Corner buffet for the kitchen: types and features, design, design ideas, tips.

A kitchen cupboard is a fashionable, original cabinet in which it is customary to store dishes, cookery literature, and textiles. The design creates coziness in the room and decorates it. A corner buffet for the kitchen is the most convenient type of conventional cabinet, which, if desired, can be made independently.

The kitchen buffet has been an indispensable piece of furniture since ancient times.

What is a corner buffet for the kitchen, its features?

The classic corner sideboard model consists of two parts: the lower part, closed with doors, and the upper part, which looks like a glazed display case. This is a difficult product to make yourself, as it has many details, including intricate shapes. The main feature of the item is the ability to use a corner that was previously empty.

Antique model of a kitchen cupboard.

See also Corner cabinets in the living room, photo.

Fashionable vintage kitchen buffets again

Antique and at the same time “modern” cabinets for dishes in rich, bright colors are experiencing a “rebirth”. Retro style has made its way here too.

Many began to regret throwing away old chests of drawers, tables, chairs and grandma's cupboards. The wooden models are definitely well preserved from the 50-70s of the last century. There is no need to artificially age them, just give them a little shine and think carefully about how to “frame” them.

But, of course, such an idea will appeal only to fans of antiquity, people who are not averse to being nostalgic or who regret throwing away memorable, albeit unsightly, things, who organically coexist with antiques. If you want to recreate the atmosphere of the 60s, look for models with floral prints, the 70s - intricate ones with varnished wood, the 50s - bright, solid colors with a strict geometric shape.

Advantages and disadvantages of using a kitchen buffet

A kitchen cupboard has several advantages:

• creates an original interior;
• easy to use;
• a simple, compact option is inexpensive;
• Fits in any size kitchen;
• suitable for zoning space.

Thanks to its small dimensions, a coal buffet can be installed even in a small kitchen.

But there are also disadvantages:

• the product is not spacious enough;
• not suitable for every interior;
• the item is placed separately from everything else, so it requires a special place;
• a luxurious antique product will be very expensive.

Advice. Most modern furniture companies offer the production of sideboards of various configurations, in accordance with the wishes of the customer.

The only downside of the buffet is its small capacity.

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Buffet style

It is logical to assume that the buffet is selected for the kitchen based on the design used in this room.

Although occasionally it happens that a new kitchen interior is built around the buffet. But this is rather an exception.

Modern sideboards are made in several main directions.

• Classic. Suitable for a kitchen in a classic style, it is made from solid wood with carved elements, engraving and glass doors. The fittings and legs are mostly curved;
• Retro. The peculiarity is that they simply take an old sideboard and restore it, or artificially age new furniture. Decoupage decoration technique is actively used;
• Provence. Many people like Provence-style kitchens, since the buffet is ideal for them. Such cabinets have stained glass doors made using modern materials. But they are given the effect of aging. When decorating, carving, decoupage, flower patterns, etc. are used;
• Country. This style only recognizes solid wood. No MDF structures. They look bulky in places, but this is normal for country style. The emphasis is on simple forms. A minimum of decor and exquisite fittings. Such buffets are usually the most functional;
• Buffets for the kitchen in Scandinavian style. Traditionally they are made white. For modern models, chrome parts are used. In addition to wood, acrylic coating, glass, plastic, chrome, etc. are used in production;
• Modern. Preference is given to pastel and only light colors. Carvings, various ornaments and original designs are sure to complement the sideboard. Use smooth lines, semicircular shapes;
• Hay-tech. Maximum clear lines and no decoration. Metal inserts and glossy glass elements are widely used.

There are many options, and each of them is potentially suitable for your kitchen.

You just have to decide which one to give preference to.

Buffet and its use in different styles

Corner sideboards are suitable for an ordinary kitchen decorated in various interior styles:

• Baroque - the buffet is richly decorated with wood carvings, glass and stone mosaics;
• classic – made of light wood, with applied carved parts;
• Provence – white, draperies in the upper part behind the glass are acceptable;
• rustic - a rough product without finishing;
• minimalism - a product made of MDF, a strict, laconic form, no decor;
• loft – heavy wooden cabinet artificially aged.

