistake: Using cool white bulbs.
• Fix: Always aim for a color temperature of 2700K to 3000K. This mimics the warmth of incandescent bulbs and creates a welcoming, low-stress environment.

4. Swapping Hardware for visual Weight

Standard knobs and pulls are often an afterthought for manufacturers. Swapping them out is the easiest DIY task with the biggest visual return. However, the upgrade fails if you get the scale wrong.

For a substantial piece of furniture like a sideboard, tiny knobs can look cheap. I recommend upgrading to longer pulls or oversized knobs. If your current doors have a single hole, you can use a backplate to cover the old hole and add a sense of history and detail to the piece.

When choosing a finish, look at the other metals in the room, but do not feel the need to match perfectly. If you have a black chandelier, unlacquered brass hardware on the sideboard creates a sophisticated, curated mix.

What I’d do in a real project:

• Measure the “center-to-center” distance of existing screw holes before buying anything.
• Buy one sample knob first to check the feel. Ergonomics matter—if it is uncomfortable to pull a heavy drawer, it is bad design.
• Consider “edge pulls” for a modern, sleek look. They mount to the top of the door and disappear, letting the wood grain shine.

5. Adding Legs to Create Airflow

Heavy, boxy sideboards that sit directly on the floor can make a small room feel smaller. In evidence-based design, being able to see the floor extend underneath furniture helps the brain perceive the room as more spacious.

You can purchase heavy-duty furniture legs online in various styles—mid-century tapered, industrial metal, or classic bun feet. Adding just 4 to 6 inches of height can transform a heavy chest into an elegant buffet.

This is also a massive functional upgrade for pet owners. A sideboard that sits flush with the floor accumulates a ridge of pet hair and dust that is difficult to clean. Raising the unit allows your robot vacuum or broom to pass underneath easily, improving indoor air quality and reducing allergens.

Installation Safety:
If you add legs, you change the center of gravity. You must anchor the sideboard to the wall. This is non-negotiable in households with children or pets. A top-heavy piece can easily tip over when a drawer is opened.

6. The “Rule of Three” Styling Upgrade

Styling is where many people freeze. They either clutter the surface or leave it too bare. To fix this, we use the “Rule of Three” and the concept of triangulation.

Visual interest is created by grouping objects in odd numbers (usually three). Your brain processes odd numbers as dynamic and interesting, whereas even numbers can feel stagnant.

Create a triangle of height.
1. High point: A tall lamp or a large vase with branches on one side.
2. Medium point: A piece of art leaning against the wall or a sculpture.
3. Low point: A stack of books or a shallow bowl for keys.

Avoid lining items up like soldiers in a row. Create depth by overlapping them slightly. Place the lamp slightly in front of the leaning art. Place the small bowl on top of the books. This layering adds professional polish.

7. The Biophilic Injection

Biophilic design connects us to nature, which is proven to lower cortisol levels and heart rate. A sideboard is the perfect vehicle for this. However, a small succulent is not enough to make an impact here.

Upgrade the space by using oversized natural elements. Large branches (foraged or faux) in a heavy ceramic vase add drama and height without visual clutter. They draw the eye up, emphasizing ceiling height.

Pet-Friendly Plant Guide:
As an expert in pet-friendly interiors, I cannot stress this enough: check toxicity. Lilies are fatal to cats. Sago palms are fatal to dogs.

• Safe High-Impact Options: Spider Plants (non-toxic), Boston Ferns (lush and safe), or Olive branches (safe).
• The Water Tip: If you use real branches in water, ensure the vase is heavy and stable. Cats love to drink “branch water,” and dogs can knock over light glass vases with a waging tail. Use museum putty (quake wax) on the bottom of the vase to secure it to the sideboard.

8. Internal Organization Systems

An upgrade is not just about what you see; it is about how the piece functions. If opening your sideboard causes anxiety because things fall out, it is not serving you.

Treat the inside of your sideboard like a kitchen cabinet. Add tiered shelf risers for platters so you do not have to unstack ten plates to get to the one you need. Use felt bins for linens (napkins, tablecloths) to keep them from smelling musty or getting dusty.

