Nowadays, a buffet is a cabinet for storing kitchen utensils. This is a common type of furniture in almost all countries of the world.
They differ from each other in color and appearance. Everything depends on the internal and external factors of the peoples of the world.
In our country, cupboards have found a second wind. Let's talk about second life. In Soviet times, kitchens were very small, so cabinets and shelves were an advantage and took up little space.
Now there is such a variety for both kitchens and dining rooms. It all depends on the living conditions, that is, the square meters of the kitchen.
Purpose of a modern buffet
Depending on whether the buffet will be just a storage space or also a decorative element, you can place it in the kitchen or living room.
If the buffet is in the living room, it is better to store tableware, tea or coffee sets, and beautiful glasses in it. Depending on the style of the room, you can complement the ensemble with figurines or other decorative elements.
The buffet in the kitchen serves as a spacious storage system. In the upper transparent compartments you can store dishes, spices, and beautiful kitchen textiles.
Cutlery is usually stored in drawers, and heavy pots and pans are stored in lower cabinets. On the countertop you can place decor or put an electric kettle, coffee maker and everything you need for a coffee break.
You can choose a buffet so that it matches the style of the kitchen, or vice versa, choose the buffet you like and make it so that you get a kitchen in the style of a buffet. Such a piece of furniture deserves to be the center of the interior.
Location
- Next to the kitchen furniture. A cupboard for kitchen utensils, created in the same style as the rest of the furniture, will be an excellent addition to the kitchen set. There are also built-in options; the china cabinet is made the center of the furniture composition. In this case, it is necessary to ensure that the tabletop of the buffet matches the height of the rest of the surface.
- In the dining room. When you plan to keep dishes for daily use in the closet, the chest of drawers is placed closer to the dining table. This way, setting up for lunch or dinner will become much easier and faster, since everything you need is at hand.
- Between the kitchen and dining area. If the buffet stores both sets and pots for cooking, it is more convenient to place it in the border zone. For easy access to food and utensils. In addition, with this arrangement, the kitchen cabinet can act as a partition separating the kitchen from the dining room.
- Near the window. Near the window opening, tall but narrow cabinets are installed. Also, the option with a corner buffet for the kitchen is great.
- Niche. An excellent solution to take up space in a niche is to install a buffet. The cupboard can be made to order using individual dimensions. Then the shelves will take up all the free space in the niche.
Buffet in classic style
Classic buffets are characterized by a large height, it can reach the ceiling. Also, the classic buffet is made in a combined style, with a glazed top and a closed lower part. It must stand on curly legs.
If you gravitate towards classics and pomp, you should forget bright or dark shades, choose a white kitchen sideboard with rich fittings, gilding in the decor is welcome. The architecture may be dominated by straight lines, the upper part may be made in the shape of an arch.
Deciding on design and construction
Making your own kitchen cupboard opens up a wide field for the imagination of the home craftsman. He can make it, in accordance with his vision and ideas, in various styles:
- retro;
- high tech;
- art;
- minimalism and others.
Modern buffets for the kitchen can be made, guided by a step-by-step description of this process.
Cabinet designs can also be very diverse, including corner and round.
All homemade products radiate the coziness and warmth with which it was made.
Retro style
The choice of buffet model depends on the style of what era you want to recreate. Geography matters too. You can choose the 70s style, but the American and Soviet styles will be different.
The retro style is united by dark, rich colors. It is permissible to artificially age furniture to achieve the desired effect.
Retro buffets are often distinguished by their low height and massive lower part of the structure.
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.
Country buffet
Country style furniture is designed to reflect the national character of a particular area. Depending on whether you want to create an American country or “merchant” style, the sideboard can be beige, brown, green or even blue.
The main thing is that the colors are not flashy, and that the structure of the wood is visible from under the paint. Brushed furniture looks good in country interiors. To do this, the top layer of paint is specially removed, revealing the natural pattern.
Manufacturers offer furniture made from MDF and chipboard, which imitates wood. Country sideboards should not have glass or plastic inserts.
Specifics of internal filling and storage systems of the buffet
The equipment of the buffet must meet the needs of the owners. It can be demonstrated:
- shelves - they can be both open (for decorative items) and closed (for storing kitchen utensils);
- large drawers that slide out for dishes and other things;
- flat drawers that slide out - for kitchen appliances.
