20 Stylish Dining Room Storage Ideas

From credenzas and sideboards to floating buffets and banquettes with drawers, discover a storage option that works for your dining space and design style.

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November 18, 2020

By: Katie Friedman

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Classic Credenza

Some pieces never go out of style. Elevate your formal dining room and keep special-occasion items safely stored but ready to use by opting for a classic credenza. If your space is more modern or you're working with contemporary furniture, an antique or traditional piece like the credenza above can balance out the clean lines and bring in a lot of character and charm.

From: Parks Realty and Luxury Portfolio International®

Twin Shelves

Add twice as much functionality to your dining room with twin shelves or storage cabinets. In this adorable gathering space from designer Stefani Stein, identical fire engine-red bookcases free up the floors and allow for double the amount of dishes and decor. Taller units like these are also a smart solution in a house with young children, as they help keep fragile items and adult beverages out of reach.

From: Stefani Stein

Busy Built-Ins

Floor-to-ceiling shelves can offer a lot of storage, but they can also be pretty tricky to style. You want to fill them out without making the space look messy or overwhelming. So what's the secret? Add punchy contact paper, like Design 4 Corners did in the dining room above. A lively print, like florals or painted dots, will help "disguise" your decor and make the built-ins seem clean and cohesive (not to mention, chic).

From: Design 4 Corners

Repurposed Bookcase

If you can't find a credenza, sideboard or buffet table you love, consider repurposing an old bookcase. In this handsome dining room from Breeze Giannasio, an elongated bookcase becomes a clever cure-all by holding books, vases and serveware. And thanks to its open shelves, those items can still be seen and enjoyed even when they're not actively being used for meals.

From: Breeze Giannasio

Statement Sideboard

Get the storage you need and make your formal dining room feel grand by putting a bold sideboard front and center. In this eclectic space from designer Minhnuyet Hardy, an art deco cabinet becomes the crown jewel of the room with its strong shape and gold embellishment. You can draw even more attention to your table by "building it up" with tall lamps and a long mirror, which will make the unit seem larger and more imposing.

From: Minhnuyet Hardy

White Wash

If you'd rather keep the focus on a favorite piece of art, a statement light fixture or the table itself, choose a sideboard that will blend right into the background. Think something with clean lines, little to no hardware and a hue matches the wall, like designer Tara Benet did with the piece above. Its sleek front and white finish help the buffet fade into the background and ensure that only the painting stands out.

From: Tara Benet

Best of Both Worlds

If you want the aesthetic of open shelving but the privacy of a cabinet or credenza, consider using custom millwork. In this fun and family-friendly dining room, designer Michelle Gage gave her clients the best of both by installing a built-in with open shelves up top and drawers down below. In turn, the family can now proudly display their favorite items and photos, but keep serveware or stacks of board games out of sight.

From: Michelle Gage

Room Divider

Have an open floor plan? Use a low-level shelf to distinguish your dining room from the living room or kitchen and increase your storage options. In this hip space by designer Sara Touijer, a waist-high unit separates the two rooms without closing them off and gives the homeowners another place for their entertaining essentials.

From: Sara Touijer

Frosted-Glass Cabinets

For subtle storage, look no further than frosted-glass cabinets. They offer more privacy than open shelving, pull in just the right amount of texture and, thanks to their translucent material, significantly brighten up darker dining rooms. You can enhance the latter effect by complementing the doors with silver or chrome hardware, like Blackband Design did here.

From: Blackband Design

Floating Shelves

Floating shelves are a great option for tight spaces and awkward corners. They give you all the storage of a cabinet or hutch, but without taking up precious floor space — and they can fit on practically any wall. To ensure that your smaller dining space looks more airy and less cramped, choose floating shelves in a white or light finish, which will help draw the eye up and make the room feel wide open.

From: Houlihan Lawrence and Luxury Portfolio International®

Wall-to-Wall Buffet Table

Modern dining rooms will find their perfect match in a sleek, wall-to-wall buffet table like this. Because the storage unit is so long, it doesn't need to be very wide, which allows the homeowners to enjoy more floor space. Notice, too, how architect James Wagman purposefully oriented the unit to sit parallel to the table; this technique helps showcase the clean lines of each piece and takes advantage of the most wall space.

From: James Wagman Architect

Beneath the Banquette

Smaller dining rooms call for creative storage solutions. Keep your space neat and tidy by equipping your banquette with hidden drawers for linen napkins, tablecloths, pillows, etc. Your family will still enjoy the comfort of the cushioned bench while you maximize the space underneath. You can even organize the drawers with dividers.

From: Amy Elbaum

Upgraded Archway

For the record, we're completely obsessed with this savvy storage idea from Terracotta Design Build. Upgrade an ordinary archway with built-in cabinets that stretch across the top and down the sides. Glass windows and doors will help you keep track of the items within and transform the once plain Jane threshold into a fully functional, showstopping feature.

From: Terracotta Design Build

Floating Buffet

Freestanding furniture is great for rearranging, but if you want something more permanent, try a floating buffet table. Because it quite literally lifts off the ground, this type of storage cabinet provides a continuous, wall-to-wall view of your floor, which creates the illusion of a larger dining room. And for style inspiration, look no further than the floating buffet above; we love how its gently ridged doors add a touch of texture to the sleek space.

From: CONTENT Architecture

Double-Duty Island

Here's a clever storage idea for an open kitchen, courtesy of the pros at Butter Lutz Interiors: Choose an island with cabinets on both sides of the counter. Although they sit in the center of the room, islands typically only benefit the kitchen with their basin sinks and drawers. But by selecting a unit with front-facing cabinets, designer Amy Lutz added storage to the dining room and ultimately made the two spaces feel more cohesive.

From: Butter Lutz Interiors

Cheeky Cubbies

Squeeze even more storage into a cozy dining nook with a set of vertical cubbies. In this playfully pink space from Zoe Feldman, the designer gave her clients three extra shelves for vases and glassware and then used fun, eye-patterned contact paper to make the feature stand out. The result? A tiny dining room that's packed with personality and storage options.

From: Zoe Feldman Design

Traditional Hutch

Floor-to-ceiling windows are a gorgeous feature in any dining room, but can sometimes leave an awkward gap to fill. The solution? Kill two birds with one stone and put a stately wood hutch in the middle. Not only will the cabinet provide timeless storage for delicate plates and glasses, but it will also perfectly complement the scale of the windows. We love how designer Kristina Crestin updated the traditional hutch above with more contemporary dining chairs and curtains. Now the space feels ready for a modern family.

From: Kristina Crestin

Custom Wine Rack

Why clutter your table with wine bottles when you could have a sharp accent wall like this? Take a page out of designer Marie Flanigan's book and transform a blank space into swoon-worthy storage by using a few floating bottle holders. If you're not sure where to start your rows, begin at chest level and work upwards; this will help create the illusion of high ceilings.

From: Marie Flanigan Interiors

Farmhouse-Friendly

The secret to a picture-perfect farmhouse dining room? Casual storage. Farmhouse style is all about effortless elegance and is best achieved by mixing simple furnishings with high-end fabrics. So, in this inviting space from designer Kelly McGuill, a light wood unit with wide-open shelves is an excellent selection. The clean lines, honey-hued finish and generous shelves combine for a no-fuss aesthetic that feels right at home here.

From: Kelly McGuill

All-in-One Option

Enjoy open shelves, cupboards, bench seating and hidden drawers all at once with this simply stunning, custom solution from sKout. We love this approach for an open-concept dining space because it visually heightens the room and balances the upper cabinets in the kitchen, and because it gives the owners endless storage opportunities.

From: sKout