Traditionally, a is used for serving food.
A dining sideboard is a type of furniture that has been in use since 1770. Its traditional role has been as a convenient but elegant place for carving meats and serving food for the table. A sideboard contains a large flat surface with storage areas below and usually has legs rather than a solid base. Dining sideboards are found in almost any furniture store that offers furniture.
History of the Sideboard
In the 18th century, people began using a stone-topped side table to cut and serve meats and other foods. It was sometimes called a side "board." The term referred to its flat surface but also to the fact that a meal could be laid upon it, such as in the phrase "room and board." The sideboard as an elegant piece of furniture initially appeared in England, with Hepplewhite producing some of the first. It developed into an essential piece containing drawers and cabinets for storing platters and utensils in a well-appointed dining room. Sideboards sometimes had an additional piece on top, which often held a mirror.
Styles
In traditional sideboards, a serpentine front was common, as well as a straight front and curved or D-shaped front. Less common was the concave front, but all of these styles are found in antiques and antique reproductions today. Hepplewhite and Sheraton styles and their reproductions exhibit simple lines or curves and long, straight legs. Federal style, George III and Regency styles and their reproductions also exhibit clean lines and curves, but bodies may be fuller with more storage space and shorter legs. Sideboards in the classical style are based on ancient Greek and Roman designs and therefore have ornate carvings. Transitional and contemporary styles of sideboards offer a variety of shapes and lines.
Sizes, Woods and Finishes
Sideboards are available in finishes to suit your decor.
The height of a sideboard normally ranges from 35 to 45 inches. The width can vary a great deal -- from just over 3 feet to over 7 feet wide. Mahogany, sometimes combined with birds-eye maple, is the most common wood found in antiques and is still common in today's reproductions. Cherry is also a favorite in traditional styles. In contemporary and transitional styles, oak is often used as well as mahogany, maple and cherry. Hardwoods such as these are preferable for a sideboard that must endure heavy use. All types of finishes are available in sideboards produced today, including painted and metallic finishes.
Function in Today's Home
A formal dining room in the modern home may not be used as often as it was a hundred years ago, and today's kitchens offer much larger areas for preparing food for serving. Sideboards continue to provide storage for china, utensils and table linens but often display decorative items on tops that are seldom used for slicing meats or other foods. Large sideboards are sometimes used as buffets for parties, with an array of food in individual portions which guests can serve themselves. Not all uses for sideboards in today's home involve food. If searching for a showpiece for a foyer, entryway or large hallway, a sideboard can make a dramatic statement.
Tags: dining room, dining sideboard, flat surface, found antiques, lines curves