Karen McCartney writes about the elements required for a beautifully styled sideboard or console, and finds 6 great ideas via Pinterest.

There are some things in life that are made for each other and, decoratively speaking, every console or sideboard needs to be paired with a great artwork. There is something about that large stretch of wall that requires an artful touch and this can be a single, statement-making photograph, a vintage artwork or a large-scale mirror. The trick is to place, or prop, the artwork for maximum effect, to consider the proportions of both the furniture and art, looking at frame material for visual links and a point of connection. The flat surface of the sideboard allows for a play of objects – books, lamps, clusters of ceramics and flowers. These elements help break the rigidity of the more structured components and provide an opportunity for creative expression. Play with symmetry and asymmetry, textures and a variety of heights until you find the combination that works perfectly.


Image via Splendid Avenue

This is such a successful colour combination with the honey-toned timber of aged office filing drawers combining with the more decorative lamps that are similar but intriguingly different. The soft, ethereal blue of the artwork is large enough to have a presence, but due to its gentle colour it works with, rather than against the arrangement. Books in small stacks give the sense that it is a used surface not just reserved for display purposes.


Image by Jeltje Fotografie

What appears at first to be a conflict of scale is in fact the very thing that makes this arrangement work. The table is slim, low and of simple construction whereas the artwork has a more decorative, assertive presence. In an even bolder move the black vessel is placed front and centre, dominating the arrangement, with smaller vessels supporting it and adding a sense of balance and intricacy.


Image by David Ross

The mid-century timber sideboard is designed for display. Long, slim and of warm-toned wood, the surface is perfect for a range of ceramics, propped artworks and an industrial light. The relationship with the artworks above it is particularly strong with the tonal play of the frame echoing the dominant timber of the cabinet.


Image via Afflante

When less is more, the items need to be chosen with great confidence. Here a few simple pieces speak volumes. An over-scale light is the only semi-spherical shape in a highly linear composition. The slim console becomes the surface to prop a large, moody photograph and the upholstered seat echoes the elongated shape while adding softness. A few decorative pieces are placed on the console to add a touch of decorative interest – but they are kept to a minimum.


Image via Tone-on-tone

This Swedish sideboard is a beautifully measured piece in soft grey tones which are elegantly echoed in the mirror. Note the proportions and the relationship between the two pieces in terms of colour and central placement. By keeping all the vessels showcased on top of it white and adding a white orchid for height the simplicity of the scheme is maintained.


Image via A Concept by Anna

The subtle play of white on white is broken only by the grey of a spherical vase and the aluminium of the Tolix chair at the table. The artworks placed side by side provide a soft backdrop hanging, as they do, over the wall-hung cabinet. The whole looks embodies 'soft modern' and is enlivened with a flash of greenery.