Dresser as Sideboard: How to Repurpose Furniture for Dining Rooms
When you think of a sideboard, a low, long cabinet used in dining rooms for serving food and storing dishes. Also known as a buffet, it's designed to hold plates, glassware, and serving tools while adding visual balance to a dining area. But what if you don’t want to buy one? Many people are discovering that a dresser, a tall chest of drawers typically used in bedrooms for clothing storage can work just as well—maybe even better—when moved into the dining room. It’s not magic. It’s smart reuse. A dresser brings the same storage, surface space, and structure as a sideboard, but often with more drawers, deeper shelves, and a sturdier build. You’re not just saving money—you’re giving something old a new job.
Not every dresser will do the trick, though. Look for one that’s low enough to sit under windows or against a wall without blocking sightlines. A height between 30 and 36 inches works best. Avoid overly tall dressers—they’ll feel like a wall, not a sideboard. The width matters too. You want at least 5 feet to fit plates, a lamp, and a few decor items without crowding. Open the drawers. Are they smooth? Do they hold heavy dishes without sticking? That’s your test. If the wood is in decent shape, a quick sand and coat of paint or stain can turn a dated piece into something that looks custom-made for your dining room. Add legs if it’s too low, or remove the top drawers to create open shelf space for baskets or serving trays. You can even swap out the knobs for sleeker handles that match your other furniture. This isn’t just a hack—it’s a design choice that’s getting popular in homes where people value function over buying new.
People are doing this because they’re tired of buying furniture that looks good for six months and then feels out of place. A dresser turned sideboard fits into modern, rustic, industrial, or even minimalist spaces. It pairs well with the dining table, the central piece in a dining room where meals are served and shared, and complements the way people use their space now—less formal, more lived-in. You’ll see this in posts about dresser as sideboard because it’s not a trend. It’s a practical solution for small homes, rental spaces, or anyone who wants to avoid clutter without spending big. Below, you’ll find real examples of how others have made this work: from using a vintage dresser as a buffet with open shelving, to turning a five-drawer unit into a bar cart with hidden storage. These aren’t just ideas. They’re proven fixes that people are using right now.
