When you think of dining room furniture, your mind probably turns to the dining room table and chairs. Those are justified thoughts since they are the main players in the room. However, you also have storage options for the dining room, ranging from a simple place to keep your silver to cabinets where you stash large servingware.

Find out about the items of furniture used for storage in the dining room.

1. Console Table

The console table is the smallest item of furniture on this list. The original console tables were half-moons with two legs. S-brackets called consoles — hence, the name — affixed the table to the neighboring wall. As Home Edit points out, modern-day console tables are both functional and fashionable.

Some console tables feature multiple shelves or cubbies, and others even incorporate shallow drawers. You can use them to display servingware or to store silverware.

2. Server

A server is also a relatively small item of furniture. They're usually about waist height and fairly narrow, though servers are deeper than the average console table. They get their name from their original function — as a place for servers to set plates down. They're often formal in look and usually feature drawers.

Servers are another good area for the storage of flatware. They're about the same height as the table, so you can lay food out there, too.

3. Buffet

A buffet is the same height as a server. However, it features cabinetry on top of mid-length legs. Some models also feature drawers. The doors can hinge or slide, and you can choose doors with glass panes so you can see inside. As the name suggests, the original purpose was to serve food.

A buffet affords you more storage. With glass-paned models, the addition of a lighted interior will make for an attractive display. You can still serve food from the top.

4. Credenza

A credenza is a low cabinet with very short or no legs. Typically, they feature sliding doors. The original purpose of the credenza was to store dishes that testers needed to taste before serving them to nobility. The regained popularity in the mid-century, and they tend to be a staple of mid-century modern décor.

Credenzas aren't quite as tall as buffets, so you're more likely to create a display on top rather than serve food from it. You can store a lot inside.

5. Sideboard

Many people use the terms buffet and sideboard interchangeably, and they don't have many differences. Indeed, the only real difference is some sideboards feature a hutch on top. Some hutches are specialized to display servingware.

In addition to storage, a sideboard is a good method for displaying your servingware.

Choose the features from the above options that best work for your dining room.

Share