The Best Buffet Cabinet

Buying Guide

In the world of attractive and functional pieces of furniture, the buffet cabinet stands out as one of the most common and versatile pieces you will find. Whether you use it for the traditional purpose of storing your nice dishes and having it at the side of your dining room to act as a buffet for serving food, or if you plan to use it as an entertainment center to hold all of your electronics while hiding the cords, this one piece of furniture can be exactly what you need.

A buffet cabinet is generally narrow, as it is meant to be placed along a wall where you wouldn’t need a deep desk-like storage piece. The height and length of buffet cabinets vary a lot though, and this is a measurement that will be very important to you as the purchaser. Measure the space you want to use and find a range of measurements that will work the best. This will help you narrow down your search for buffet cabinets quickly as it can pare the list of choices in half right off the bat.

The items you plan to place on your new buffet cabinet will also help guide you in finding the right one for you. If you have a lot of heavy dishes that you plan to store in or on the buffet cabinet, look for units that are built with thicker hardware and have a lower center-of-gravity to be sure your cabinet will be stable and avoid the potential for it tipping over. If you are using it as an entertainment center, look for holes in the back where you can run wires and cables through, or at least find a model that will work well and drill your own cable holes.

Some buffet cabinets have an entire top cabinet that can sit directly on top of them. This cabinet will often have glass doors and can be wonderful for displaying art, memorabilia or fine china. These toppers are narrow and you will want to make sure they’re firmly affixed to the cabinet and maybe even anchored to the wall to avoid them ever toppling over during events like a dog running into them or an earthquake.

After finding the right function and geometry for your new buffet cabinet, it’s time to look for the perfect design elements to make sure it really stands out or blends in with your current furnishings. Buffet cabinets come in many great aesthetics. From mid-century modern styles to country farmhouse chic, there is sure to be a buffet cabinet that expresses the essence you hope to get from it. Have fun searching for the options you can find and take your time to make sure this new cabinet is exactly what you want.

• For taller and narrower cabinets that might be a bit top-heavy, anchor the top of the cabinet to the wall in some to help secure it in place. Even a simple adhesive or velcro pad can be enough to keep it from tipping away from the wall.
• Dark furniture captures a lot of dust. Remember that dust is everywhere and you will find yourself needing to clean a darker wood or black buffet cabinet regularly just to keep it from looking dusty.
• Measure the things you want to keep inside of your buffet cabinet. Maybe that big serving platter you have is too wide for the inside of the buffet cabinet you are eyeing.