Sideboards make a spectacular return

I NEVER fail to be excited by the sight of a new sideboard design. It’s the legacy of a childhood fascination with my aunt’s G-Plan version and its cutlery drawers hidden behind solid teak doors.

Spectacularly out of fashion in the 1980s and ‘90s, the sideboard was seen as an unnecessary space-hogger at a time when cutlery and crockery could be filed away in streamlined built-in kitchen cabinetry. But it’s made an equally spectacular return and you’d be hard pressed to find a furniture designer of note who doesn’t have at least one in their collection.

While I save my euros and dream of commissioning Sasha Sykes to make me a flower-filled version, I’m content with my 1960s McIntosh of Kirkaldy model for its practicality, secret shelves and bright red baize-lined drawers in a solid teak construction.