Sideboard

A sideboard is an item of furniture traditionally used in the dining room for serving food, for displaying serving dishes such as silver, and for storage. It usually consists of a set of cabinets, or cupboards, and one or more drawers, all topped by a flat display surface for conveniently holding food, serving dishes, and even lighting devices. The overall height of the tops of most sideboards is approximately waist level.

The earliest versions of the sideboard familiar today made their appearance in the 18th century, but they gained most of their popularity during the 19th century as households became prosperous enough to dedicate a room solely to dining. Sideboards were made in a range of decorative styles and were frequently ornamented with costly veneers and inlays. In later years, sideboards have been placed in living rooms or other areas where household items might be displayed.

In traditional, formal dining rooms today, an antique sideboard is a desirable and fashionable accessory, and finely styled versions from the late-18th or early-19th centuries are the most sought after and costly today. Among its counterparts in modern furniture styles, the form is often referred to as a server. Some of the earliest production of sideboards arose in England, France, Belgium and Scotland. Later, American designs arose. [ [http://books.google.com/books?id=yL-NYIyi4kYC&dq=sideboard+antique Field Guide to American Antique Furniture, By Joseph T. Butler, 1986] ] Characteristic materials used in historic sideboard manufacture include oak, pine and walnut.

ee also

*Sideboard is also a slang word for sideburns [cite web|url=http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/sideboard?view=uk|title=AskOxford|accessdate=2007-06-27]

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