Ask Joshua: Can You Put a Dresser in a Dining Room?

Hi Joshua,

My husband and I inherited a vintage dresser from my aunt, and we both love it. Our bedrooms are already furnished, so we haven’t found a place for it. We’ve also been looking for a buffet table for our dining room, and my husband suggested we use the dresser as a sideboard and give the room a little makeover around it.

I like the idea of keeping a piece that belonged to my aunt, but I keep picturing all those drawers. The sideboards I’ve been looking at have cabinet doors, and I wonder if the dresser will still look like it belongs in a bedroom.

Can you use a dresser as a sideboard in a dining room? If so, how would you make it look like it belongs there?

Thank you,

Virginia - Edmonds, Washington

A vintage dresser styled as a dining room sideboard against a dark floral accent wall. Designed by virtual interior designer Joshua Jones of JJones Design Co. and rendered with AI to illustrate the design for this Ask Joshua post.

Hi Virginia,

Yes, you can use a vintage dresser as a sideboard in your dining room. I’d give your aunt’s dresser a try before buying a buffet table or making any big changes to the room. You already have a piece you both love, and the drawers could turn out to be one of the reasons it works so well there.

Are drawers practical in a dining room?

They’re great for napkins, placemats, tablecloths, and extra flatware. I’d put the everyday items in the top drawers and save the lower ones for linens you pull out when you have company.

If you want to store dinner plates or serving platters, measure the inside of the drawers and check how far they open. A platter might fit inside a drawer on paper and still be awkward to lift out. I’d also check the condition of the drawer bottoms and runners before loading them with heavy dishes.

How do you know if the dresser fits?

Before you move it, use painter’s tape to mark the dresser’s footprint on the dining room floor. Then mark how far a drawer extends when it’s fully open. Pull out the nearest dining chair as if someone were sitting there and see how much room you have to stand at the dresser and reach inside. That little test will tell you more than measuring the gap with every chair tucked in.

If you picture using it as a buffet when you host, check the height, too. A lower dresser can give you a comfortable place to set out drinks or dessert. A taller one can still work well for storage and display.

How do you make a dresser look like it belongs in a dining room?

I’d start with a lamp at one end, a piece of art above it, and enough open space on top for a serving tray.

If you and your husband decide to give the dining room a makeover, I’d consider an accent wall behind the dresser. A different paint color or a patterned wallpaper can make your aunt’s dresser a focal point and tie it into the rest of the room. If the dresser has a warm wood finish and there’s muted blue in your dining room rug, I’d sample a soft blue paint or look for wallpaper that brings those tones together. Try the samples behind the dresser and look at them from the table so you can see how they work with the whole room.

And if the dresser still has its original hardware and you love it, I’d keep it. Once you’ve filled the drawers with table linens and used the top to serve dessert, I suspect you’ll start thinking of it as your dining room sideboard.

If you’d like help pulling the dining room together around your aunt’s dresser, I’d love to help. Through my Virtual Interior Design service, we can build the design around the dresser and choose a layout, wall finish, and furnishings that work with it.

Warmly,

Joshua

Have interior design related questions? You can ask Joshua here.