How To Style A Functional Entryway Credenza
Society Social founder Roxy Te Owens has quite a bit on her entrepreneurial plate, but did you know that shes the stylist and photographer behind the brand, too? Read on to learn Roxys eight tricks of the trade that will have you styling furniture like a pro in no time.
So, you finally bought that fabulous piece of furniture youve been dreaming of. It was love at first Instagram sight, but now that its home, youre stuck on how to style it like the image that hooked you in the first place!
I just launched my fifth furniture collection. As the photographer and stylist for the photo shoots here at Society Social, Ive challenged myself to style all 11 of my new designs! In this challenge, I hope to inspire and share what Ive learned along the way starting with the Carmen Credenza. Dont let the large surface area intimidate you. Its perfect for lots of fun decorating moments that are both pretty and functional! My eight step-by-step tips are below.
Modern Ways To Style Your Credenza
I dont know if youve noticed, but credenzas furniture are making it big in the interior design world lately. Originally a classic piece for the dining room, designers are finding these cabinets to be handy for all kinds of things outside displaying your food and holding your china. The storage space holds so much opportunity and the low top is better than a dresser or bookshelf. If youve been thinking about purchasing a credenza or looking for a place to put the one you own, youre in the right place. Take a look at these 15 modern ideas for styling your credenza.
How Do I Style My Credenza
- Then follow my 5 steps to styling your credenza: Step 1: Start with functionality. A lamp will add both height and light to your credenza. Since this isnt a reading lamp or desk light, go for something with a fabric shade for even and softly distributed light, rather than a directional task lamp. 2.
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A Look At The Buffet In A Dining Room
When we remodeled our StoneGable dining room 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!
Highland Park Drinks Cabinet

There is perhaps no better place to serve oneself a wee dram than from the John Galvin-designed Highland Park drinks cabinet. With its sensuous and heady form, this contemporary cabinet is a veritable study in classic wood craftsmanship. John Galvins quest for quality, sustainability of materials, longevity in design and a unique aesthetic is clearly evident in the presentation of this superior piece.
Photography © Scott Moore via Alto Magazine.
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What’s The Difference Between A Buffet And A Sideboard
The Buffet Ultimately, a buffet and a sideboard are interchangeable names for the same piece of furniture. The name only changes based on where the furniture is placed. A sideboard placed in the dining room is called a buffet, but once it is moved to the living room, it is referred to as a sideboard.Jan 4, 2018
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Add A Sculptural Piece To Anchor Your Display
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.’
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Highlight Sideboard Decor Ideas With Lighting
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.’
Can A Credenza Be Used In A Bedroom
Sideboards and credenzas can be a fantastic addition as bedroom storage. If you want to use it in a bedroom, pick a credenza desk with a mix of doors, drawers and shelves for complete versatility. Perfect for people who tend to accumulate clutter, it keeps the bedroom clean and organized.Sep 8, 2017
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Group Objects In Threes
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.
How Can I Make My Sideboard Look Nice
For a neat look, create a sideboard decor display that’s identical at each end perhaps with matching lamps at either end of the table, and a central vase and picture behind. Larger items look better than a collection of small trinkets for decorating a sideboard you want to create impact not dust-collection.Sep 28, 2021
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Is A Credenza Better Than A Dresseris A Credenza Better Than A Dresser
The storage space holds so much opportunity and the low top is better than a dresser or bookshelf. If youve been thinking about purchasing a credenza or looking for a place to put the one you own, youre in the right place. Take a look at these 15 modern ideas for styling your credenza. 1. Dining Room Sideboard
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Can You Put A Tv On A Credenza

“Sometimes people will use credenzas as a TV console in a living room,” explains Moiseoff. Credenzas are sturdy enough to hold a TV, and they can usually handle all but the biggest screens. You’ll even find specific “credenza TV stands” for sale, often with modifications to help hide cables, game consoles, and more.
Before buying a credenza to use as a TV stand, we recommend measuring your TV to ensure it’ll fit. Alternately, mount a TV above your credenza, using the storage and exposed surface as you would a TV stand.
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What Goes Into A Credenza
“Credenzas are often used to store plates and serving dishes and such, but you could also put a credenza in an entryway,” says Priscilla Moiseoff, Lead Stylist and Interior Designer at Walker Edison Furniture. Other items you might store in a credenza include:
- Linens and tablecloths
- Serving dishes
- Important paperwork
Really, you can store any bits and pieces that need a home. Other ideas include children’s toys, CDs, DVDs, charging cables, magazines, and books.
Make It Pretty Yet Practical
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.’
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Think Above Your Credenza
Don’t forget about the space above your credenza, not just the flat top surface the furniture itself provides. This one can work well with the ideas we’ve touched on already, or you can create a whole design around it.
“My biggest tip would be to create a focal point above the credenza to draw the eye to a statement piece,” Katie Simpson of Mackenzie Collier Interiors told Living Cozy. “This could be a mirror, framed artwork, or even a mounted TV. Then use the surface to add unique accessories such as lamp tables, decorative bowls, coffee table books, plants, etc.”
The Best Credenzas To Check Out
Price: $1,790Brand: Modloft
The Amsterdam Credenza from Modloft is made specifically for the home office. It offers plenty of room to store important paperwork and other work items, and each drawer can hold both letter and legal-size folders. In addition, this piece was designed with an unassuming aesthetic and a low profile, allowing it to blend in with any office style.
