When trying to find the ideal furniture for your home, the word credenza can be a little confusing. In any case, what is a credenza used for? What is it—a desk or a cabinet? You don’t even need a cabinet, that is all.
A credenza is a piece of storage furniture that have no (or short) legs. Additionally, they frequently have doors that slide open or are sleek and lack visible handles. As a result, the room has a formal design and appears low to the ground.
Although there are some distinct differences, today’s credenzas serve primarily as storage solutions and are often confused with sideboards and buffet tables.
For more specific information, keep reading.
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What Is A Credenza?
In homes for the first time in the 14th century, the credenza was a piece of furniture that originated in Italy. The credenza was originally used in cathedrals and churches before being used in homes. A credenza was first used to prepare food as well as to display pricey serving ware and plates.
The credenza is still a common piece of furniture in homes all over the world, even though its function has changed somewhat in modern times. Modern credenzas come in many different styles and are used for both storage and decoration.
Here’s what the experts have to say on the matter:
- “Credenzas are regarded as an American word for dining room cabinets and are known to be more “formal.” They typically feature short or no legs and often have glass doors and shelving,” explains The owner of Dwelling Envy Interiors, Kristin Patrician. “They work best in the dining room areas due to these qualities. However, in modern open floor plans and apartment-style layouts, they are interchangeable in living room areas.”
- “Credenzas are best used in dining rooms and against walls, as most of them are not finished all the way around,” adds The company’s founding principal and interior designer is Jay Britto.
So you can use a credenza as storage in the dining room, living room, or anywhere else up against a wall. Yours may be used to keep linens, napkins, delicate dishes, seasonal décor, or something entirely different. Credenzas can also be used as decorative items, giving you extra room for things like dining room displays.
Origin Of The Credenza
The term credenza comes from the Latin word credentia meaning belief ortrust. This is the same root that gives us credibility, credit, andcredence. Until we consider the credenza’s original use, this derivation might seem strange. The act of credenza, which originated in the sixteenth century, involved a servant tasting food and beverages to check for poison. Later, the phrase was used to refer to both the space where the tasting took place as well as the furniture holding the food under consideration. The original credenza wasn’t much of a piece of furniture—it was just a crude table covered in cloth. Sometime around the beginning of the 14th century, this table began to take on an actual architectural form with legs and decorations.
The term “credenza” or “sideboard” was later extended to any piece of furniture used to display or store items likely to be used in a specific room as the credenza or sideboard evolved into a more sophisticated architectural design over the course of several centuries.
Credenza Uses
For the home and office, a credenza is a practical piece of furniture. A credenza is typically found in the dining room of a house where it can be used to lay out food for gatherings in an inviting and open eating arrangement, store and display tableware or keepsakes, and store and display keepsakes. However, in more recent times, family rooms, foyers, and hallways have all featured these practical pieces of furniture. The credenza adds value to practically any room thanks to its excellent combination of storage and flat surface.
A credenza is a secondary workspace that is used in offices to store and arrange paperwork and other items that are typically used or found in offices, boardrooms, and conference rooms. A credenza may have cabinets, shelves, drawers, and a filing area in addition to a flat surface. People may find it to be incredibly convenient to spread out documents and materials on this extra workspace that they would otherwise not have room for on their desks. In order to keep the workspace organized, the credenza also creates a convenient storage space.
Advantages Of A Credenza
One of the most functional items of furniture for the home or office is the credenza.
In The Home
The credenza makes an excellent TV stand thanks to its simple lines, flat surface, and ease of wall mounting. You can store your DVD collection and those disorganized remote controls in the bottom’s roomy storage.
In the breakfast nook or dining room, place out or display your finest china on a credenza.
Set out food and beverages on the credenza if you are hosting a party. The hosts and guests can easily access the plates, flatware, and napkins kept in the credenza’s numerous drawers and cabinets without constantly going into the kitchen.
An excellent piece of furniture for a large foyer or entryway is a credenza. Use the top to display flowers or seasonal décor, and the bottom to store any items that are constantly lying around without a place to go.
