How to Keep Your Home Organised With a Metal Sideboard Cabinet

Are you embroiled in a continual battle to keep your house tidy? 

Research shows that 80% of Brits say their mood is affected by clutter, and an untidy lounge is a definite downer. Roughly 33% of British households argue about clutter once per week. 

If clutter is driving you up the wall, one of the best places to start is by investing in storage solutions. And what could be more perfect than a metal sideboard? 

If you love industrial design and hate clutter, a metal sideboard cabinet will offer heaps of additional storage and look stunning in your space. 

Save your sanity, read on, and let us share how an industrial metal sideboard can solve some of your clutter woes. 

Opt for a Closed Front to Reduce Visual Clutter

One of the reasons sideboards are superb for taming cluttering is they can hold a lot of items. One sideboard can give you close to (or over) 40 litres of easily accessible storage space.

All those extra drinking glasses that are practically falling out of your kitchen cupboards? That punch bowl, or china set you seldom use—but can't justify getting rid of?

Sideboards are made to house all of these items and keep them in easy reach for times when you entertain. 

If you're planning on storing a lot of miscellaneous crockery and serving items in your sideboard, we'd recommend you opt for one with a solid front so it won't become a source of visual clutter. 

On the other hand, if you have fewer, more cohesive items, or even items you want to display, you can also consider a glass-front piece, such as this fluted glass black metal sideboard. 

Alternatively, if you have certain items you want to display, and some you want to hide, you can also opt for a piece that combines visual and closed storage. 

Some sideboards incorporate open shelving areas, but these shelves can become a dust trap.

Instead, we'd recommend something like our vintage industrial metallic sideboard that combines fluted glass with drawers on the side. 

Decide What to Keep in Your Sideboard

Before you start shopping for an industrial sideboard, think about what you want to store in it. 

Sideboards are designed for holding extra crockery and serving ware, but they can also house a whole lot more than just dishes. A lot of people nowadays don't have as many serving dishes and extra sets of crockery as our parents used to. 

Instead, most modern households grapple with a different type of clutter. Think charging cables, remotes, CDs, and children's toys. 

If punchbowls and soup tureens aren't the issue, consider turning your sideboard into a multi-purpose storage unit that can hold some of the items in your house that don't have a designated home. 

But, don't just relegate your sideboard to a holdall. If you do, it can be very tempting to simply stuff it full of everything that's lying around. 

Next thing, your beautiful new metal sideboard is overflowing, and you still can't find anything. 

Instead, plan out exactly what your sideboard should hold. Do you want a part of it to house toys or games? Or maybe you have a magazine collection you want to contain?

According to survey results, magazines are the most commonly hoarded item in UK homes. 

If you want to display your magazine collection while keeping it tidy,  you can pick an industrial sideboard with either glass or wire mesh doors. 

This can add a point of interest to your sideboard, and cut down clutter on your coffee table. For instance, picture this small rustic saw cut sideboard with some magazine spines brightening up the middle shelves. Hello, contemporary chic, goodbye scattered heaps of magazines.

Prioritise Drawer Space for Easy Organisation

If you have a lot of small items to organise, you can also think about getting a full-drawer unit. 

Having lots of individual drawers can make for easier categorisation and more convenient access. For instance, something like this industrial 15-drawer iron unit is perfect if you need to house erroneous odds and ends instead of big dishes. 

Drawers give you a top-down view of your items and are also easier to divide and organise if you're dealing with a lot of loose bits and bobs.

Instead of kneeling down, pulling boxes out, and hunting through them for one small thing, you can simply slide out the appropriate drawer, and lay your hand on what you need in seconds. 

Take Advantage of Label Holder Drawer Pulls

If you're opting for a full drawer unit to act as your sideboard, we'd highly recommend you look for one that has label holder drawer pulls.

Not only do label holder drawer pulls add vintage industrial flair, but they're very practical for keeping things organised. 

A lot of our pieces here at Vincent and Barn incorporate vintage-style label holders, and they're not just there for good looks. If you want to keep tabs on which drawers hold what, all you need to do is print out labels or handwrite the categories on small pieces of card and slip these into the holders. 

Having labels on your drawers won't just remind you where specific things are, they'll also help other members of your household put things back in their place. 

Maximise Vertical Space With a Tall Sideboard

Are you strapped for floor space? If floor real estate is at a premium in your house, it doesn't make sense to try and stuff a long, wide, bulky sideboard in, no matter how much storage space you need. 

Before you buy any piece of furniture, it's always a wise idea to measure out and even tape off the area where you want the piece to go. This way you can get an idea of how it will impact the flow of the room and how much it will stick out. 

If you find that a normal-sized sideboard is going to be too bulky for your space, you can always go with a narrower one with extra height. 

As long as you're not planning on dishing up dinner on the sideboard (and let's face it, not many of us do these days) you can easily opt for a piece that's a meter high and more. 

This will give you extra storage space without taking up too much floor area and making your space feel cramped. 

Set Up the Interior So It Stays Tidy

Like we said above, it doesn't help to bring in a beautiful sideboard and then simply cram it full until it overflows. This might hide some clutter, but it will ultimately add to the chaos. 

Instead, take some time to set up the interior of your sideboard so you can easily keep it tidy and organised. 

To do this, you might need to invest in some organisational items, such as cutlery trays, drawer dividers, bins, baskets, and crates. 

Make sure that everything you want to house in your sideboard is neatly categorised. To make sure it stays that way, you can also create labels for the bins, boxes, or dividers. 

Stats show that houseproud Brits spend a staggering 237 hours cleaning and tidying. If you can set your sideboard up so it's easy to keep orderly, this can save you a lot of time re-organising later.

Top Things off With Industrial Organisation Accessories

Finally, don't forget about the top of your metal sideboard. If you don't set up organisation systems from the start, a clear surface can get cluttered faster than you can say "sideboard".

To prevent this from happening, figure out what you want to keep on top of your sideboard and how to keep these items contained and organised. 

For instance, does the post invariably land up on the sideboard? If so, maybe you'd like to style the top with something like this 2 Tier Industrial Style Black Desk Tidy. 

Not only does it look beautiful and authentically industrial, but it will also help to keep your bills organised from the moment they cross the threshold. 

If you want to display other ornaments or decor items, but don't want to cross into clutter territory again, you can also style the top with a tray. 

Trays and bowls are also perfect for containing things like keys, sunglasses, and devices that might otherwise float around and make things look messy.

Finally, nothing softens the industrial look like a splash of greenery. Liven up your sideboard (literally) with a house plant in a decorative pot—and there you have it. 

A well-organised sideboard that's attractively styled and oozing with industrial moodiness. 

Are You Looking for the Perfect Metal Sideboard?

If you're strapped for storage space and want to achieve an industrial aesthetic—a metal sideboard will help you organise clutter and make your space feel cohesively furnished. 

Picking out the perfect metal sideboard isn't hard if you know what to look for, and where to look. 

Here at Vincent and Barn, we're passionate about creating high-quality industrial and rustic furniture that not only looks good but also provides ample storage. 

Our pieces are handmade from authentic materials, including reclaimed wood, and are designed to last a lifetime. 

Browse our range of wood and metal sideboards here.