Dining Room Furniture Names: What’s Really in Your Space?

• By Harvey Stonebridge
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Ever walk into a dining room and realize you have no idea what half the furniture is actually called? You might know the big table in the middle, but what about that tall cabinet full of plates or the long piece against the wall holding random stuff?

Getting these names down can really help when shopping for new pieces or just explaining what you want in the space. If you’re moving, selling, or redecorating, you need to know you’re not confusing a 'sideboard' with a 'buffet'—trust me, they aren’t always the same thing. And if you’re buying online, using the right words can save you from a world of search results you don’t need.

Plus, knowing the right names helps you figure out how each piece is supposed to work. Like, why do some homes have a hutch, and what’s the difference between a china cabinet and a display cabinet? The answer can change how you store your plates, how you serve guests, or even how you set up your room for holidays.

• What Basic Dining Room Furniture Is Called
• The Lesser-Known Pieces: Sideboards, Buffets, and More
• Dining Room Furniture Through the Years
• Tips for Choosing the Right Dining Room Setup

What Basic Dining Room Furniture Is Called

The heart of every dining room is the dining room furniture set—the stuff that brings everyone together for meals, birthdays, and all those not-so-fancy takeout nights. While people get creative with layouts, there are a few basics that keep showing up, no matter the trend.

The big player is always the dining table. This is where everyone sits, eats, plays games, or even gets some work done after hours. Most tables are made from wood, but you’ll find glass, metal, and even plastic in some modern spaces. The size typically depends on how many people you need to seat, but the average dining table in the US seats six.

Right next, there are the dining chairs. Sounds simple enough, but these can get pretty wild—some homes mix up the chair styles for each end of the table or go all matching for a tight, classic look. A basic guideline: leave about 24 inches between each chair so folks aren’t bumping elbows.

If you want to see it laid out, check this snapshot of what most dining rooms have, and how common each item is according to a 2023 American home trends survey:

These are the building blocks. As for the other pieces—the storage and display stuff—we’ll cover them soon. For now, if you can name the table and chairs, you’re already ahead of the pack. A bonus tip: always measure your space and your table before buying, so you don’t end up stuck with stuff that doesn’t fit (happens way too often!).

The Lesser-Known Pieces: Sideboards, Buffets, and More

It’s easy to spot a dining table and chairs, but what about the other stuff? In the world of dining room furniture, sideboards, buffets, hutches, and credenzas often get mixed up. Each one actually has its own little job in the room. Here’s what you’re really looking at when you see these different pieces.

Sideboard vs. Buffet—What’s the Deal? People swap these names a lot, but technically, a sideboard is a low, long storage piece. You’ll usually see it with cabinets and maybe a few drawers, great for holding plates or napkins. The main thing that makes a sideboard a sideboard? It’s flat on top and works just as well against a wall in a living room as it does in a dining room. When you see the same basic shape in a dining space, especially if it’s used to set out food, a lot of folks call it a buffet. So really, it’s more about how you use it than strict design differences.

What’s a Hutch? When a sideboard or buffet gets a big cabinet with glass doors stacked on top, it turns into a hutch. This is where Grandma’s fancy dishes or your set of wine glasses usually end up. The glass doors are for showing stuff off, while the bottom still gives you room to stash whatever doesn’t need to be on display.

Where Does a Credenza Fit In? Credenzas look a lot like sideboards but tend to have sliding doors and sit lower to the ground. You’ll spot these in mid-century style rooms or even under the TV. People love them because they’re simple, don’t take up much room, and can hide just about anything inside with no fuss.

China Cabinets and Display Cabinets When you want more than just storage, a china cabinet or a display cabinet has more glass and fancier shelves. These aren’t just for dishes—people put trophies, collectibles, or even books inside.

If you’re shopping or just arranging furniture in your home, knowing these names saves a ton of time. Instead of searching for a “big cabinet for dishes,” looking up the right name gets you the exact style you’re after—plus, you’ll look like you know your stuff when friends ask about your new setup.

Dining Room Furniture Through the Years

Dining rooms didn’t always look like they do now. Back in the 1700s, folks with big houses in Europe started having rooms just for eating. The centerpiece was almost always a big wooden table, often super heavy because, well, that was the style. Chairs back then were stiff and simple—comfort wasn’t the top priority.

Fast forward to the Victorian era, and suddenly every fancy home in England and America needed a huge sideboard. This is where people put their serving dishes and showed off their silver. The sideboard basically became the command center for family dinners.

In the early 1900s, people started using buffets and china cabinets more. The buffet was all about serving food when guests were over, while the china cabinet was for showing off dishes—especially the ones nobody ever used. If your grandparents kept fancy plates “just for show,” that’s where the idea comes from.

These days, the classic setup has changed again. More folks want open, casual spaces instead of formal dining rooms. Multipurpose tables are popular, and storage got smarter—like built-in benches with hidden space or modular sideboards. But no matter the style, one thing hasn’t changed: dining room furniture still brings people together for meals, whether it’s a big holiday feast or takeout on a Tuesday night.

Crazy fact: The famous Eames Molded Plastic Chair, made in the 1950s, totally changed what “dining chair” meant. Suddenly plastic was cool, not just wood, and that opened up design for everyone—not just the rich crowd.

Tips for Choosing the Right Dining Room Setup

Picking out dining room furniture isn’t just grabbing whatever looks cool in the store or online. It’s about figuring out what will actually work for your space and your daily life. Start with your dining room size. Standard dining tables are about 30 inches high and need at least 36 inches between the edge of the table and any walls or other furniture, so chairs can be pulled out comfortably. If you’re tight on space, a round table means easier movement around the room, plus it feels more casual for everyday meals.

Think about how many people you actually host. You don’t need a ten-seat table if you never seat more than four. Extendable tables can solve this problem for smaller homes or apartments—just pop in the leaves for big family dinners and tuck them away the rest of the time.

Choosing storage pieces like buffets or sideboards comes down to what you want to keep handy. If you entertain a lot or have tons of dishes, a sideboard or cabinet is a lifesaver. Some of these even come with built-in wine racks or felt-lined drawers for silverware. Open shelving can put everyday plates right where you need them—no more digging through cabinets.

• Leave at least 24 inches per person at the table—that’s enough elbow room for most adults.
• Chairs with arms need more room; measure before buying.
• If the room doubles as an office or homework zone, stick to tables with tough finishes—kids and spilled coffee are a given.
• Want to show off grandma’s china? Go for a hutch with glass doors—it’s basically a display case that also keeps dust out.

Let’s look at a few common table sizes and how many people they actually fit. Use this to avoid ending up with the classic forty-minute game of musical chairs at Thanksgiving:

One more quick tip: lighting makes a big difference. Hang the light fixture about 30-34 inches above the table for good vibes and fewer squints. Once you get the basics right, it’ll make meals, work, and hangouts way smoother. You’ll actually want to use your dining room every day, not just on holidays.