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Buffet decoration ideas


Decorating sideboards and buffets or any Flat Surface

ByYvonne Pratt 

It's easy to decorate a sideboard or a buffet so it adds to the beauty of your home with these easy tips.

Decorating sideboards and buffets in our dining rooms and other rooms in our home is so important! These are prime pieces of decor real estate that can show off our personality! Today I’m sharing easy ways to decorate a sideboard or buffet and useful, fabulous, and doable styling tips too!

It does not take a lot of time or things to decorate a buffet. With my tips, you can style a buffet beautifully in minutes.

I’ve decorated my white sideboard in three different ways to show you how easy it can be!

My white buffet is one of my favorite surfaces to decorate. I love the height and length of it! Most buffets and sideboards are wonderful areas to add pretty decor to your home!

The buffet was once in our dining room at our StoneGable house but now it is in the great room of our Tanglewood house. Buffets are not just for dining rooms!

I thought it might be helpful to show you three different ways to style a buffet. And I’ll share a couple tips that will help you use your buffet to add YOUR personality to your dining room.

Actually, any long flat surface can benefit from these easy tips!

SOME BUFFET GUIDELINES TO REMEMBER

Basic buffet decorating things to know…

A LOOK AT THE BUFFET IN A DINING ROOM

When we remodeled our StoneGable dining room (feels like a hundred years ago) I found this pretty white buffet and knew it would work in the room.

One thing I did to keep it updated and fresh was to keep my china and dishes off the top! This is very important!

Lots of dishes on the top of a buffet even in a dining room looks cluttered and dated.

Try stying it without dishes! Keep the dishes in the buffet and not on it.

The buffet decor is classic, adding a juxtaposition of bling and burlap! I love those two words together! BLING AND BURLAP!!!!

I like this decor because it looks sharp and clean and pretty!

A DINING ROOM BUFFET IS A SUPPORTING ACTOR

Your dining room table, in most cases, is the star of your dining room. And the centerpiece on it should be its Diva! Nothing in the room should show up the Diva! So the things on your buffet or sideboard should not fight for attention.

But that does not mean your buffet should not be decorated too.

Here is a decorating recipe for styling a fabulous sideboard every time.

USE SOMETHING ORGANIC ON A SIDEBOARD

Whether your buffet is in the kitchen or in your living room like mine is now all sideboards can use a few pretty organics.

Buffets and sideboards are the perfect places to add an element of organic design.

Here are a few ideas…

You might like to see how to make these moss balls. TEXTURED MOSS BALL DIY. They are so super easy!

If you are thinking about going the faux route you might like to read CREATIVE WAYS TO USE FAUX FLOWERS

USE TALL ITEMS ON EITHER END OF SIDEBOARDS AND BUFFETS

Have you heard of buffet lamps or candlesticks? You know, the tall, skinny, candle-type lamp duo that go on either side of a buffet? They were so popular years ago because they added ambient light to either side of a sideboard and added a great bit of symmetry to a buffet.

We can bring a fresher, updated look to sideboards and buffets by using the buffet lamp principle but giving it a more modern feel!

Do add something tall to either side of your buffet. A lamp with a little more heft and a tall item to the other.

The mesh lamp works on the left side of the buffet. It’s just the right size and scale for the buffet. It’s a nice tall element at one end of the buffet. And it offers another layer of lighting too!

Use something tall on the buffet opposite a lamp.

A tall vignette would also work on one side of the buffet.

I often find myself creating a simple vignette using three items. And no wonder! Our eyes and mind LOVE anything grouped in threes. To see how to use this magical number when decorating, see THE MAGIC RULE OF THREE.

ADD “BRIDGE” DECOR

It’s a good idea to add a little something to bridge a lamp and a tall item at the other end of a buffet.

Three things that are alike make a beautiful “bridge” between the lamp and the other tall element on the buffet.

Instead of the three faux ferns in the same pots, I popped the middle fern in a slightly different container and put it on a couple burlap-covered books. I think just that little difference adds a lot of interest and a bit of texture to the decor on the buffet.

TIGHT COLOR PALETTE

One easy way to create a buffet that has a cohesive look is to use the colors in the room on the buffet. For the image above I used the browns in the lamp the sand and white colors of the baskets and the greens and browns of the faux plants.