A charcoal buffet can be successfully combined with different interior styles.

Advice. The buffet design is not suitable for modern style, hi-tech, futurism, techno.

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Durable and beloved by many kitchen buffets made of wood

Classic and modern cupboards are safe, durable and versatile. Natural wood is an environmentally friendly material that is not harmful to health. It is reliable and allows you to implement almost any design ideas.

The most popular wood species for the production of chests of drawers:

• Oak. Expensive, durable, with a beautiful texture. It is resistant to rotting and initially endowed with decorative properties.
• Red tree. Belongs to elite varieties. It is distinguished by aesthetics, elegance and practicality. It is durable and not susceptible to adverse factors.
• Pine. Beige, white or brown wood is easy to process and glue. Finished pine products are finished with hardwood veneer or varnished.
• Ash. After steaming it becomes plastic, does not crack when dried, but is difficult to polish.

Alder, birch, larch, hornbeam, and walnut are also used. Good budget options are pine and birch. The color palette, choice of fittings, shape and decor will depend on the style. Classic wooden sideboards, usually with stucco, gold handles or gilded decor, light pastel colors, inserts on the facades.

Products made in country style combine strict shapes and lines with rustic comfort; there is no special “embellishment”, brightness or originality. Provence is difficult to imagine without forged inserts, carved details, neutral beige colors and monograms.

Design features of the buffet

A standard buffet is used as a place to store dishes, tablecloths and napkins, and small kitchen appliances. If there is an empty middle part, an additional horizontal surface appears in the kitchen.

The buffet consists of three parts.

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Upper section of the cupboard

On top, according to tradition, there are open shelves on which beautiful dishes, porcelain souvenirs, textile decor, etc. are placed. Often this part is decorated with glass doors and mirrors inside.

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Middle section

The middle of the structure has a tabletop, the width of which is two to four centimeters larger than the lower part. Here, if desired, you can cook fully if there is no more suitable place in the room.

Buffets can be made with your own hands, or ordered from qualified craftsmen for any design.

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Buffet base

The lower cabinet is designed with hinged doors, behind which various household appliances, kitchen utensils, everyday dishes, kitchen draperies, cookbooks, and culinary magazines are stored. The base rests on four legs - the simplest quadrangular shape or carved, chiseled, elegant.

See also: How to make a bar counter out of wood with your own hands?

An old buffet can become new

If you are the lucky owner or you already have an old buffet, don’t throw it away. Do the restoration yourself. You are not a creative person - don’t be too upset.

Just paint it a bright color. It will complement your interior. Wooden cabinets should not be painted. Clean and varnish.

But of course it’s better to contact a restorer who will do it right for you. And it will be financially more profitable than buying a new buffet.

• Straight kitchen design with cabinets up to the ceiling
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When choosing a cabinet, you must take into account the basic style decisions of the room. The color and texture must be combined with the existing furniture in the kitchen; the shape of the room also matters.

Now there are buffets for bathrooms. A very interesting idea. The role of the cabinet under the washbasin. Storage of towels and other bathroom accessories.

What materials are kitchen buffets made from?

The materials used to make the original corner cabinet are:

• natural wood;
• MDF;
• laminated chipboard;
• plywood.

The fittings and decor of the structure are made of metal, plastic, glass, including stained glass, acrylic, and ceramics.

To make a kitchen corner buffet, you can use different materials.

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Design, color and texture solutions for the buffet

One of the options for making a buffet is one-on-one with a kitchen set. Most often, such a sideboard is a linear continuation of the furniture ensemble and is made with similar facades, colors, fittings and decor. In some cases, the buffet is installed perpendicular to one of the sides of the set and clearly zones the working area of ​​the kitchen space.

In order to visually highlight the sideboard in the kitchen interior, but at the same time maintain the harmony of the image, it is enough to make a floor cabinet either in the same style as the set, but in a different color, or in a similar color scheme, but with a different texture or style (for example, a kitchen the ensemble is made with glossy facades, and the buffet with matte ones).