A credenza can be used as a place to arrange your sound system in the living room or study. The bottom cabinets are the ideal location for storing and organizing your recordings if you still have records, tapes, or CDs.
A credenza is a great addition to a family room or playroom because it has a flat surface on top for setting out toys or games that are currently in use and plenty of storage underneath to tuck away the messier items that tend to find their way into a heavily used room.
The advantages and applications of having this wonderful piece of furniture in your home are numerous.
At The Office
The credenza not only looks lovely and serves a purpose in the home, but it also works wonders in an office.
A credenza can be added to a desk’s side to provide the busy executive or employee with extra workspace and storage.
In the conference room, arrange reports and handouts on a credenza that is conveniently located against the wall for easy access.
Utilize a credenza to keep paperwork and office supplies out of the executive offices. Arrange and store documents underneath, then top it off with a lamp, family portraits, or other decorative items.
The front waiting area of a business can benefit from having a credenza because it provides a place to put and store magazines while also giving the space more dignity and class.
How Does A Credenza Come To Be?
You can easily incorporate credenzas into your existing aesthetic and layout because they come in a variety of sizes, finishes, and styles, from antique to contemporary. While the exact design of your credenza may vary, you can count on most credenzas having a few key features:
- Cabinet-style storage
- Long-and-low shape
- No legs or very short legs
- Sliding doors or cabinet-style doors
- Potentially, glass doors for display
Types Of Credenzas
Although historically credenzas were most frequently used in dining rooms, this important piece of furniture has since changed to serve other purposes in the house. Here are a few types of credenza-style furniture pieces you may want to incorporate into your space:
Buffet
A buffet is typically located in the dining room to serve food or store dinnerware, much like the historical credenza. Buffets have a ton of storage, just like credenzas, but they are typically taller and have longer legs.
Sideboard
Similar to a buffet, a sideboard is typically found in a dining room or even a kitchen. However, they frequently have more storage than other items of furniture of a like nature and often come with hutches for hutching china or other tableware. Consider a sideboard as the ancestor of modern kitchen cabinets.
Console
When used for media storage in the living or family room, a console may look and operate exactly like a credenza. Alternatively, a console can be a long, low table without cabinets that is used to display decor against a wall or at the back of a sofa.
See more about Average Coffee Table Height
How Should A Credenza Be Decorated?
With so much additional storage, credenzas are very practical. But what about embellishing the top and sides of your credenza?
Although it might seem intimidating, making tabletop arrangements doesn’t have to be difficult. It will be simpler to decorate your credenza the first time if you base your choices on styling suggestions and expert advice.
Below are four ideas, complete with expert input, to get you started:
Go Natural
“You can’t go wrong with vases, floral arrangements, and candles as decorative elements,” said Jay Britto is an interior designer and the company’s founding principal. However, if vases and floral arrangements aren’t for you, Priscilla Moiseoff notes that “plants are usually a nice touch on a credenza,” too.
For those who lack a green thumb, artificial plants or silk flowers can both look beautiful if they are kept clean and dusted. A simple display can be made with just one vase or potted plant and some candles positioned on either side. Plants often work best with LED candles because they reduce the possibility of fires.
Keep It Simple
Simple decor for credenzas is frequently the most striking. “In general, less is more,” comments Priscilla Moiseoff. “A credenza looks cluttered when there is too much stuff on it.”
Depending on where you’ve placed your credenza, you can create the best simple look for yourself. In addition to her earlier suggestion to place indoor plants on your credenza, Priscilla Moiseoff suggests using candles, a table lamp, or artwork.
“If your credenza is placed against a wall, adding an oversized mirror or artwork is a great idea to anchor the piece,” adds Kristin Patrician. “To ensure proper proportion, make sure your mirror or piece of art is 3/4 the overall size of the credenza.”
Create A Dry Bar
“For styling /decorating a credenza in a dining area, I love adding a mini dry bar area using an oversized tray and adding a few bottles or decanter with bar accessories,” Living Cozy was told by Kristin Patrician. For those who prefer to keep things entertaining, this is a great idea.