Much attention should be paid to door designs. Basically, the buffet uses swinging canvases that open towards you. But the newest models can also use much improved options - sliding (compartment doors) and even folding (like a book or accordion).
For the upper sections, folding doors with lifts - specialized spring or gas lifts - are more suitable.
Kitchen hi-tech
For interiors in the style of technogenic minimalism, ergonomic furniture is very important; kitchen cupboards are no exception. The buffet in such a kitchen should be made in a minimalist style, without unnecessary details, with many convenient drawers. In this style, you can and even need to add elements made of plexiglass, unpainted metal and plastic.
A high-tech sideboard can look like a large monolithic cabinet or a tall closed shelving unit made of glass and metal on high legs.
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.
Provence
Often the idea of buying a buffet arises among housewives along with the desire to decorate the kitchen in the Provence style. A buffet for a kitchen in Provence style should have a white or muted pastel color. The design uses lace, carvings, and floral patterns.
Provence sideboards for the kitchen are made from natural wood or materials that imitate it. Such a sideboard should look like something with history, so such sideboards are often patinated to give an antique look. Images of birds or ornate monograms look natural on such buffets.
The benefits of making it yourself
If a home craftsman is comfortable with carpentry tools, it will not be difficult for him to please the housewife and make a buffet with his own hands, which is necessary in any kitchen.
For maximum convenience and comfort, you should equip it with not only beautiful, but also functional furniture, such as a buffet.
An excellent solution for any home is to install a corner kitchen cabinet.
A self-made kitchen cabinet has a number of advantages over its “store-bought brothers”:
- you can choose a unique design for it;
- choose the material to your liking;
- use original fittings;
- choose the color scheme of the buffet that best matches the kitchen interior.
To make the interior original, you can make it yourself, putting your soul into the work, using any materials.
The most important nuance when installing such a cabinet is calculating the trajectory of the door opening.
In addition, wood products are extremely beneficial for health: they do not contain toxic compounds and do not emit harmful substances, but they fill the room with the aromas of essential oils.
Sideboards and buffets for the kitchen do not have much difference and are very similar in appearance to each other, because... The ancestor of both is considered to be the closet.
A kitchen buffet is an excellent solution for your kitchen interior.
A wooden sideboard is durable and comfortable. It will last for decades and is easy to restore and repair.
A sideboard made of natural wood will look rich and elegant, but at the same time it will cost a much larger amount.
Another important advantage of making a kitchen cabinet with your own hands is the ability to make it in an original configuration and size that best suits convenience and comfort.
To get a beautiful product without spending too much, you can make the furniture body from cheaper raw materials, such as chipboard, and the facades from more expensive and beautiful ones.
Modern
This style is characterized by its pretentiousness. Therefore, a buffet in the Art Nouveau style should be made of natural wood in a natural color or painted in light natural shades and have an intricate shape.
Round or wavy curves, brass figured fittings and carved elements in facade decoration are acceptable.
A new look at the usual state of affairs
This strange word “buffet” exists in French and in English. And most importantly, it has always been associated with cuisine, cooking, and products in any language.
The British called this a way of organizing meals, the French called it exquisite pieces of furniture for storing kitchen utensils, and the Russians even meant a buffet, now outdated, as a whole special room for storing, again, everything that could be useful in the kitchen.
How this word breathes with past times, but it turns out and can help us in organizing already modern kitchens with their catastrophic lack of space. Corner buffets are the salvation that came to us from those times. But, he will say frankly, we are happy to “save ourselves” in this way.
Skillful placement of all necessary auxiliary equipment, hiding communications and familiar corner kitchens get a new lease of life
And, in fact, why do we necessarily associate a corner buffer with a lack of space in the kitchen?
This element of kitchen interior has a lot of advantages that are useful for any space:
- But, firstly, by and large, there is not enough space in any kitchen given the current level of development and availability of kitchen equipment - you always want to add something else.
- Secondly, even if you really don’t have enough space, then this problem already has such a history and they talk about it so much that it’s time not to remember about the lack of space, but to perceive it as a normal state of affairs, as a given, with which it is necessary live and have as much fun as possible.
