Open plan living has become a defining feature of modern UK homes. Knocking through walls creates light and a sense of connection, but it also removes the natural boundaries that once organised a space. A high gloss sideboard can quietly solve this, offering storage that also helps define where one area ends and another begins. In an open plan room, the right sideboard does double duty as a practical store and a subtle marker between zones.
Because these rooms are usually large and full of light, gloss feels at home here. The reflective surface works with the daylight that open plan spaces enjoy, and our high gloss sideboards range includes the longer, lower shapes that suit this kind of layout.
One of the most effective uses of a sideboard in an open plan room is as a gentle divider. Placed at the edge of the living zone, with its back towards the dining or kitchen area, it creates a visual boundary without closing off the space. The result is a room that still feels open but reads as distinct areas, which makes a large space feel more comfortable and purposeful.
For this job, choose a piece with a finished back if it will be seen from both sides, or position it against a low partition. If you want to explore the idea further, our room dividers range shows how furniture and screens can zone a space, which pairs well with a sideboard used in the same way.
Open plan rooms are forgiving of larger furniture, and a sideboard that looks generous here would overwhelm a small lounge. A longer, lower profile suits the proportions of an open space and keeps sightlines clear across the room. A width of 160cm or more often looks balanced, giving plenty of storage and a strong horizontal line that grounds the living zone.
Height is worth considering carefully. A lower sideboard preserves the open feel and lets you see across the room, which is part of the appeal of open plan living. A taller cabinet can work against a solid wall, but as a divider a lower line almost always reads better.
In an open plan room the living area is visible from the kitchen and dining space, so the sideboard needs to relate to everything around it. Pick a finish that echoes a tone already present, whether that is the kitchen units, the dining furniture or the flooring. This repetition ties the zones together and stops the room from feeling like separate spaces forced into one.
Planning the whole area at once helps enormously. Browsing our living room furniture range lets you picture how the sideboard sits with sofas and tables, and keeps the palette consistent across the open space. A coherent scheme is what makes a large room feel calm rather than busy.
Open plan spaces tend to do many jobs, from relaxing and entertaining to dining and sometimes working. The sideboard should reflect that mix, with a combination of drawers and cupboards that can hold anything from table linens to devices and paperwork. Adjustable shelves give you the flexibility to change the layout as the room is used in different ways.
Because the storage is on show from several angles, a tidy interior and a clean front matter more here than in a closed room. A seamless, handleless design keeps the look sleek, while a generous internal capacity hides the clutter that a busy open plan room inevitably collects. Comparing shapes within our wider sideboards collection helps you find the balance of capacity and clean lines you need.
On top of the sideboard, keep the styling calm and considered, as it will be seen from across the room. A lamp adds warmth in the evening and helps define the living zone after dark. A plant or a sculptural object brings life without clutter. Because the piece is visible from many directions, balance matters, so style it so it looks good from both the living side and the wider room.
A pool of lamplight on a sideboard is one of the simplest ways to make a large open space feel cosy, drawing the living area together as the natural light fades.
In an open plan room the living and dining areas share both space and style, so a sideboard can act as a bridge between them. Positioned near the boundary, it can serve the living zone for everyday storage while also holding table linens, serving dishes or glassware for the dining area close by. This dual purpose makes the piece work harder and reinforces the connection between the two spaces.
Echoing the dining furniture in the sideboard finish strengthens this link further. When the storage relates to both zones, the room reads as one coherent space rather than two separate rooms sharing a floor. That sense of flow is what makes open plan living feel relaxed and natural.
Large open spaces can feel echoing and cool if they are filled only with hard, glossy surfaces. A sideboard helps, but it is worth softening the area around it with a rug, curtains or upholstered seating to absorb sound and add warmth. The contrast between a sleek gloss piece and softer textures nearby creates a more comfortable, inviting atmosphere.
Lighting plays a part too. Because an open plan room serves several moods through the day, layered lighting matters. A lamp on the sideboard provides a gentle, low level glow for the evening, helping the living zone feel intimate even within a large, shared space. These small touches turn a big room into a series of comfortable settings.
The risk in an open plan space is that it becomes a collection of unrelated pieces. A sideboard can anchor the scheme and bring discipline to the room when its finish, tone and lines are chosen to echo the surrounding furniture. Repeating a colour or material across the zones ties everything together and stops the space from feeling disjointed.
Restraint helps here as much as coordination. In a large room it is tempting to add more furniture than the space needs, but a few well chosen pieces with room to breathe always look calmer than a crowded floor. A generous sideboard that does several jobs lets you keep the rest of the room simple, which is the secret to a cohesive open plan home.
Open plan rooms are prized for their light, and a gloss sideboard makes the most of it. The reflective surface catches daylight from large windows and bounces it deeper into the room, helping even the furthest corners feel bright. In a long space that might otherwise feel cool, this quality of light adds a welcome sense of warmth and life.
Position matters here. A sideboard placed where it can catch the light, perhaps opposite or beside a window, returns the most glow to the room. Pairing it with a mirror nearby multiplies the effect, drawing light through the whole space. In an open plan home this can make a real difference to how generous and welcoming the area feels through the day.
Open plan spaces are made for gathering, so a sideboard here often supports entertaining. Generous cupboards can hold glassware, serving dishes and table linens close to where they are used, while the top becomes a natural surface for laying out food and drink when guests arrive. A piece chosen with this in mind quietly makes hosting easier.
Look for a layout that mixes deep cupboards for bulky items with drawers for smaller pieces such as cutlery and napkins. Adjustable shelves let you store tall bottles or stacked plates as needed. When the sideboard keeps everything for entertaining in one place, the open plan room flows smoothly from everyday life to social occasions without any fuss, which is exactly what these spaces are designed to do.
In an open plan home, a high gloss sideboard is more than storage. It defines zones, reflects the abundant light and ties the scheme together across the space. Choose a long, low profile, match the finish to the wider room and plan the interior for a multi use life, and the piece will anchor your living area beautifully. Explore the full range at Furniture in Fashion, where modern designs come with free UK delivery across the country.
Can a sideboard divide an open plan room? Yes. Placed at the edge of the living zone, a sideboard creates a gentle visual boundary while keeping the space open and connected.
What size suits an open plan space? A longer, lower profile of 160cm or more usually looks balanced, offering generous storage and a strong horizontal line without blocking sightlines.
Should the sideboard match the kitchen? It helps to echo a tone already present, whether in the kitchen, dining furniture or flooring, so the zones feel connected rather than separate.
Do I need a finished back? If the sideboard will be seen from both sides as a divider, a finished back keeps it looking smart from every angle in the open space.
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