Another option for making a buffet is in accordance with the design, color palette and texture solutions of the dining group. The floor cabinet for dishes can be made of the same wood. That a dining table or a glass tabletop can exactly replicate the inserts on the buffet doors. In some cases, the color of the buffet facade matches the tone of the chairs, creating a harmonious union to create the ideal interior of a dining room or kitchen with a dining area.

One of the most daring and therefore original ways of making a buffet is an accent in the created interior. A bright, colorful base cabinet can be the only accent element in a bright kitchen or dining room design. Against the background of neutral finishes and light furnishings in the kitchen, even the natural grain of the wood looks bright, attracting everyone's attention.

Some models of buffets are designed in such a way that their part (usually the central lower part) is reserved for creating a workplace. A small tabletop allows you to take notes or install a computer or laptop (modern models take up little space). A buffet with this design is most often installed in the dining area or even in the living room.

Vintage sideboards are often found in modern design projects for kitchens and dining rooms. At the same time, not a single designer will paint over ancient cracks and chips, displaying this relic as a treasure. Moreover, modern models, executed in the traditional version, are specially aged using various design techniques and acquire a touch of ancient luxury and prestige. If you inherited an antique sideboard from your grandmother, you can safely designate it as the “star of the program” and build the entire interior of the kitchen or dining space around it.

Stocking the buffet in the kitchen

Typically, a buffet cabinet has several open shelves in the upper compartment, as well as more than two or three wide ones hidden behind “blind” doors in the lower compartment. Modern models sometimes partially or completely have a lower part filled, consisting of large and small drawers, trays, and roll-out sections.

Modern buffets consist of transparent doors and a closed bottom.

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The most suitable buffet for a small kitchen

As a rule, buffets are installed in rooms with a large area, but there are many exceptions to the rules. Manufacturers offer a good selection of compact models, and designers offer methods for visually expanding space.

Small cabinets will look best in a corner or against a wall, so they won't take up precious square footage and won't seem bulky. As for color, experts recommend blue tones. They refresh, calm, brighten and enlarge the room.

Buffet decor

A wooden cabinet is decorated in different ways:

• volumetric wood carving;
• overhead plastic elements;
• stained glass;
• covered with paint, stain, varnish;
• signed by hand.

Using decoration, you can give a unique look to an antique buffet.

Very popular are products that imitate antique ones - with paint peeled off here and there, applied in several layers, decorative abrasions right down to the wood, and areas decorated using the “crackle” technique. Some models have interior decorative lighting.

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Does the USSR buffet look natural in a modern kitchen?

If you have a maximum of two vintage items in your room, yes. Good options: a combination of a retro floor lamp and an armchair, a dining set for sleeping or dining with a dressing table, which will sit comfortably in the corner. Soviet furniture is organic in retro, minimalism, loft, as well as Scandinavian, classic styles and Provence.

A Provence kitchen always has a large wooden buffet. It can be turquoise, beige, olive or lilac.

It is often painted, and the surrounding space is filled with soft wooden retro chairs and a massive table. Furniture made from fiberboard from the times of the USSR is often restored using decoupage cards, opaque paint, and film with a pattern. If there are no scratches or cracks, simply periodically polish and replace the fittings.

How to choose a buffet for the kitchen?

Modern beautiful sideboards for the kitchen can be bought in many furniture stores. The price depends on the material of manufacture, the design of a particular item, the accuracy of assembly, the functionality of the item, and the reputation of the manufacturer. When choosing, it is important to consider where the cabinet will be located - in the kitchen or living room. For cramped kitchens, choose a small product with sliding rather than hinged doors.

Advice. If there are sliding, roll-out, lifting mechanisms, you should check their quality - the parts should move smoothly, without applying excessive force.

The price of a kitchen cupboard will depend on the material, design and number of internal cabinets.