If you use the sideboard as a bar, invest in a shallow tray to corral bottles inside the cabinet. This prevents sticky rings on the shelves and makes it easy to pull the whole collection out when entertaining.

9. The Art of Scale (Wall Décor)

The wall space above the sideboard is part of the unit’s visual footprint. A common error is hanging a piece of art that is too small. A tiny frame floating above a wide buffet looks anxious and lost.

The Golden Ratio for Art:
The art (or mirror) above your sideboard should be approximately two-thirds the width of the furniture piece. If your sideboard is 60 inches wide, your art (or collection of art) should span about 40 inches.

If you do not have one large piece, create a gallery wall that fills that same footprint. When hanging the art, keep it connected to the furniture. The bottom of the frame should be 4 to 8 inches above the tabletop. Any higher, and the eye perceives them as two separate, unrelated elements.

10. Lighting the Interior

This is a subtle upgrade that adds a “wow” factor usually reserved for high-end custom joinery. Install motion-sensor LED light strips inside the cabinets or drawers.

These lights are battery-operated and rechargeable. When you open the door to grab a serving platter during a dimmer dinner party, the interior illuminates. It makes finding items easier and adds a distinct layer of luxury.

From a cognitive perspective, being able to see into dark corners reduces frustration. It transforms a dark cavern into a functional storage space. It is a twenty-dollar upgrade that makes the piece feel like it cost two thousand.

Finish & Styling Checklist

Before you call your project complete, run through this checklist. I use a similar mental list when I am doing the final walk-through of a client’s home.

• The Shake Test: Is the sideboard stable? If you added legs, does it wobble? If yes, use shims and anchor it to the wall immediately.
• The Cord Check: Are lamp cords visible? Use zip ties or adhesive cord clips to run wires down the back leg of the furniture. Cords kill the illusion of high design.
• The Layering Check: Do you have objects at three different heights? (Tall, Medium, Low).
• The Texture Balance: Do you have a mix of materials? If the sideboard is wood, avoid wooden bowls. Add glass, metal, stone, or ceramic to create contrast.
• The “Life” Element: Is there something organic? A plant, a wooden sculpture, or fresh flowers to bring energy to the vignette.
• The Clearance: Can you walk past the sideboard without turning your shoulder? If not, the placement needs adjusting.

FAQs

Q: Can I put a TV on my sideboard?
A: Yes, but scale is critical. The TV should not be wider than the sideboard. Ideally, there should be at least 3 to 4 inches of sideboard surface visible on either side of the TV screen. If the TV overhangs the edges, it looks precarious and visually overwhelming.

Q: What is the difference between a sideboard, a buffet, and a credenza?
A: In modern usage, the terms are interchangeable, but traditionally:

• Buffet: Used in the dining room, usually has longer legs.
• Sideboard: Can be used in dining or living areas, often has shorter legs and cabinets down to the floor.
• Credenza: Lower to the ground, longer, and originally used in offices or living rooms.

For styling purposes, the rules of scale I listed above apply to all three.

Q: My rental apartment has a built-in sideboard I hate. What can I do?
A: If you cannot paint it, change the hardware. Keep the old screws and knobs in a bag taped inside the cabinet so you can swap them back when you move. You can also use contact paper on the flat surfaces of the shelves or the top for a temporary color change.

Q: How do I protect my sideboard from water rings without using ugly coasters?
A: If you didn’t do the stone upgrade, have a piece of glass cut to fit the top. It is invisible protection. Alternatively, style the surface with “landing zones”—a large tray for drinks and a stack of books for setting down cups. This guides guests on where to place their items naturally.

Conclusion

Upgrading a sideboard does not require a contractor or a massive line of credit. It requires looking at the piece through the lens of a designer: assessing scale, improving function, and layering textures.

By focusing on the architecture of the placement, the tactile quality of the hardware, and the psychological impact of lighting and biophilia, you turn a simple storage unit into a focal point. Remember that a home is not a museum; it is a living space. These upgrades are designed to make your home more durable for pets, more organized for your sanity, and more beautiful for your enjoyment.

Start with one upgrade—perhaps the hardware swap or the lamp placement—and see how the energy in the room shifts. Good design is iterative, and these small changes add up to a significant transformation.

Picture Gallery