Sideboards and chests of drawers aren't just practical. With a little creativity and skill, they can become real eye-catchers in your home. With just a few simple touches, you can show off decorative objects to their best advantage and highlight your personal style.
To help you decorate your sideboard at home, we've put together some tips and ideas.
How to decorate a sideboard – what to consider:
- Sideboard decor: the objects that work best
- Practical decor for every room
- Decorating your sideboard for the seasons
- Design principles: how to make your decor stand out
1. Sideboard decor: the objects that work best
Ideally, decorate your sideboard with a mix of decorative pieces. Table lamps, vases, candle holders or plant pots with your favourite plants: be bold and get creative.
2. Practical decor for every room
It's a good idea to base your decor on the room your sideboard is in. With the right decoration, you won't just make it look better – you'll also make the piece more practical.
You can turn your bathroom into a comfortable yet stylish home spa. Trays work well for decorating a chest of drawers here. Arrange neatly rolled towels for a special wow factor when family and friends visit. Room fragrances and scented candles also enhance the atmosphere in your bathroom.
In the living room, pictures and vases arranged on your sideboard create a relaxed feel. Look for table lamps that put your decor in the right light. Decorative bowls and coffee table books also go well together. This way, you can turn your living room into a really cosy retreat in the evening or during the dark autumn and winter months.
In the bedroom, which often doubles as a dressing room, an ornate mirror on the chest of drawers is a practical decorative option. Candles are also a good choice for cosy moments.
In the hallway, a stylishly decorated sideboard becomes a practical place to put down your keys, wallet and other things you need when you leave the house. Especially practical: if you decorate your sideboard with a mirror, you also create a spot for a last outfit check. Ideally, choose a low sideboard here so that you can use the largest possible mirror.
If you want to decorate a sideboard in your home office, why not use decorative boxes, bowls and trays? They give you somewhere to store pens or electronic accessories. In a study in particular, plants in stylish pots are also recommended for a pleasant indoor climate. Tall chests of drawers are especially practical if you use your sideboard as a storage surface.
If you want to decorate a chest of drawers in a children's room, colourful boxes can help your child keep their toys tidy. You can also display your child's own creations or a photo of their favourite football team on the sideboard.
3. Decorating your sideboard for the seasons
With seasonal decorations, you can adapt your sideboard to the time of year and to holidays.
In spring, around Easter, you could decorate your sideboard with branches dressed for Easter in matching vases. Light-coloured pictures and decorative figures in bright colours also work particularly well at this time of year.
In summer, you can put summer flowers in a vase. Choose stylish decorative bowls to hold souvenirs from your family holiday, or display family photos in decorative picture frames.
In autumn, go for earthy tones and add candles to your sideboard decor. Tip: collect branches and lay them on top for a natural touch.
In winter, everything revolves around Christmas. Decorate your sideboard for Christmas, for example with an Advent candle arch or a nativity scene.
4. Design principles: how to make your decor stand out
How you arrange the decoration on your sideboard is essential. It determines the effect of the overall picture created by several decorative objects. Arranged thoughtfully, your decor comes into its own and creates a truly individual result.
A mix of different sizes
It's also a good idea to combine decorative objects of different sizes. This stops them from stealing the show from each other. Tip: think of it like a skyline with buildings of different heights.
Similar materials
While you should vary the size of the objects, make sure the materials and patterns match. This creates a harmonious overall look and a consistent theme.
Wall colour
Also choose a background that clearly stands out from your sideboard decor. Accent colours, mirrors and pictures work well for this. That way, your decorated sideboard really comes into its own.
Sideboard style
Black sideboards look particularly classic and are a good base for light-coloured decorative objects. Avoid dark colours when choosing your decor, as they don't stand out as well on a black sideboard.
If you want to decorate a white sideboard, on the other hand, you can use almost any colour. White shows off any decoration well. Take your cue from the rest of your interior when choosing colours.
Symmetry
If you prefer a simple, structured overall look to a livelier one, you'll like the symmetrical approach. The triangular arrangement shown in the picture fits this style well, but can of course also be used on its own. It is very pleasing to the human eye.
When arranging decorations symmetrically, though, make sure you create several groups of objects and then place each group symmetrically in relation to the others. This way, individual objects don't look randomly placed but form a cohesive picture on your sideboard or chest of drawers.
Minimalism
Individual decorative objects stand out better and have their full effect if you avoid using too many. So choose with a minimalist mindset. An odd number of decorative items also looks more appealing than an even number.
If you love minimalist interiors, you can also achieve this look with the simple symmetrical style of decoration on your sideboard. Symmetry looks tidy and supports the clean, understated appearance of a minimalist home, whereas in a more dynamically furnished home it would look too dull.
As a fan of minimalism, you probably won't want to set up entire groups of decorations. However, since individual objects arranged symmetrically look disconnected, as mentioned above, it's best to arrange several identical decorative objects symmetrically.
The golden ratio
Many people may not be familiar with the term "golden ratio" at first. You'll be surprised how often this seemingly mathematical construction crops up. The golden ratio can be found especially in nature, in the leaves of trees or in animals such as the nautilus. It is an asymmetrical ratio that people perceive as natural and harmonious.
Mentally divide the length of your sideboard into one part that is 2/3 and another that is 1/3 of the length – the dividing point is the golden ratio. You can then place decorative objects along this imaginary line, for example. This looks more interesting and harmonious to the eye than an arrangement in the middle of the sideboard. It also creates a particularly successful look, because this natural proportion feels timeless and therefore suits many trends.
If you'd rather avoid empty space and prefer to display more decorations, you can focus on the golden ratio. You can do this, for example, by giving this area its own background or by letting decorative objects extend up to it.
Layering
Layering means building up several layers of decoration, one behind and above the other. This creates impressive decorative landscapes with wonderful details on your sideboard. It's also a particularly good way to decorate chests of drawers that are narrower and deeper. You can combine the two previous methods, symmetry and the golden ratio, as you like.
Increase the height of the pieces towards the back so that each one stays visible. Highlight particularly beautiful corners with points of light, such as a table lamp, or with accents of colour from pictures in the background. Place small decorative pieces on a platform of small boxes and books.
We hope our tips help you decorate your sideboard.