A dry bar can be as basic as the large tray mentioned above, or you can add more, with additional serving glasses and beverage options stored underneath. On top of the credenza, for instance, you could put a wine rack with a small stemware holder or a few extra bottles of your favorite alcoholic beverages. And don’t forget to keep a few towels on hand for quick cleanup when necessary.
Think Above Your Credenza
Do not overlook the area above your credenza in addition to the flat top surface it offers. This one can fit in nicely with the concepts we’ve already discussed, or you can build an entire design around it.
“My biggest tip would be to create a focal point above the credenza to draw the eye to a statement piece,” Speaking with Living Cozy, Katie Simpson of Mackenzie Collier Interiors. “It might be a mirror, a piece of framed art, or even a mounted TV. Use the surface to add interesting accessories like lamp tables, decorative bowls, coffee table books, plants, etc.”
The Difference Between A Sideboard, A Buffet, And A Credenza
Credenza is not secretly a synonym for sideboard or buffet, despite how frequently the terms are used interchangeably. Despite what some may claim, a credenza is a distinct piece of furniture. It differs from sideboards and buffets in a few small ways, as we’ll see below.
Credenza Vs. Sideboard
Sideboards have a low profile, a long shape, and a lot of storage space, giving them a credenza-like appearance. When people began using them for additional storage and display space in the dining room in the 19th century, the shape and style we recognize today first appeared.
“The only real difference between credenzas and sideboards is that credenzas are typically lower to the floor, while sideboards are slightly taller and usually designed with legs,” explains Katie Simpson from Mackenzie Collier Interiors. “Both designs are wide and give you the option of adding extra storage to your home.”
The main differences between a credenza and a sideboard include:
- Size: In general, sideboards are bigger than credenzas.
- Legs: Legs on sideboards are frequently of a medium height, whereas those on credenzas are typically very short or nonexistent.
- Shelving: While credenzas may have center shelving with glass display cabinets on either side, sideboards occasionally have cabinets or a hutch.
- Appearance: Contrary to credenzas, sideboards frequently have a more casual appearance.
Due to their height, sideboards, which are also referred to as servers, frequently serve as hallway or entryway tables. They also frequently have floor-to-ceiling cupboards, and occasionally a display hutch for added storage. The dining room, living room, entryway, and hallway all frequently feature sideboards as a result.
Credenza Vs. Buffet
Buffets are almost never used in the dining room, in contrast to credenzas and sideboards, and typically have longer legs. They were first used to serve large smorgasbords or buffet-style spreads in Sweden in the 16th century.
These days, they’re utilized in a manner akin to credenzas and sideboards as a location to store linens, display décor, and serve food at gatherings. To make serving simpler, buffets are typically counter-height.
The main differences between a credenza and a buffet include:
- Size: Typically, buffets are larger and taller than credenzas.
- Legs: Many buffets have tall legs, which have a different aesthetic from credenzas with short legs or no legs at all.
- Shelving: On the bottom of some buffets are open shelves, and over the cabinet-style doors are pullout drawers.
- Appearance: Buffets are more traditional than sideboards and typically have the same formal appearance.
Buffets are taller and created specifically for serving substantial meals. The roomy top is typically used for display, though setting out a buffet-style meal for many people is uncommon.
Additionally, some homes might have open shelving above the buffet, which would add more storage and increase the usefulness. The dining room and occasionally the kitchen are where buffets are typically used.
Conclusion
Back in the day (read: the 14th century), the term “credenza” referred to a decorative piece of dining room furniture where servants would sample food and drink for elites. If the noble family’s meal had been poisoned, which was a very real threat at the time, the plan was that the attempt on their lives would be discovered before the meal was served. Thus, Italians called the cabinet credenza, which translates to “belief” or “confidence.”
Credenzas are now primarily used for storage and are essentially interchangeable with buffet tables and sideboards, though there are a few key distinctions. Credenzas typically have no legs or very short legs, and they are long and low to the ground. Additionally, sliding doors or sleek doors without obtrusive pulls are more common in them.
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