Home Storage furniture buying guide

Storage furniture buying guide

Sideboards and bookcases, shelves and cabinets. They’re here to help us keep our living rooms beautiful, our hallways clutter free and our dining tables just for meal times. Our wide selection of storage pieces makes it easy to be organised.

Storage
Tables

Storage

Sideboards

Practical and versatile

Not just for the dining room

Great for storage and display

Can be used as a TV stand

These storage units, traditionally for cutlery and crockery, are often as stylish as they are practical. One of the great things about a sideboard is its versatility. No longer associated with just one room, a sideboard can sit beautifully in a hallway, serve as a TV stand in the living room and, of course, store glasses and tableware in the dining room.

View all sideboards

Bookshelves

Functional storage

Display decorative objects

With and without doors

Wide choice of styles

Most of us already have bookshelves in our homes. These days, theyʼre not just for books and can just as easily be used for media equipment and decorative objects. Bookshelves can be everything from floating wall shelves to self-contained cabinet units - some of the latter have doors, or are glass-fronted. Narrow bookshelves can be ideal for awkward spaces or between other pieces of furniture.

View all bookshelves

Display cabinets

Stylish storage

Suits all rooms

With drawers and cabinets

Integral lighting enhances display

Used for displaying everything from ornaments and books to glasses and vases, the display cabinet is another item of furniture versatile enough to serve a useful purpose in different rooms in the house. Most are tall with glass doors and drawers or cabinet space underneath; slim, space-saving cabinets and floor-to-ceiling designs are popular styles. Some have integral lighting, to show off your precious mementoes.

View all display cabinets

TV units

Ideal for media equipment

Wide variety of styles

With drawers and shelves

Corner units save space

TV and media units are no longer simply a functional stand for your TV, but a well-considered piece of furniture in their own right. Modern TV stands are available in a variety of finishes, some with drawers, some shaped to fit in your homeʼs awkward corners. Many have space for other media too, including video game consoles and media players.

View all TV units

Choosing the right occasional furniture

The important thing is to get your key furniture pieces - the sofas, beds, dining tables and storage - in place first in order to determine what space you have available. A common mistake many people make is to fall in love with a piece before the essentials are in place - and then have to struggle to work out how it's going to fit.

Be smart about your occasional furniture. Work room by room and create a list of needs the room doesn't fulfil, compared to the way you use it. Do you need an extra seat in your living room? You might need an occasional armchair or two. Do you find piles of magazines and cups appearing next to your sofa?

Occasional furniture isn't just a part of the living room. It's useful in bedrooms, where side tables or nesting tables can work as bedside tables and occasional chairs can add real character.

Measuring up

It's important to measure up your room or rooms before you buy your occasional furniture.
Measure the other key items in a room too, whether it's a sofa or bed, to make sure the occasional furniture you're buying is the right scale and shape to fit in with what you've already got.

Materials

Metal and glass

These materials, used in coffee tables, side tables, shelving and storage units, are associated with more of a contemporary look. Glass is often used with metal for sturdiness, though modern glass furniture is mostly reinforced to make sure it's shatterproof and safe to use. All of our glass furniture is made to strict British safety standards. Glass and metal are great for smaller sapces as they reflect the light and create an illusion of extra space.

Wood

Wood is perhaps the most commonly-used material for occasional furniture, and solid wood in particular looks beautiful as it ages and is hardwearing, durable and timeliness. Every piece of wooden furniture is unique, with different characteristics in colour, grain and durability.


Our furniture experts will be happy to tell you all about the benefits of different woods and finishes, how each piece is made, and the pros and cons of solid wood and veneer.


Invest wisely and you'll own a piece of solid wood occasional furniture that will last you for years.


Wood with wood veneers

Veneers can look just as good as the real thing and can be easier to clean. Veneers area a thin layer of wood applied to another material to give it the appearance of wood. Cut to enhance the richness of the natural grain, veneers are a thin layer of wood. Versatile and easier to shape, wood with wood veneers lends itself beautifully to exciting contemporary design.