The Amsterdam File Credenza comes with an Italian grey oak veneer for versatility, a concrete top for durability, and black powder-coated legs for stability. With soft-close European-style actions, it’s also protected from early signs of wear caused by roughly-shut drawers.
Price: $895Brand: Burrow
The Totem Credenza from Burrow is designed as a contemporary media console with a striking monolithic silhouette. It features clean lines and is made using a combination of solid and engineered wood to take advantage of the unique characteristics of each material. It is available with either oak or walnut finish.
The Totem Credenza is built with premium slow-motion hardware with gas-assisted hinges, preventing wear caused by slammed doors. It boasts a roomy interior and two convenient cord escapes, making it a perfect option for the living room as a TV console. You can complete the look in the living room or entryway with the Totem Bench, which offers more hidden storage space.
Price: $599Brand: Inside Weather
Price: $1,195Brand: New Order for Hay
Price: $2,180Brand: AllModern
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How Do You Decorate A Credenza
The practicality of a credenza is excellent with all the extra storage space. But what about decorating on top of and around your credenza?
Creating tabletop arrangements might be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be challenging. Based your decor on expert advice and styling ideas will make it easier to decorate your credenza the first time around.
Below are four ideas, complete with expert input, to get you started:
What Room Does A Credenza Go In
While credenzas are intended as dining room furniture, don’t limit yourself. As Katie Simpson of Mackenzie Collier Interiors explains: “Nowadays, they are used all over the home, including your dining room as a surface for buffet-style serving, as well as your living room and family rooms as a base for your TV.”
“Nowadays, they are used all over the home, including your dining room as a surface for buffet-style serving, as well as your living room and family rooms as a base for your TV.”
They’re ideal for today’s homeowners, who need items that combine form and function with plenty of versatility. You might also see them in the office or conference room, serving as a “credenza desk.” These office credenzas offer a flat top as an extra workspace for papers, screens, and anything else you’d keep on your desk. They also work well as office furniture because of the extra storage space underneath.
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Turn An Empty Credenza Top Into A Display Opportunity With These Styling Schemes
Laura GaskillLindsay von Hagel2. Pyramid.Amy Troute Inspired Interior Design3. Artfully mussed.LMB Interiors4. Two ends of a scale.Caitlin & Caitlin Design Co.5. Distract from the TV .6. Distract from the TV .Shagreene7. Master the layered look.The Marion House Book8. Make room for major art.Flegel’s Construction Co., Inc.9. Play with proportion.
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 bit of pretty organics.
Buffets and sideboards are the perfect place to add an element of organic design.
Here are a few ideas
- a bunch of seasonal greens or flowers
- moss balls
- topiaries
- a trio of the same potted plant
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
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How Do You Decorate A Credenza With A Lamp
- A lamp will add both height and light to your credenza. Since this isnt a reading lamp or desk light, go for something with a fabric shade for even and softly distributed light, rather than a directional task lamp. 2. Stack up those extra coffee table books youve always wanted to display.
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The Family Photo Credenza
Lamp | Lampshade | Woven Tray | Ceramic Planter | Candle | Circle Marble Frame | Vase | Credenza | Lampshade | Metal Frame | Black and White Frame | Wood Frame
Its pretty uncommon to see lots of family photos grace design magazines and websites but most people work hard raising their families so it is only natural that they want to stare at photos of them all the time. We actually get asked a lot about how to style family photos in a stylish way. Let us show and tell you how.
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Credenza Styling : How To Decorate A Credenza
One of the beautiful things about credenzas is that you can style them any way you want. You can also restyle them any time you want, to reflect a new mood or vibe, or to change with the seasons. Granted, you dont want to just throw anything atop a credenza. You want it to look cool and styled, not cluttered and out of place. If youre feeling a bit anxious on how to go about doing that, fear not weve got you covered.
Things Youll Need to Style a Credenza
Although home decor is more about your personal tastes than about rules, there are still some commonly used features that make for a good credenza space.
A Stylish Credenza
The first thing you need is a credenza that complements your interior decor and color palette. A credenza is basically a long table, with storage cabinets or storage space, and a top surface for displaying all the pretties. It often features storage options like drawers, cabinets, a hutch, or shelving, and stands on a pedestal or legs for support. Once upon a time credenzas were used almost exclusively in a dining room. However, these days they are used in any part of the house, whether it be for a TV stand in the living room or a dresser in the bedroom, and very often in the entryway. In fact, if you’re looking to create a functional entryway we share all of our tips.
Purpose
Credenza Design
Placement
Plants
Wall Art
Containers and Trays
Small Decor Items
Floating Shelves
Lamps and Lights
Framed Pictures and Portraits
Mirrors
Framing and Pyramids
The Seven Elements You Need To Style A Credenza
When I decorate, I often don’t know what exactly it is that makes it pleasing to my eye, so I have made it a habit to step back and analyze what I’ve done. When it comes to styling credenzas, buffets, dressers, side boards and other long pieces of furniture, I’ve reduced my decor decisions to seven basic elements.
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What Should I Put On My Sideboard
In the living room, a sideboard is perfect place to display artwork, indoor plants, ceramics, books and other collected curios. In the bedroom, a sideboard or buffet can easily double as a dressing table, adorned with a decorative mirror and personal items like photos, jewellery and perfume.Feb 4, 2020
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Display Art To Focus Attention On Sideboard Decor Ideas
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.
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