STORAGE AND DISPLAY

If your dining room is a homework or game-night hub, you may also need storage space for art supplies, paper, and board games, too.

When you’re choosing storage pieces, we recommend buying the largest furniture that your space can accommodate. That way, as your storage needs expand, the piece can continue to accommodate your lifestyle. .

What dining room storage cabinets are best for which items?

Cabinets with interior shelving can store almost anything, from stacked dishes to folded linens to boxed board games. They’re best for items that would create a cluttered, mismatched look when displayed in the open, or for items that would make a formal space appear too casual. To maximize your shelf space, place small items like silverware in dining room storage with drawers, or contain utensils in a tray or caddy before storing them on your interior shelves.

Dining room storage with glass doors or open shelving works well for displaying items you love: think wedding china or your favorite decorative accents. Tall china cabinets or hutches combine vertical display space with lower interior storage, and they make beautiful focal points in your dining room design.

Bar cabinets are perfect for storing wine, spirits, glasses, shakers, corkscrews, and more. You can open them when you’re entertaining and keep your bar items behind closed doors when you’re not using them.

Can dining room storage and display pieces be used in other rooms?

Absolutely! If you have an open wall in your kitchen, use a long, low cabinet for additional storage and an added food prep surface. A buffet or sideboard can look as good in an entryway as it does in a dining room. Many of our dining room storage cabinets have ventilation cutouts, so they can even double as media furniture if needed.

As long as the dimensions are right for your space, and the piece suits your storage needs, storage that’s traditionally used in the dining room can play many roles throughout your home.

What quality points should I look for when I decide where to buy dining storage?

Quality is what makes the Ethan Allen difference. The dining room storage cabinets made in our workshops are crafted from wood that we source in the U.S. and dry in our own kilns. We use proven woodworking techniques—mortise and tenon joinery for stability, dovetail joinery for drawer durability—and we apply every one of our finishes by hand.

We also make sure that the components of moving parts, like doors and drawers, are built to operate without a hitch for years to come. On our drawers, for example, we use either dovetailed wooden slides or Hettich undermount slides for smooth operation. The interior of each drawer is protected with a UV-resistant coating to ensure long-lasting durability.

We use tempered glass for glass doors and shelves, and we add levelers to our cabinets to compensate for tile or uneven floors. We test our furniture for load bearing and stability, and we provide tip restraint kits for tall cabinets.

If you want to invest in one piece that can stay with you over many years, as opposed to buying one low-quality piece after another, each ending up in a landfill, then Ethan Allen is where you should buy dining storage.

Do you have more questions? Click the Designer Chat icon, or contact your local Design Center—we’re happy to help!