- And, thirdly, it’s closer to the buffets. They make it much more convenient to store all kitchen utensils (by the way, this word is very suitable for this “hello from the old days” - utensils - buffer). Imagine - all your kitchen utensils are scattered throughout the kitchen drawers, and you no longer remember where everything is. Where the plates are deep, where they are shallow, where there are saucers, where there are mugs, where there are glasses, glasses, spoons, forks. Buffets, which have a much larger internal area, allow you to store everything in one place and always before your eyes, given that they stand vertically and often have glass doors.
It is very advisable to draw up a layout plan, do not forget to organically fit the sink, stove, and refrigerator into the furniture of the corner kitchen, take a look at the doors and windows - already drawing up a plan will certainly lead to new ideas
How to choose a buffet
When choosing a buffet, you need to consider some features of this piece of furniture:
- The size of the buffet should be proportional to the existing furniture. This applies to both the kitchen and the living room;
- The color palette of the buffet should echo the tone of the kitchen unit and should differ from the color of the floor covering. Otherwise, the buffet will simply blend in;
- It is better to give preference to closed models. If you don't mind grinding each plate weekly, you can buy an open buffet;
- Always pay attention to the quality of furniture fittings;
- The style should match not only the furniture, but also the lighting elements;
- Choose a model based on what you plan to store in your cupboard.
Ready or to order
By visiting furniture stores, buyers will be able to see a wide range of products in stock. It is necessary to find ideal solutions. They should suit you with their size, design, and many other features.
Often certain difficulties arise with searches. In practice, it can be difficult to find a model that completely satisfies all requests. The requirements can be very extensive.
In such cases, custom manufacturing is preferred. This option helps out quite often. It will be possible to get furniture that best suits all your needs.
For this purpose, it is worth contacting reliable companies engaged in production, using good materials, following technologies, and carefully approaching each client.
Restoration of an old sideboard
If you received an old sideboard from your relatives, it can easily fit into a modern interior. To do this you will need your desire, time, some materials and instructions.
First you need to thoroughly clean the buffet. After this, sandpaper should remove all the old coating. If the sideboard is made of valuable wood, it is better to cover it with varnish or stain. Simpler sideboards can be painted.
Don't limit yourself to one color. A sideboard painted in muted tones with bright interior surfaces looks beautiful.
To give it an antique look, you can additionally sand the surface, apply a patina, or use different techniques for applying patterns to wood. After all the decorative work, you need to coat the sideboard with wood varnish.
If the fittings look bad, and the hinges squeak and jam, feel free to replace them with new ones.
Manufacturing process: step-by-step instructions
Before you take up the tools, you need to clearly imagine what kind of buffet you will make, and reflect your thoughts and ideas on the drawing, indicating all the details of the product.
A sideboard is part of the kitchen furniture.
First, the largest elements of the product that form its basis are prepared according to the available drawings, taking into account the necessary parameters. In order not to disturb the assembly order and not to lose the necessary parts, experienced home craftsmen advise numbering all parts.
It has the shape of an ordinary cabinet with a closed and an open part.
After completing the preparatory work, the cabinet is assembled in the following order.
- Preparing the side parts of the furniture, drilling holes in them. It is worth paying attention to the advice of experienced craftsmen who recommend using a depth limiter to control the distance between the recesses. Its use allows you to protect furniture parts from through drilling.
- Connection of buffet partitions
- Connection of the upper part of the product and the outer side parts. The top of the product is located on the end fasteners, and the side parts and bottom are pushed all the way.
- Installation of internal parts. First, the buffet body is mounted on the rear ends. Screws are used to secure the lower part, and mounting angles are used to connect it to the upper part.
- Assembly of base parts and their fastening. To mark the plinth, a drawing of kitchen furniture is used, according to which the panels are fixed on bars located at the corners of the structure.
- Decoration of the façade. The plate is placed in its place, and protrusions of the required size are left on the sides. They are needed for hanging doors and fixing the back panel.
- Securing the back wall. The sideboard body is laid out on its side to secure the canvas in the required position.
- Installation of doors and hinges. The left and right doors, the bottom and the top are marked with marks, after which the hinges are installed according to the marked marks. The cabinet doors are mounted in place, securely fastened on the hinges.
- Installing furniture in its permanent place, installing shelves and drawers, checking the quality of installation and ease of use of the product.
The designs of such cabinets vary.
However, in other designs you can also find kitchen furniture with engravings, plinths and cornices on the facades.
