The best cube storage units for dining rooms are low to mid height designs, usually two or three cubes high, made from a sturdy wood or wood effect finish, with a mix of open cubes and inserts such as drawers or doors. That combination gives you somewhere to display glassware and cookbooks while hiding table linen, placemats and the less attractive necessities of everyday dining.
Cube storage has moved well beyond the student bedroom. In a dining room, a well chosen unit can do the job of a sideboard with a more relaxed, flexible feel. Our collection of modern shelving and cube storage UK includes options in a range of sizes and finishes, and the guidance below will help you narrow down what suits your space.
Dining rooms in British homes are often multipurpose. They double as a homework table, a home office or a spot for board games, as well as a place to eat. That is why cube storage sits so comfortably between rooms, and why we include it within our modern living room furniture UK range as well as recommending it for dining spaces. Cube storage handles that variety well because each compartment can hold something different: one for napkins, one for children’s craft supplies, one for a stack of plates you use every day.
The grid format also creates a strong, orderly look that suits both modern and traditional rooms. Repetition is calming, and a neat run of cubes can bring structure to a dining area that otherwise feels like a passage between the kitchen and living room.
Finally, cube units are usually shallower than a traditional sideboard, often around 35 to 40 centimetres deep. In a narrow dining room or a kitchen diner where chairs need clearance, those few centimetres can make the difference between a comfortable room and a tight squeeze.
Height is the decision that most shapes how the unit feels in the room.
A long, low unit sits at a similar height to a sideboard and gives you a useful serving surface on top. It keeps sight lines open, which is valuable in an open plan space, and leaves the wall above free for art or a mirror. This is usually the most versatile choice for a dining room.
A three by three or three by four unit offers more storage while staying below eye level for most adults. The top is still usable for a lamp or a plant, though less practical for serving.
Tall cube units can work in an alcove or as a room divider, but they dominate a small dining room. If you choose one, fix it securely to the wall and keep heavier items on the lower rows.
The finish should relate to your dining table and chairs without matching them exactly. If your table is oak, a white or grey cube unit with oak tones in the inserts can create a link. If your table is glass or gloss, a wood unit brings in warmth.
Solid wood and veneered units feel substantial and age well. Melamine and foil wrapped finishes are practical, easy to wipe and well suited to busy family homes. Painted finishes give you more colour choice but can chip at the edges if inserts are pulled in and out frequently.
Look closely at shelf thickness. Thicker panels resist sagging when cubes are filled with heavy plates or books. A sturdy back panel adds rigidity, while an open back can make the unit feel lighter if it stands in front of a feature wall.
A unit where every cube is open can look busy once it is filled. A unit where every cube is closed can look like a block of cupboards. The most attractive arrangements usually mix the two.
A simple approach is to use inserts on the bottom row for heavier and less attractive items, then keep the upper rows mostly open with one or two inserts placed in a loose pattern. Drawers suit cutlery and small items, doors suit tall bottles and stacked linen, and fabric or woven boxes are a softer option for napkins and placemats.
Keep insert colours limited. Two colours at most, ideally one that matches the frame and one accent drawn from your chairs or curtains, prevents the unit from looking patchy.
Good dining room cube storage holds the things you reach for at mealtimes and shows a few things you enjoy looking at.
Leave one or two cubes almost empty with a single object in each. That breathing space stops the unit from looking crowded and draws attention to the pieces you have chosen.
The unit should feel like it belongs with the table and chairs rather than being a separate purchase. Repeating one material is often enough: oak legs on the chairs and oak tones on the cube frame, or black metal on a table base and black handles on cube drawers. Our dining table and chairs sets UK are a useful reference for finding finishes that sit well together.
Scale matters too. A long table benefits from a long, low unit that echoes its proportions. A round table in a square room pairs well with a compact, square cube unit.
A traditional sideboard and cube storage do similar jobs, and the right choice depends on how you use the room. A sideboard offers a deeper, more formal surface for serving and tends to hide everything behind doors. Cube storage is more flexible, usually lighter on the eye and better at displaying favourite objects.
If you entertain often and want a serving surface, a sideboard may suit you better. Our modern dining room sideboards UK sale range shows the alternatives. If your dining room is more of an everyday family space, cube storage is often the more practical and adaptable option. Some households use both, with a sideboard as the main piece and a small cube unit in an alcove. Our guide to styling dining tables with sideboards in UK homes is helpful if you choose that route.
Most people place cube storage along the longest free wall, parallel to the table. Allow at least 90 centimetres between the edge of the table and the front of the unit so that someone can pull out a chair and walk behind it. In a tighter room, a shallower unit or a position at the end of the table may work better.
In an open plan kitchen diner, a low cube unit can act as a soft boundary between the dining area and the living space. If it stands away from a wall, choose a design that is finished on the back and make sure it is stable enough to stand alone.
An alcove beside a chimney breast is another good spot, particularly in Victorian and Edwardian homes, where a pair of matching units either side can look built in. For more ideas on making a modest dining room work hard, our piece on fitting a rectangular dining table into a small UK room covers clearances and layouts.
A good cube storage unit gives a dining room order, flexibility and a place for the things you use most. Choose a low or mid height design, pick a finish that relates to your table, mix open cubes with inserts, and leave enough clearance for chairs. At Furniture in Fashion, we offer cube storage, sideboards and dining sets that work together, with free delivery to most UK mainland postcodes.
Yes, for many households. A low cube unit offers a top surface for serving and plenty of storage. It is usually shallower than a sideboard, which suits smaller rooms.
Around 35 to 40 centimetres is typical and works well for plates, glasses and books. Shallower units save space but hold less, and deeper units can crowd a narrow room.
It does not need to match, but it should relate. Repeating one material or colour from the table or chairs is usually enough to make the room feel coordinated.
Aim for at least 90 centimetres between the table edge and the front of the unit so chairs can be pulled out and people can pass behind them comfortably.
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