Buffet for the living room: the rules of choice

The living room sideboard is one of the oldest pieces of furniture used in homes and apartments. And although the buffets are not as in demand now as they were a few decades ago, there is still a place for them in the interior of a modern apartment.

A bit of history

For the first time, luxury buffets were used to decorate living rooms in the distant 18th century. On their shelves exhibited beautiful dishes, which then was a rarity. Products made of porcelain or ceramic sets attracted enthusiastic views of the guests and confirmed the high status of the apartment owners.

During the times of the Soviet Union, beautiful cupboards and sideboards were also often met in the drawing rooms. Then preferred cheap and practical furniture made of wood. To date, such furniture is still found in many houses and apartments, but preference is given to either comfortable metal cupboards and chipboard, or antique-styled products.

Species

Now there are many types of buffets. This is a classic model, and more modern and practical.

Classic cabinets of this type take up a lot of space and are filled with a huge number of shelves. This is not surprising: after all, they were previously installed in spacious rooms, where it was not necessary to save space. In the modern version of this buffet there is a place even for a niche for TV.

Another option is classic sideboards. They are used as showcases for storing dishes. Now without such a cabinet is quite possible to do. But if you want to stylize the interior for one of the past eras, then this design solution is quite suitable for you.

The most compact and modern cupboards are corner ones. As their name implies, they are placed in the corner. As a rule, this is where the place is empty. It is therefore very advantageous to put the cupboard in the corner and fill it with things that could decorate the shelves, chest of drawers and free tables.

Colors

The color of such furniture also differs. The most popular colors are brown, white, black or gray. The final choice of color depends on the style in which you decorate the room, and what kind of atmosphere you want to create.

The most frequent choice of customers is buffets of different shades of brown. All these tones give the room comfort. This is especially true for such shades as coffee, sand or light brown. White color is good because the models made of this material do not seem so big. Therefore, if you are looking for furniture for a small room - a white sideboard will be the perfect solution.

Pay attention to the appointment. The product, made in the classical style, must necessarily have a high quality. You should also decide how to use this piece of furniture.

In modern style, dressers and cupboards made of darker materials look good. They are perfectly combined with a light background and bright accents. For example, colored pillows.

How to choose?

If you have never had a buffet, and you do not know what to choose, then you can use simple tips from experts who have been searching for furniture for different rooms for more than a year.

First of all, decide on the size of the buffet you need. The larger the room, the more dimensional it is possible to put a sideboard in it.In a tiny living room, where there is not enough free space, it is better to put a small chest of drawers, or to fix a hanging showcase above the sofa. Such furniture looks beautiful and does not take too much space.

If there is a lot of space, then a small showcase will look inappropriate. You, on the contrary, should find a beautiful massive sideboard with curved legs or a cupboard, where there is a place for souvenirs and various beautiful things. As for the basics of the buffet, Natural wood is considered the highest quality material. Next is a solid metal. Affordable and decent are the cupboards made of chipboard or MDF.

You should also check the quality of the fittings. It must be reliable and durable. Check how well your lockers open, and whether the fixtures are missing.

Styles

In addition to other features of the appearance of cabinets, it is important that they also perfectly fit into the style of the room in which they will be. For example, the original vintage cabinet does not always look good indoors in a modern or minimalist style.

Classic

Much changes over time, but the love of the classics remains unchanged.Luxury antiques that are able to serve their owners for years, as valued, and continue to be appreciated.

Spectacular buffet in a classic style, no doubt, will become a real decoration of your living room. As a rule, such furniture is made of durable wood, mostly dark shades.

The classic buffet can be divided into two main sections. The first is the open shelves, protected by a layer of impact-resistant glass. They put all the things that they want to show guests. It can be antique plates, some prizes, hand made trinkets and so on.

The lower part of the buffet is hidden from prying eyes behind the doors. It is convenient to store equipment, documents, and so on.

Classic sideboards can be not only massive and tall, but also quite compact. It is worth noting the fact that a wardrobe in a classic style does not always cost too much. It is possible to find a budget option for furniture.

Buying a classic wardrobe made of wood, you can prolong your life so that the money will not be wasted.

Do not put a sideboard made of natural wood or chipboard in places with high humidity or low temperature, and do not forget to wipe the surface with special means,that prolong the life of wood.

Provence style

Houses in French villages are also often supplemented with antique furniture and beautiful cupboards. If you want to create an atmosphere of French ease in your home, then you should look for something similar to the cabinets in Provencal houses.

First of all, it is furniture made of light wood or solid dark wood. Dark colors contrast well with light fabrics and floral wallpaper, while light ones look light and cute on their own. If you wish, you can not even buy an old wardrobe in the style of Provence, but to style the furniture that you already have at your disposal.

Paint the sideboard with a thin layer of white or any light paint, go over the dried surface with sandpaper, and you will be surprised by the changes.

You can decorate the base of the light buffet with elegant paintings or colored stickers with various plants.

Vintage

Vintage style has common features with previous stylistic trends. In this case, the room is styled antique. Used and antique furniture, and decor, and decoration under the past era. Most often, this is the Victorian era or the "golden twenties."

For such a luxurious room to choose a beautiful wardrobe is not so difficult. As in the previous case, you can decorate the furniture yourself. There are several basic techniques of aging things.

The very first is brushing. If you choose this technology, then you need skins and hard brushes, with which you will remove the top layer of paint or varnish. This is a deep enough treatment, so you need to prepare the surface in advance and be extremely careful not to damage your closet. Brushing allows you to decorate the base of the cabinet with small cracks and scuffs.

Another way to visually wipe out the surface of your closet is to resort to the technique of limeing (lime effect). In this case, you will not harm the surface of the cabinet, but rather, cover it with an additional layer of paint.

Choose the material of the desired color and texture and apply to the surface of the walls and doors with uneven strokes. It is not necessary that the paint lay evenly, slight negligence will only decorate your closet.

When choosing a paint for such a cabinet finish, be aware that whatever shade in the can, when applied and dried it will change and darken a little.

One of the most beautiful methods of aging is tree aging. With this word, experts designate the process of applying a light layer of gilding on wood. This result can be achieved even using gold acrylic paint, which is not so expensive. Just a few strokes, and your buffet will look no worse than an expensive antiques. This vintage cabinet fits perfectly with leather furniture, fabric wall coverings and other semi-antique products.

Modern

One can not do without the mention of modern furniture. If all the previous styles do not like you, then you will definitely appreciate the minimalist buffet made of metal or dark wood. Such furniture is not at all like antique display cases and sideboards. But this can not be called a disadvantage.

Beautiful modern cabinets can be complemented with fashionable knick-knacks as well as vintage sets. In the first case, you get a good example of a buffet, suitable for a fashionable living room in the style of high-tech or loft. In the second - an original combination that will emphasize your individuality. This cabinet will decorate any room, standing out from the rest of the furniture.Choose your style, and remember that it is not necessary to spend big money on the buffet of your dreams, because you can always change the look of the furniture with your own hands.

Learn more about how to choose a buffet for the living room, you will learn from the following video.

Comments
 Comment author

Kitchen

Wardrobe

Living room