by Elena Banfi.
They have never stopped evolving: from rustic sideboards for storing food to versatile, bold, beautiful design pieces that eschew discretion to revolutionize any environment. And (also) to make us dream.
You can’t help but notice them: wherever you place them, low sideboards can design the multitasking spaces of modern homes with horizontal momentum and great personality. Yes, because now they are not only the protagonists of the living area, kitchens and living rooms, but also furnish entrances and bedrooms. Functional? Of course! On the other hand, it is in their DNA to order, guard and conserve. But the latest innovations play above all on the aesthetic factor. And they are anything but discreet.
Thanks to extraordinary textures, hi-tech materials or ancient workmanship, original mixes, customizable finishes according to every taste and need, the most cutting-edge sideboards are transformative pieces that adapt to any environment and dominate the domestic space. Furthermore, they sit along the walls but also between one area of the house and another, as a refined divider of the more compact sizes, typical of contemporary living. The great thing is that you can put anything inside (and on top) because, in addition to hiding, they are very good at showing off and highlighting everything that is entrusted to them.
ILLUSIONIST
Air di Lago plays on the contrast between solids and voids: the volumes of the containers seem to float in the air, as if suspended in the void, supported by transparent tempered glass sheets. Self-standing and available in a double-sided version, it can also be positioned in the center of the room, to make any environment light and bright. Project 2641 in the photo has a shelf in glossy onyx gray XGlass, doors in matte havana glass and shelves in extra-clear glass.
Air by Lago, design Daniele Lago, 220.8×40.6×78.7h cm, from €3,268 – lago.it
FAIRYTALE LIKE
The sideboard by Ceccotti Collezioni is called Wonderbox which, like a museum display case, houses the objects of the heart. It has two compartments and four ultra-transparent glass doors framed by a solid American walnut wood skeleton, reduced to a minimum thickness. The internal shelves, also made of glass, have integrated LED lighting. The gem: it is possible to add a panel decorated with wallpaper of your choice on the bottom.
Wonderbox by Ceccotti Collezioni, design DRAW Studio, 209x50x89h cm, from €16,176 – ceccotticollezioni.it
POETIC
Strong and fragile at the same time, an example of excellent craftsmanship, Mille by AB Living combines solid canaletto walnut wood with a shellac finish (which reflects the light with elegance) with a new material: Fabriano artistic paper, used here in an bold. The side parts of the sideboard, in fact, are made with sheets of fine paper one on top of the other, to create – more than a piece of furniture – a work of art poised between modernity and poetry. You look at it and start dreaming.
Mille di AB Living, design Alberto Vismara, 224x60x52h cm, € 15.860 – aebliving.com
METAL
Melody by Cantori has four wooden doors completely covered in metal with a smooth surface, moved by curious sphere sections in relief. Not surprisingly, this sideboard is part of the Avantgarde collection. The opening is ergonomic, obtained with a lateral grooved profile. You open it and discover that the two internal compartments are divided by a polished, shaped and recessed glass shelf. In modern homes it looks great!
Melody by Cantori, design Luca Roccadadria, 216x53x78h cm, € 5.230 – cantori.it
LOOP EFFECT
The Mesh sideboard by Pacini Cappellini transforms every space thanks to its eclecticism and your imagination. It is a modular system of containers veneered in canaletto walnut or ash that you can place side by side and overlap as you wish, creating spectacular architecture and extraordinary dividers. The doors combine solid wood with natural, transparent bronzed or smoked glass. On request, LED lighting.
Mesh by Pacini Cappellini, design Gabriele Cappelletti, measurements of a module 65x47x67h cm, price of a module starting from €1,690 – paciniecappellini.it
1000 AND 1 FINISH
Its strong point is customisation: Kontena by Arrital can be made in a wide range of sizes and finishes, to truly become the sideboard of your dreams. Some examples? Among the materials, melamine, various lacquers, laminate. Among the woods, oak, eucalyptus, walnut, elm, fir, ebony, olive. It has two doors, one of which is folding, with special Cover-up handles matching the door itself. The basket with sides offers a multifunctional surface; the thin feet in burnished aluminum streamline an already light design.
Kontena by Arrital, design Franco Driusso, available lengths 169.4 – 184.4 – 214.4 cm; available depth 52.8 cm; heights available 65 – 68 – 85.5 – 88.5h cm, price on request – arrital.it
ARISTOCRATIC
Shibuya by MisuraEmme blends classic allure and engineering research. It is the quintessence of refinement, in its light design and excellent finishes. The structure focuses on precious essences (oak, elm, tobacco, ebony, eucalyptus or walnut) matt or glossy, backrests in Calacatta Oro marble and bronze mirror and a geometric structure in gunmetal painted metal. The additional idea: a sophisticated leather tray, designed to accommodate table accessories in style.
Shibuya by MisuraEmme, design Studio63, 287,6x46x69,8h cm, from € 10.800 – misuraemme.it
OVAL
Raised from the ground, with four or five doors, Lake by Calligaris has an oval shape emphasized by a ceramic top slightly set back from the perimeter. The base is in black painted steel, the structure has smoke or walnut veneer and the top is in porcelain stoneware, i.e. resistant to everything (scratches, impacts, stains, chemicals) with a silk white, bronze or Calacatta black marble effect.
Lake by Calligaris, design Busetti Garuti Redaelli, from 180x48x78h cm, from € 4.158 – calligaris.com
(ALMOST) ALL CURVES
Flesso by Woak is a sideboard in solid oak or walnut wood, your choice. Lines and curves retrace the itineraries of a craftsmanship that loves details very much. It is they who define this sideboard, like the upper surface worked like a tray or the legs with cylinder heads. But above all, in response to these rigorous lines, the two curved doors covered in linoleum, capable of creating a harmonious and soft contrast.
Flesso by Woak, DWA Design Studio, 200x45x72H cm – 240x45x72h cm, from € 3.628 – woakdesign.com
100% MODULAR
The Zalf sideboard is completely customizable thanks to a vast range of colors and textures. Thus, you can create mix match as you wish with elements that are all different from each other. The project in the photo, for example, has a burnished modular base, top and top in dark lignum. It has containers equipped with three talc and charcoal white pushpull doors with burnished roll handle. Finally, an open element in lignum dark.
Zalf, design Roberto Gobbo, 270×42,5×77,7h cm, from € 1.734 – zalf.com
On the cover, Mille by AB Living in Canaletto walnut and Fabriano paper.
