Finding a piece of furniture that fits perfectly in your home is an exciting accomplishment, and one that you should be proud of. But in the case of a sideboard, finding that piece of furniture is only half the battle! To get the most out of your sideboard, follow these helpful tips for how to decorate your farmhouse sideboard like a pro.
A Brief Overview of Farmhouse Style
Farmhouse style is pretty much what it sounds like—classic décor reminiscent of a farmhouse home. It’s known for being a cozy, comfortable, and practical style that seems to draw and welcome people into the home. Farmhouse style typically features sturdy, wooden pieces in neutral colors like white, brown, or subtle pastels. Farmhouse pieces should not look messy, but they may look slightly weathered, and it’s not necessary that every piece of furniture you have matches the rest. In addition to including elements of traditional farmhouse style, modern farmhouse homes may include some industrial-inspired elements, like metallic finishes on some pieces or exposed pipes. Farmhouse style is quite versatile, and it’s a beautiful, homey décor style that can work in most homes.
Tips and Tricks for Decorating Your Sideboard
Once you’ve found the perfect piece of farmhouse furniture, the next step is to tastefully arrange and decorate it. Whether your sideboard is in your dining room or your entryway hall, it can benefit from some good farmhouse décor! Below are some tips to help you decorate your sideboard well.
Consider Your Sideboard’s Function
Before you even begin decorating your sideboard, stop for a moment and consider its location in your home and its intended function. Is your sideboard in the living room and intended as an entertainment center? Is it in your kitchen or dining room and meant to house your dishes and cutlery? Or is it in your entryway, giving guests a first impression of your home and offering you a convenient place to put your keys? Determine whether your sideboard’s purpose is purely aesthetic or more functional—the answer will guide you in your decorating endeavors.
Pick a Color Scheme
No matter the specifics of your sideboard’s décor, you want the look to be cohesive. Choose a color scheme and general style with which you’ll decorate; this will keep your decorations from clashing with one another and give you a basic idea of what items you’ll need to decorate.
Incorporate Farmhouse Decorations and Materials
Since you’re decorating a farmhouse sideboard, you may very well want to use some farmhouse-style decorations! Plants, accessories made of wood or wicker, farmhouse style signs, candles, simple dishes, or small photographs would all look at home on a farmhouse style sideboard. In farmhouse style, it’s quite common to see old items repurposed as decorations, so if you are lacking inspiration, try visiting an antique store or a thrift store to see what you can find.
Add a Backdrop
A backdrop to your sideboard is sometimes just the thing to need to tie the room together. Try hanging a large mirror behind your sideboard to accent the piece and give the illusion of a larger room. Alternatively, you could choose a rustic piece of art to hang behind your sideboard or combine several smaller pieces to create a gallery wall.
Arrange Items in Groups
Once you know which decorations you’d like to place on your sideboard, think about arranging those items in groups. Sets of items strategically grouped together will be much more visually interesting than items randomly and haphazardly strewn across the surface of the sideboard. If you’re using books in your décor, group a few of them together and set another item next to or on top of the books. Consider creating a layering effect by staggering items of different sizes and shapes slightly in front of or behind one another. When arranging your groups, it’s also helpful to remember the triangle rule—group items such that they form the general shape of a triangle, with taller items next to shorter items.
Use Heights to Your Advantage
One good way to diversify the appearance of your sideboard is to choose decorations of varying heights. Decorations that are all exactly the same shape or size would end up looking pretty boring! To start, place your largest items where you’d like them on your sideboard. Once you’ve placed those, fill in the remaining space with your smaller items. Using this method to arrange objects will keep the sideboard from becoming overcrowded. Place items of different sizes and heights next to one another for a more visually interesting setup.
Don’t Clutter It
Be warned—there is such a thing as overdecorating. Don’t put so many things on your sideboard that it becomes a cluttered eyesore. Instead, limit the number of decorations on the surface and space them out well. If you’ve long been cramming as much as possible on your sideboard or have been using its surface primarily for the storage space, the less busy display might take some visual getting used to. But once your eyes adjust, you’ll come to appreciate the more minimalistic design.
Add a Hutch
Do you need some extra storage space or a place to display your fine china? A hutch is the perfect companion for a sideboard. If you have yet to choose a sideboard, consider adding a farmhouse buffet and hutch set to your home. If you already have a sideboard, you can purchase a hutch separately to rest on top of your sideboard. Adding a hutch will give you several extra shelves to work with for storage or display purposes—or even both!
Don’t Be Afraid To Change Things Up
As you decorate your sideboard, remember that you can always redecorate later if you don’t like the look you’ve created on the first try, or if you eventually get tired of it. That’s part of the beauty of a sideboard—since they don’t have as much surface space as some other types of furniture, it doesn’t take long to redecorate. Feel free to try out a different design with a new set of decorations whenever you get that redecorating itch.
And now you know the basics of how to decorate your farmhouse sideboard like a pro! Use these tips as guidelines for when you start decorating, but remember—they’re not solid rules. If you find that you like the look of an arrangement not derived from these tips, then go with it. Ultimately, your home should be a place that you’re comfortable, and the decorations on your sideboard should bring a satisfied smile to your face.