And even if your room is colorful still use a tight color palette on a buffet.

Now it’s your turn! Take a look at the buffet in your dining room. Could it use a bit of a makeover? Why not put these tips and ideas into practice during a few commercials? I know you can do it!!!!!

Here’s a great little book filled with easy-to-do home decor ideas! And it’s FREE!

10 buffet styling tips |

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(Image credit: Future)

Sideboard decor ideas can really elevate your entertaining space. As well as offering useful storage space, the sideboard is the perfect spot to display treasures and trinkets, and creates a focal point for artwork and lighting.

If you are gathering dining room ideas, don't just focus on the table – the sideboard really does have a role in your rooms scheme, too.

'Think about how you're going to bring your unique personality into the dining room to help decide how to style a sideboard,' says Ally Dowsing-Reynolds, co-CEO at home décor brand Dowsing & Reynolds .

'Books, art, photos, vases, trinkets, colors and details all provide an opportunity to say something about yourself, and make great talking points at dinner parties.'

Sideboard decor ideas

You can have a lot of fun dressing up your sideboard, and interior experts always relish the job. 

'Sideboards are some of our favorite moments to style,' says Studio Ashby . 'Art, lighting, ceramics, beautiful books and trinkets are all chic choices.'

Below, we show you the experts' top sideboard decor ideas to set your dining room apart.

1. Make it pretty yet practical

(Image credit: Neptune)

Your sideboard is the perfect spot for styling decorative objects, but don't forget it can also be used for extra storage. Glazed-fronted sideboards can make for great small dining room ideas – the space will feel less crowded than with solid furniture, plus glass allows you to show off what you're storing – albeit in a chic way.

Louise Wicksteed, Design Director at Sims Hilditch , says: 'We love to use sideboards in dining rooms as this is a great way to use the space. They are perfect for storing crockery, napkins, and cutlery to be used for more formal occasions.'

2. Highlight sideboard decor ideas with lighting

(Image credit: Arteriors)

If you are working on lighting a dining room, make space on a sideboard for lamps. This will not only allow you to create soft pools of low light – so welcome in a dining room – but will also illuminate your sideboard decor ideas. 

Helen Pett, Design Ambassador at Arteriors London , adds: 'Of course, when entertaining, the additional table space can be used for floral arrangements, beautiful china and glassware and serving platters while still sitting prettily as key part of your décor.'

3. Maximize sideboard decor ideas with a mirror

(Image credit: 'Michelle Nussbaumer and Stephen Karlisch)

If you are considering dining room wall ideas that create drama, then an antiqued glass, elaborately framed-mirror is the best find for traditional dining spaces. Plus, decorating with mirrors will double the impact of any sideboard decor ideas you're displaying – especially in smaller or dark spaces. It's a win win.

4. Display art to focus attention on sideboard decor ideas

(Image credit: Natalia Miyar)

Art, hung centrally above a sideboard, placed centrally behind a dining table, can create a focal point that frames the entire space.  

Whether it's wall-hung or propped on your sideboard, a good general rule of thumb to follow when styling your sideboard is to make the artwork around two-thirds of its width. This gives a visually pleasing proportion while also working to invigorate the space.

5. Employ the overlapping technique

(Image credit: Neptune)

To make your sideboard decor ideas feel curated, don't be afraid for your objects and anchoring pieces to 'overlap'. 

Place a lamp slightly in front of your artwork, or let foliage, twigs or flowers spread across the central piece; this will allow the finished look to feel cohesive and interactive, rather than static and flat.

6. Play with height

(Image credit: Kristin Karch Photography/The Misfit House)

One of the most important elements of styling sideboard decor is to ensure your display includes objects of varying heights to add interest to the look.

'Playing with heights and layers is essential,' states Jane Rockett of Rockett St George . 'However, this doesn’t necessarily mean putting the tallest items in the center of the sideboard. An asymmetrical display looks particularly great when styling a sideboard and allows you to build height and a focal point at just one end.'

Ally at Dowsing Reynolds adds: 'Style an uneven assortment of smaller items alongside tall or oversized items to create height and layers. Piles of books that reflect your interests alongside meaningful sculptures make great focal points.'

If you choose sideboard decor ideas that chime with your dining table decor ideas you will create a neat, coordinated look, too.

