Choosing a sideboard for the dining room

Measure the wall first. A sideboard roughly as long as the table, or about two-thirds of the wall, keeps the room balanced, so a 1.6 m or 1.8 m piece suits a long wall and a 1.2 m piece sits well beside a smaller table. Most are about 40 cm deep, so check there is still 75 to 90 cm between the sideboard and the backs of the chairs, plus room for doors and drawers to open.

Standard heights of about 71 cm to 80 cm put the top near table height, which makes serving easy, while tall sideboards add storage on a narrow wall. Laminated board wipes clean easily, veneer shows real wood grain and needs coasters and a dry cloth, and a sintered stone top such as the Frome 1.8m Sideboard (With Sintered Stone) copes well with warm dishes and spills.

Leave a small gap behind the sideboard so air can circulate, which helps prevent damp and mould against the wall in humid weather.