Storage furniture guide
Sideboard, buffet or credenza? What the names mean — and the sizes that matter.
The real differences between sideboards, buffets, credenzas and consoles, typical heights and depths, how much clearance to leave from the dining table, and how big to go for your wall.
In this guide
- What is the difference between a sideboard, buffet and credenza?
- Sideboard vs buffet vs credenza vs console: comparison
- How tall and deep is a sideboard?
- How much space between a dining table and a sideboard?
- Is a console table the same as a sideboard?
- What goes above a sideboard?
- The sideboard formulas
- Sideboards, buffets and credenzas from our collection
- Consoles and extending consoles
- Frequently asked questions
Number one · The difference
What is the difference between a sideboard, buffet and credenza?
3 names, mostly one piece of furniture: a long, low cabinet for storage and serving. Retailers and makers use the terms almost interchangeably. In everyday use, sideboard and buffet suggest dining-room storage for serveware and linens, credenza suggests a sleeker cabinet for a living room, office or media wall, and console means narrow.
Sideboard. The broadest term: a long storage cabinet, often on legs, with doors and drawers. The Ethnicraft Wave Sideboard is a typical example at 81″ wide and 30½″ high.
Buffet. Usually means the same cabinet used beside the dining table, with a top for serving. The Copeland Lisse Buffet stands 34¼″ high with a four-door cabinet.
Credenza. Often used for office and living-room pieces with sliding or flush doors, cord access, or files. The BDI Linq 6829 Credenza has locking file storage; the BDI Zig 7649 has hidden cord access for media or office use.
The practical takeaway: shop by size and storage, not the name. A “credenza” can be taller than a “buffet” — the Zig is 34″ high.
Side by side
Sideboard vs buffet vs credenza vs console: comparison.
| Piece | Typical height | Typical depth | Usually found | From our collection |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sideboard | 30–36″ | 16–20″ | Dining or living room | Wave (81″ × 18½″ × 30½″); Roller Max (88″ or 66″ × 18″ × 31½″) |
| Buffet | 32–36″ | 18–20″ | Dining room, for serving | Lisse (69½″ × 18½″ × 34¼″); Picasso (68″ or 82″ W × 20″ × 33″) |
| Credenza | 27–34″ | 18–20″ | Living room, office, media wall | Linq 6829 (70″ × 20″ × 29″); Astra (82.7″ × 18.9″ × 27.6″) |
| Console table | 29–33″ | 12–20″ | Entry, hallway, behind a sofa | Eda (52″ × 16″ × 31″); Cora 1173 (60″ × 16″ × 30″) |
Typical ranges reflect the middle of our own collection’s listed dimensions; product sizes are each listing’s stated W × D × H.
Number two · Standard sizes
How tall and deep is a sideboard?
30 to 36 inches is the usual sideboard and buffet height — at or a little above dining-table height, so the top works as a serving surface. Depth is typically 16 to 20 inches, and widths run from about 50 to 100 inches. Credenzas used for media or offices often sit lower, under 30 inches.
For media walls, a low credenza or media cabinet keeps the screen at a comfortable viewing height — see how to choose a modern media console. In a dining room, a taller buffet sits closer to the table’s height and is easier to serve from.
Across the 228 sideboards, buffets and credenzas in our collection that list a height, the median is 32″, with the middle 80% between 27½″ and 36″. Depth has a median of 18″ (middle 80%: 17½–20″) and width a median of 73″ (middle 80%: 51–98½″).
Number three · Next to a table
How much space between a dining table and a sideboard?
36 inches between the edge of the dining table and the front of the sideboard is a workable minimum, enough to pull out a chair and sit down. Allow 42 to 48 inches if people need to walk behind seated guests or open doors and drawers while the table is in use.
Remember to measure from the table edge, not its legs, and to include the sideboard’s depth: an 18″-deep buffet plus 42″ of clearance takes 60″ of floor from the wall to the table. For width, a sideboard about as long as the table, or somewhat shorter, keeps the room balanced. Our dining table size guide covers the rest of the room.
Number four · Console vs sideboard
Is a console table the same as a sideboard?
16 inches is the median depth of the console tables in our collection, against 18 inches for sideboards — and consoles usually have little or no enclosed storage. A console is a narrow surface for an entry, hallway or the back of a sofa; a sideboard is a storage cabinet. Choose a console when floor space is tight.
Entry & hall
The Ethnicraft Eda is 52″ × 16″ × 31″.
Behind a sofa or under a TV
The BDI Cora 1173 (60″ × 16″ × 30″) adds lined drawers and a lower shelf.
Console that becomes a table
The Ozzio Golia is 14″ deep as a console and opens in stages to 105″.