7. Group objects in threes

(Image credit: Murphy Deesign)

To make sure your sideboard decor ideas don't look higgledy-piggledy, try grouping your objects into threes for a curated finish that's easy on the eye. 

The rule of three is a great interior design tip that you can apply to many aspects of your decor scheme, and is certainly the magic number when it comes to styling for a fresh appeal.

'Much like your coffee table or shelves, styling your sideboard decor ideas is an opportunity to be playful and reveal more of your personality within your interior,' says Jane Rockett.

8. Create a tableau

(Image credit: Arteriors)

If you're feeling a little overwhelmed at the prospect of styling your sideboard decor ideas, why not create a tableau – which is simply a group of objects that, together, look like they're made for each other?

Just as with coffee table styling, Jane Rockett suggests that 'you shouldn't worry about filling the entire space', while Arteriors' Helen Pett comments: 'We like starting with a nice low-rise sculpted centerpiece and a coffee table book stack for an everyday look.'

You could even simply add a group of candles at varying heights for a stylish and simple look.

9. Add a sculptural piece to anchor your display

(Image credit: Tiffany Leigh Design/Lauren Miller)

Sculptural vases, objets and lamps are a stylish way to make a statement and turn your sideboard decor ideas into an arty showcase that blends form and function – coordinate them to the rest of your scheme and you can pull a larger space together – useful if you are looking for uniting kitchen diner ideas.  

'Add ambience and pockets of light with table lamps, and repeat textures, shapes and colors around the room,' suggests Ally Dowsing-Reynolds.

Don't neglect candles as part of your sideboard decor display. Jane Rockett adds: 'For a sideboard in the dining room, candles, candlesticks and vases always look beautiful.'

Louise Wicksteed says: 'When it comes to styling a dining room sideboard, we suggest placing a large candle at either end. Not only does this offer subtle background lighting around the table but also nods to the elegance of the room by providing well thought-out symmetry.'

10. Display your glassware

(Image credit: Arteriors)

A sideboard can double up as a drinks cabinet in a dining room, and is ideal for displaying your pretty glassware for after-dinner drinks.

Jane Rockett says: 'A sideboard is the perfect place to curate a mini cocktail bar with a few of your favurite tipples and glassware on display.'

Mix your drinks' display with other pretty artefacts, candles and vases, or an oversized plant for extra wow factor.

How can I decorate my sideboard?

To decorate a sideboard well, there are a few rules to follow that are really useful:

What do you put in a sideboard?

Sideboards are really useful for storing everything you might need for dining – from cutlery and china to linen and flatware. You can also usefully store candles, matches, placemats and glassware in a sideboard. When shopping for a sideboard, consider what you will need to store in it – drawers will be more useful for storing candles, cutlery and placemats; cupboards for glassware and china. A combination of both is the most versatile choice.

Ruth Doherty is an experienced digital writer and editor specializing in interiors, travel and lifestyle. With 20 years of writing for national sites under her belt, she’s worked for the likes of Livingetc.com, Standard, Ideal Home, Stylist and Marie Claire as well as Homes & Gardens.

Decorating a buffet table 20 ideas with a photo

A buffet table is an organized reception where guests eat while standing, choosing their favorite snack, drink, and so on. As part of such a meal, chairs are not provided; cutlery is most often only a fork. There are many options for interesting buffet snacks that will transform any table and leave no one indifferent.

Contents

Canapes and ButePbeps

An interesting option for decorating a buffet is mini-tubercles and a canapon. They can be made on a variety of substrates such as bread, crackers, puff pastry, savory biscuits or chips.

Snacks in tartlets

One of the complex dishes of the buffet table is a tartlet. They are convenient because they can be taken with one hand, eat without using cutlery.

In the case when there is no time to do the dough and prepare tartlets, you can take puff or thin pita bread as a base, put it in a muffin mold and bake.

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Sliced ​​cheese

It will be interesting to look at a cheese plateau, which is a product cut in different ways. Hard cheese can be cut into triangles and plates, soft cheese - into cubes.

Ham rolls

Rolls on the buffet table look beautiful and original. As a base, you can take ham and wrap any filling in it, for example, scrambled eggs or crab sticks.

Caesar salad on skewers

One of the spectacular and tasty ideas for a buffet table or just for home gatherings is Caesar salad on skewers. It is necessary to cook croutons, make dressing. Then cut the ingredients, place them on skewers.

