How to Choose the Right Buffet Table
Measure the Table, the Walkway and the Way In
Depth matters if your buffet will sit behind the dining chairs. Measure from the edge of the table to where the front of the buffet will be, not to the wall. IKEA's planning guide suggests allowing about 110–120 cm from the table edge to pull out a chair and squeeze past.
Measure the way in, too: doorways, hallways and stair turns, compared with the piece's smallest dimension.
Choosing a Top: Ceramic, Marble, Glass or Timber
Ceramic is the most common top in our range. Several sit over a layer of tempered glass. Ceramic tops are generally resistant to scratches, stains and heat.
Our marble tops are resin-coated, with a colour film under the resin, and some are a marble-look surface rather than natural marble. You get the look of real stone, but the resin isn't heatproof, so you'll need trivets under hot dishes. Wipe up wine, citrus and coffee straight away. Strong sun can also yellow resin over time. Marble suits you if you love stone and don't mind using coasters and trivets.
Clean tempered glass tops with glass cleaner and a lint-free cloth, and skip scourers and gritty cleaners.
Marri, a West Australian hardwood, gives you warmth and grain that's different on every piece. Like all timber, it isn't heatproof, and direct sun gradually changes its colour. That matters in Perth, where Perth Airport averages 11.6 hours of sunshine a day in December and January. If your buffet will sit in a sunny spot, plan on blinds.
Which Finish Should I Choose: Timber Tones, White or Black?
Veneers give you the look of oak, walnut or Marri, and in some of our pieces they're applied over engineered wood or MDF. Solid timber tops expand and shrink with the seasons. Perth's air swings a fair way: mean 3pm humidity at Perth Airport ranges from 37% in January and February to 60% in June and July. That movement is normal, so ask how a solid top is fixed to its base to allow for it.
If you're weighing a white buffet cabinet against a black buffet cabinet in high gloss, both clean with a soft, damp cloth and mild detergent. Coasters and placemats help protect the surface.
What Storage Do I Need: Doors, Drawers or Display?
Before you choose, think about what will actually go inside. If most of it is bulky, like platters, serving bowls, a slow cooker or board games, look for a sideboard cabinet with doors and shelves. If it's cutlery, placemats, napkins and candles, drawers save you digging through stacks.
Glass doors let you show off good glassware or a collection, but everything behind them needs to stay tidy. Built-in LED lighting looks lovely in the evening. Measure your tallest items, such as bottles, vases or a stand mixer, and check them against the internal shelf height where it's listed.
Will It Match the Rest of My Room?
Matching collections make the decision simpler. If you'd rather mix pieces, link them through one shared detail: the same timber tone, the same metal finish or a similar shape.
Shapes in the range include curved edges, arched doors, fluted fronts and handle-free doors.
Questions People Ask
What is a sideboard?
A sideboard is a freestanding storage cabinet with doors, drawers or both. It stores dining and living items and gives you a surface for serving or display. Australia's toppling furniture standard lists sideboards and buffets 686 mm or taller in the same category, alongside hall tables and display cabinets.
What is a buffet table?
A buffet table is a storage cabinet with a top you can use for serving, placed in a dining or living area. Inside, it holds things like dinnerware, glassware and linens. If you'll serve on it often, a heat-resistant top such as ceramic makes life easier.
How to style a sideboard?
Style a sideboard with decor that protects its top and keeps it steady. Put felt or soft pads under vases, trays and ornaments so they don't scratch a timber or marble top. If it sits in strong sun, remember that sun can yellow resin-coated marble and change the colour of timber. Check it's stable and anchored before you add heavy decor.
How to style a buffet cabinet?
Style a buffet cabinet so it still works as a serving surface. Use coasters under hot, cold or wet items, and trivets under hot platters on a marble top, since its resin coating isn't heatproof. Ceramic tops are generally resistant to heat.
Find the Right Piece for Your Home
Browse the collection to compare tops, finishes and storage layouts side by side. If you're choosing a buffet cabinet in Perth and would like a second opinion, get in touch with Adore Home Living and our design team can help you choose.