140cm wide sideboard

Most people underestimate how much space a 140cm wide sideboard actually takes up. It is the middle child of Sideboards. Not so small that it looks lost in a dining room, but not so massive that it dictates where every other piece of furniture has to go. I usually tell folk to measure their wall twice, then go and have a cuppa, then measure it again. You do not want to be the person calling me up saying it blocks the radiator by two inches.

I reckon the best thing about a proper Oak Sideboard is that it is basically kid-proof. My own lot have spent years bashing toy cars into the legs of our furniture. If this was a cheap laminate, the corner would have peeled off years ago. With Oak Castle Furniture, it just adds a bit of character. If you get a proper nasty scratch, you just sand it back and bit of oil sorts it out. It is not rocket science. You should probably read my bit on Oak Sideboard Care: Protecting Your Investment if you actually want it to last until your grandkids are fighting over who gets it in the will.

I see a lot of people trying to use these in hallways. Unless you have a hallway the size of a manor house, don’t. You’ll just be bumping your hips on the corners every time you come home with the shopping. It belongs in Oak Living Room Furniture setups or as a solid base for your dinner plates in the Kitchen Furniture area. If you are still unsure about what to look for, I wrote a Buying an Oak Sideboard: Shopping Guide that cuts through the marketing fluff.

Look, I am not going to tell you this is a life-changing purchase. It is a cupboard. But it is a cupboard that won’t wobble when you put a stack of heavy plates in it. It won’t sag in the middle after six months. It just sits there and does its job. If you want something that looks like it belongs in a glossy magazine but feels like it is made of biscuit tin, go elsewhere. If you want something proper, this is it.

How it stacks up against the cheap stuff

Common questions I get at the workshop

How do I stop the wood from drying out? Keep it away from the radiator. Wood is a natural thing, it breathes. If you blast it with heat, it might crack. A bit of wax or oil every six months keeps it happy.

Is it actually solid wood all the way through? Yes. I wouldn’t sell it otherwise. I hate the fake stuff. It feels wrong and smells like chemicals.

Does it come in a flat box? No. It comes as it is. Built properly by people who know what they are doing. If you want a weekend project with an Allen key, you are in the wrong place.

Will the colour change over time? A bit. Oak mellows. It gets a bit deeper, a bit richer. It is part of the charm. If you want something that stays exactly the same forever, buy plastic.

Can I put my big TV on it? You could, but it is a bit high for that. You’ll end up with a sore neck. Get a proper unit designed for it instead.

“Took two of us to get it into the dining room, but it isn’t budging. The drawers actually feel like they are made of something substantial, not like the cardboard rubbish I usually end up with. Chuffed with it.”

See all our sideboards here