Cottage cheese, sour cream and dill

In modern stores, customers are offered a huge selection of cheeses with additives, but if you want to save money, you can make your own curd mass. When the mixture is ready, it must be spread on bread previously dried in a toaster, unless, of course, such a device is in the kitchen.

Read more: Wall-slide for arranging a living room - the best ideas with a photo

Pasta, cheese and nuts

Recently, sea dishes have become popular, so you can cook the so-called shells stuffed with nuts and cheese for a buffet table.

To make such a nutritious and interesting snack, you need to boil the pasta, roast nuts in the oven or in a dry frying pan. Then prepare the dressing, as well as the cheese and cream filling.

When everything is ready, you need to put the filling in the pasta, pour over the dressing. For decoration, place lettuce leaves under the shells.

Condensed milk, cranberries and pine nuts

Many at the buffet table will be happy if they see sweet snacks on the table. You can cook a very simple and quick dessert, which is associated with the taiga area.

Tip!

If cranberries are not available, lingonberries can be used or mixed with berries.

Take a dish for dessert, fill with condensed milk, berries, pine nuts and put in the refrigerator for a while. Dessert is ready!

Pancakes with red caviar and avocado

Pancakes with caviar are a classic of Russian cuisine, an indispensable dish at the festive table. And if you add an avocado mass to the snack, it will be even more interesting.

First of all, you need to bake pancakes or buy ready-made ones. For example, you can take yeast pancakes and cut circles out of them.

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Small pies

Small pies baked from puff or yeast dough with various fillings will be very tasty.

Fruit slices

No festive table, including a buffet table, can do without fruits, which are a real decoration. If you use ingenuity and imagination, they can be served on the table in a very original way.

Small sandwiches with white bread

Very tasty and sweet snack - sandwiches with bacon, pickles and peppers based on white bread.

Stuffed eggs

Even eggs can be presented interestingly. They can be stuffed with canned salmon and red caviar.

Fly agarics

To prepare such an original appetizer, you need to put cucumber rings on a flat dish, then balls rolled from ham and cheese salad on top. On them are halves of tomatoes, which will be mushroom caps.

Pastries

It would be appropriate to place small pastries on any buffet table. It can be pies or a pie cut into pieces. Eclairs stuffed with cheese or liver are popular. You can also make small puff buns with a variety of fillings from any salads.

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Muffins

Now muffins, which are small muffins with or without filling, are especially popular at buffet tables. Such a dessert can even replace a cake, especially since muffins are varied.

Stuffed pancakes “bags”

This is the most common appetizer at the buffet table. Pancakes can be stuffed with anything, offered in interesting serving options, for example, in the form of a bag.

Barbecue

Buffet is not a reason to refuse barbecue. Let it be miniature meat pieces strung on bamboo sticks.

Julienne

Another of the classic buffet appetizers is julienne, which can be prepared in portion bowls or tartlets. As a filler, you can use chicken or seafood.

Rolls

We should not forget about rolls, which are currently very popular at buffet tables and festive tables.

In fact, there are a lot of options for decorating a buffet table. The main thing is to turn on your imagination and allocate enough time to prepare snacks. Any holiday will sparkle with new colors if it is accompanied by a full variety of dishes. Each guest will be satisfied and will not remain indifferent.

Top 10 Buffet Dishes - Jack's Company

Buffet is the most common way of catering for guests at events in the office, parties, holidays and feasts at home or in nature. The buffet table is usually served with a wide variety of mouth-watering snacks in the style of “finger food” - such treats are served in small portions and it is convenient for guests to take them without using cutlery, without being distracted from communication.

You can easily choose and order delicious buffet snacks, which will be prepared by professional chefs, festively decorated and delivered ready-made at the agreed time directly to the address of the event. What treats are most often included in the buffet menu? Let's take a look at the ten most popular types of dishes that are commonly used at festive tables:

Canape

Canape is a light snack that looks like a miniature "sandwich" consisting of different ingredients, which in most cases can be put in your mouth whole. Usually, elegant small skewers are used to fix the “layers”. Canapes are most often based on slices of fresh or toasted bread on which other products are located in various variations: ham, smoked chicken, vegetables, cheese and much more. Canapes without bread are also widespread, and various modern variations of this popular snack are gaining more and more popularity: canapé burgers, canapé pancakes, canapé pizza, canapé sandwiches, Asian canapes, etc.