Let's go back in time

Previously, buffets or sideboards were exclusively furniture for rich and wealthy people. They used such furniture to store expensive dishes, porcelain and various silver. The cabinets had two compartments with doors locked with a bolt.

Sideboards first appeared in France, around the beginning of the 15th century.

The concept of a buffet is of Latin origin, and literally means a shiny table.

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After 2 centuries, that is, in the 17th century, sideboards changed noticeably. They began to look more like modern furniture. Already open shelves appeared upward, where various kinds of glasses, plates and cups were placed. Some models had doors, others did not. There were drawers in the middle. It was customary to store valuable cutlery there. The lower part is dedicated to heavy and bulky dishes. The doors were necessarily made blind.

A tabletop was provided between the middle and lower buffet compartments. Here the dishes were prepared for subsequent serving, and sometimes light snacks were made for the table.

This circumstance led to the fact that the buffet also began to be called a place for a snack.

French furniture impressed high-ranking people from other European countries so much that they began to actively order similar designs for themselves. A little later, the buffet became available to people with average incomes.

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If we talk about Russia, then they used the European analogue of the classic buffet at that time. The furniture was a huge massive wardrobe. It was installed on metal legs. It was usually used to store samovars, various types of containers in which water was heated, as well as stocks of jam prepared for the winter. Also a kind of buffet. But with a less aesthetic appearance and not such a delicate purpose. In Russia, they have always preferred practicality over external attractiveness.

Only during the times of the USSR did the first lighter and more compact models appear, reminiscent of their Western counterparts.

As for modern models, they differ in size, appearance and color. But the design has remained classic, French.

Design ideas

A kitchen cabinet in the corner should fit optimally into the interior. The product can be very small or huge, reaching the ceiling if the kitchen is spacious. A low and narrow one is placed in a cramped kitchenette, while painting the sideboard in creamy white, yellowish-gray, orange-pink, etc. In the kitchen-living room, decorated in a traditional style, if there is a large area, two identical corner sideboards are placed.

The buffet can be installed in the living room; two buffets in different corners look especially beautiful.

What is a buffet?

Despite the various possibilities for making a buffet in one style or another, we can identify a general definition for this piece of furniture as a cabinet for storing dishes, cutlery, serving elements and textiles, as well as some food products. A buffet can be installed not only in the kitchen or dining room, but even in the living room of a modern house or apartment. In our country, a sideboard with glass inserts in the upper part is sometimes called a sideboard.

In a traditional design, the buffet has the following shape:

• in the lower part there is a spacious storage system in the form of a cabinet with drawers or hinged doors (combination possible);
• the upper tier is occupied by open shelves or a cabinet with hinged doors, often with glass inserts;
• between these two parts there is most often free space, as a result of which the upper surface of the cabinet acts as a tabletop or plane for displaying household items for everyone to see.

At the end of the 17th century, the buffet acquired exactly this form, and since then all its modifications have been insignificant. The traditional model turned out to be the most rational, easy to use and attractive in appearance, capable of decorating a kitchen or dining space. Even buffets made in a minimalist style have a design close to the traditional form. Modern models are most often devoid of decor, additions and are made in a more laconic manner, but they have retained fidelity to tradition in the design of this piece of furniture in three parts.

But there are also models in which there are no clear divisions into parts; the facades are made in a single component. Also on sale you can see buffers, the design of which involves the adjoining of the upper tier to the lower one - there is no empty space between them. There are also models in which glass inserts are actively used, so much so that the buffet becomes more like a showcase. There are many variations in the execution of this piece of furniture, but the essence of the functioning of the interior element remains unchanged: a buffet is a floor cabinet for dishes and kitchen utensils.

If we talk about the size of the buffet, there are no clear standards. Depending on the height of the ceilings of the kitchen or dining space, the size of the furniture set, you can choose a buffet of any size. There are also many variations in width - from single-door narrow models to multi-door buffets with incredibly spacious storage systems.