Compact extension
The Ozzio Sakura extends to about 98½″ with four 50 cm leaves.
Across 121 console tables in our collection with stated dimensions, the median height is 30″ (middle 80%: 29½–33″) and the median depth 16″ (middle 80%: 12–19¾″).
Number five · Above it
What goes above a sideboard?
6 to 10 inches above the top of the sideboard is the usual gap for the bottom of a mirror or artwork, and the piece looks best at about two-thirds to three-quarters of the sideboard’s width. On an 81-inch sideboard, that means art or a mirror roughly 54 to 61 inches wide, or a grouping that spans it.
A mirror bounces light from the window across the dining room; art adds color. Either way, hang it relative to the furniture, not the ceiling. Lamps at each end of a long sideboard frame the piece and put light where you serve.
Our guide to how high to hang art, wall sculpture and mirrors has the full measurements. Browse mirrors and wall sculptures.
Quick math
The sideboard formulas.
Worked example. The Copeland Lisse Buffet is 69½″ wide and 18½″ deep. With 42″ of clearance, the table edge sits about 60½″ from the wall. Two-thirds to three-quarters of 69½″ is about 46–52″, so the 47¼″ Ozzio Sea Mirror fits above it, hung 6–10″ above the top.
Our picks
Sideboards, buffets and credenzas from our collection.
Ethnicraft · solid oak · 81″ × 18½″ × 30½″
Wave sideboard
$4,789
An Alain van Havre design with a softly waved front.
View details
Ethnicraft · solid oak · 88″ or 66″ × 18″ × 31½″
Roller Max Sideboard
From $3,349
Two widths in the Roller Max family by Alain van Havre.
View details
Copeland · cherry or walnut · 69½″ × 18½″ × 34¼″
Lisse Buffet
$5,216.80
Four doors, adjustable interior trays and soft-close hardware, made in Vermont.
View details
ALF Group · Made in Italy · 68″ or 82″ wide
Picasso Buffet Sideboard
From $1,569
Vertical carving high gloss with cabinet and drawer storage.
View details
BDI · 79½″ × 18″ × 34″
Zig 7649 Storage Credenza
$4,499
Molded fluted doors, adjustable glass shelves and hidden cord access.
View details
BDI · office credenza · 70″ × 20″ × 29″
BDI LINQ 6829 Credenza
$3,499
Locking file storage and a push-to-open tray for a printer.
View details
Interior Moderna · 82.7″ × 18.9″ × 27.6″
Astra Credenza
$11,000
A sculptural, made-to-order credenza in nanoplated birchwood.
View details
Ethnicraft · console · 52″ × 16″ × 31″
Eda Console
$1,599
A slim profile for entryways and living walls.
View detailsConsole to table
Consoles that extend into dining tables.
Ozzio Italia · 14″ to 105″
Golia Console / Extension Table
$6,150
An aluminum telescopic mechanism with five matching 50 cm extensions.
View details
Ozzio Italia · extends to ~98½″
Sakura Extension Console Table
$4,331
A console-to-table with four 50 cm leaves on a sculptural metal base.
View details
BDI · 60″ × 16″ × 30″
Cora 1173 Console Table
$1,999
Louvered front, lined drawers and a lower shelf; designed by Matthew Weatherly.
View detailsMore in our guide to extendable dining tables for holiday hosting.
From the makers
Watch a console become a dining table.
The Golia extendable console, from the official OZZIO ITALIA YouTube channel.
Sideboard questions
Frequently asked
What is the difference between a sideboard and a buffet?
In practice, very little. Both are long, low storage cabinets; buffet usually refers to one used for serving beside the dining table, and sideboard is the broader term used in dining and living rooms.
What is a credenza used for?
A credenza is a low storage cabinet often used in living rooms, offices and media walls. Office credenzas, like the BDI Linq 6829, may include locking file drawers; others add cord access for electronics.
How tall is a standard sideboard?
Usually 30 to 36 inches. In our collection, the median height for sideboards, buffets and credenzas is 32 inches.
How deep is a sideboard?
Typically 16 to 20 inches. The median depth in our collection is 18 inches. Console tables are shallower, with a median of 16 inches.
How far should a sideboard be from the dining table?
At least 36 inches from the table edge so chairs can pull out, and 42 to 48 inches if people need to walk behind seated guests.
How big should a mirror or art be over a sideboard?
About two-thirds to three-quarters of the sideboard’s width, hung with the bottom edge 6 to 10 inches above the top.
Can a sideboard be used as a TV stand?
Yes, if it is deep enough for the TV base and has cord access. Many credenzas, like the BDI Zig 7649, include hidden cord access for media use. Lower pieces put the screen at a more comfortable viewing height.
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