Tartlets

A universal and favorite buffet dish for many people are traditional tartlets for a festive feast - dough baskets with various fillings. There are countless filling options for tartlets, it can be various salads, vegetable purees, pates, julienne, creams, fruits, etc. Many types of tartlets can be consumed both warm and cold. This popular snack also has "exotic" varieties. For example, the so-called "kartallets" are oversized baskets of potatoes with various hearty fillings. Asian types of tartlets are also gaining popularity and are increasingly on the festive tables both in offices and at home.

Rolls

Appetizing rolls with various fillings often serve as starters for the buffet table. There are a lot of recipes for making rolls. The basis of the treat can be a thin flatbread, sliced ​​ham, fish, or even fried zucchini and eggplant. The variety of fillings for rolls can amaze the imagination of even the most sophisticated gourmet - these are favorite ingredients familiar in Russia, and exotic Italian, Caucasian, Mexican, etc. A pleasant price, combined with the excellent taste of these hearty dishes and their "buffet" format, contribute to the fact that Almost no celebration can do without such an appetizer. And the most convenient and frequently ordered version of the dish is assorted rolls. Having ordered one tray, you can try several types of snacks at once, and such an attractive dish looks just great on the table!

Pirozhki

We live in Russia and, of course, almost no festive feast in our life is complete without pirozhki, adored by both adults and children. Ruddy, beautiful, tasty and satisfying, they will certainly please you and all guests not only during a home feast, but also at a buffet table in the office. Once upon a time, beloved grandmothers and mothers were “responsible” for baking pies in our families, and it seemed that we had never tasted anything tastier in our lives. But some companies still preserve the best traditions and technologies of "home" cooking and can please their customers with the very taste of Russian pies from childhood. Although there are a lot of classic options for hearty and sweet fillings, even with this type of treat, you can experiment and diversify the menu with the help of additional types of this convenient buffet and delicious pastries. Try rye pies or Mexican Empanadas, amazing Russian-Italian pies that combine the taste of a traditional Italian filling with the usual dish format, a new alternative to the common type of pies - Ossetian pies, as well as Indian Samosa. Are you afraid of your figure? Order pastries in the size of "mini" and do not limit yourself - there are never too many pies!

Sandwiches, bagels and sandwiches

Great sandwiches, stuffed croissants, classic sandwiches or American-style round bagels are almost indispensable items when preparing a menu for a buffet table. Treats are prepared on the basis of a variety of fresh pastries. The main part of this kind of snacks is the filling, which can be used as sausage, ham, tuna, salmon, cheeses, tomatoes, bell peppers and many other products. Recently, such Italian types of “sandwiches” as bruschetta and crostini have become increasingly popular with customers.

Cheese, fruits and berries

Assorted fruits and dried fruits, berries in cups, gourmet cheese plates are excellent options for light snacks that can also play the role of a dessert on the buffet table. Elegant, beautiful and incredibly tasty, they are able to give joy and pleasure to guests during any festive event.

Fresh vegetables

No buffet is complete without a set of fresh vegetables. Finely chopped and beautifully served tomatoes, bell peppers, carrots, green beans, celery and other vegetables are not only delicious, but also very healthy. Assorted vegetables will cheer you up and keep your figure! Usually such dishes are served with salad dressings or a variety of sauces. Vegetable sticks and skewers are the favorite and most convenient format for serving fresh vegetables for the festive table.

Desserts

Attractive and bright buffet desserts are appropriate for any holiday celebration, whether it be any formal event, a less formal office party or even a children's party. Exquisite eclairs and profiteroles, assorted cakes, favorite Macaroons and Shu, delicate fruit tartlets, jellies and other types of treats in convenient cups - one or more of these dishes will be a spectacular end to the festive event.

Salads in cups

Festive feasts almost never do without such a favorite type of dish as salad. Almost everyone loves this treat, but for a buffet table, the format of serving salads is slightly different from serving at other events. For the convenience of guests, in this case, salads are usually served in small portioned "glasses" - shots or verrins. Can be used as glass cups, and safer for mass events - from food plastic.

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