The filling of the buffet can be very diverse - from simple shelves to ultra-modern rotating trays that can extend beyond the storage system and provide access to even the most difficult to reach corners of the cabinet. For rational storage of cutlery and various kitchen utensils, special dividers are installed inside the drawers - saving space for distributing spoons and forks, as well as time for searching, is also reflected in the incredibly orderly way of arranging the cabinet.

Vintage sideboards for the living room (10 photos)

A bright sideboard can become the heart of your living room. Use the upper open shelves to store your favorite tableware, porcelain collection or luxury alcohol. The lower shelves are useful for tablecloths, sofa cushions and other accessories. Candlesticks, decorative vases and photo frames will look great on the dividing tabletop. But unlike the kitchen, here it is better to avoid an excessive amount of things and limit yourself to only your favorite items.

Also read: An alternative to a sideboard and buffet - a showcase cabinet in living room design

Read more about the buffet for the kitchen in Provence style

If the kitchen interior is designed in the same Provencal style, it is not necessary to choose a sideboard that matches the rest of the furniture. It may be slightly different, but it is better to avoid sharp contrasts. After all, Provence is characterized by a calm pastel color palette.

The upper shelves of the buffet can be open or with glass doors. They are convenient for storing cups, decorative plates, spices in beautiful jars, stylish boxes of tea and memorable souvenirs.

On the closed lower shelves there is space for large dishes: pots, pans, tall jugs and glass jars. To combine the style of the buffet with the kitchen set, you can choose the same countertops for them.

Exterior finishing

Several methods are used to update the external decoration of a buffet with your own hands: decoupage, decoration, repainting and artificial aging. The design of the buffet depends entirely on the preferences of the owner.

Repainting

Painting an old sideboard in colors that were fashionable 60 years ago will not only refresh the appearance of the furniture, but also give it originality. Blue, gold and white colors were especially popular back then. To repaint furniture, you must adhere to the following algorithm of actions:

• Remove old paint and varnish and sand the surface.
• Install suitable furniture fittings.
• Paint the buffet.
• Cover with varnish (after the paint has dried).

Decoupage

To perform decoupage you will need napkins with the selected pattern, glue, acrylic paint and varnish. After cleaning and painting the surface, you need to prepare the drawing. To do this, an additional layer of paper is removed from the napkins and the ornament is cut out. Glue is applied to the surface where the pattern will be and the pattern itself is applied. The edges of the pattern are re-coated with a thin layer of glue, which, after complete drying, are coated with varnish.

Decoration

Using special stencils you can decorate an old buffet. In this case, you can buy samples in a store or choose your favorite pattern on the Internet. The decoration technique is quite simple: after applying the ornament to the surface, you need to carefully cover it with paint.

Aging

There are several ways to age furniture:

1. Using craquelure varnish. This method allows you to get “antique” furniture in a short period of time. Having prepared the sideboard for painting (you must first remove the old paint), craquelure varnish is applied to the surface. After it dries, coat the surface with varnish. This creates the effect of an old, cracked canvas.
2. Mechanical “aging”:
   after cleaning from varnish and paint, water stain is applied as a base;
3. the most noticeable places are lightened with a moistened sponge;
4. areas that should be darker are sanded;
5. stain is applied with a different base;
6. Using a brush, shellac primer is applied to all places;
7. restoration wax is rubbed in with a metal brush.

An alternative to a modern buffet

One of the options for replacing a buffet in the interior of a kitchen or dining room can be a display cabinet. The storage system, much of the front of which is made of glass, is also designed to accommodate dishes and cutlery, but they are all on display. Showcases most often represent a single storage system, not divided into upper and lower parts.

An original alternative to a storage system for dishes and cutlery can be a kitchen island designed as a buffet. The lower part of this piece of furniture, with its design features and selection of decor, is transferred to the façade of a separate module. As a result, the modern interior acquires a light touch of antiquity, a cozy and original touch. Of course, medium- and large-sized kitchens can “afford” such an island. In order to create an authentic kitchen island at the bottom of the buffet, space is needed. After all, the facades of floor-standing cupboards are often curved and radial.