Whether classic dresser, sideboard, highboard or lowboard – you can find them in every apartment and we don’t want to miss them. They are not only practical, they also look great, create storage space and often accompany us for a lifetime. But what is the difference between them? The different names can be confusing, as some pieces of furniture cannot be clearly classified because there is an ever-increasing variety that goes beyond rigid definition boundaries. All of this furniture belongs to the so-called box furniture and is used to store a wide variety of objects. With the introduction of anglicisms, we now like to speak of low, side and highboards. These terms correctly indicate different heights. But are there also functional differences? And how can the traditional German terms be classified? We light up the darkness.

How important are the differences anyway?

If you are looking for a fully configured piece of furniture in the classic way, then it is important to know what is hidden behind the various terms, because this will make it easier for you to find the right piece of furniture. But be careful, there are many hybrid models today – the name can only be used as a guide. Modern modular furniture systems allow you to put together the dimensions and functions of your furniture according to your needs – purely according to your wishes – unlimited by standard definitions.

The dresser

The chest of drawers always consists of drawers, which, however, can vary in size and number. Since chests of drawers are so popular, they are now available in a multitude of variations in height and width, so that they can be adapted to all storage needs and integrated into all rooms: bedroom, living room, dining room, children’s room or entrance area. Incidentally, the chest of drawers began its triumphant advance in the bedrooms, where the ladies kept their clothes and linen.

Dresser definition

A chest of drawers is a box furniture equipped with drawers. Its origins can be traced back to middle Ages trace back. The German word was borrowed from French around the middle of the 18th century, where it emerged around 1700 as a noun for the adjective “commode” (for “comfortably”).

As early as the 18th century, chests of drawers were often combined with other types of furniture. The essays were shelves, showcases and cupboards, the latter often with a door in the middle, flanked by numerous drawers. Secretaries, buffets and showcases developed from them.

The sideboard

A sideboard is generally 70-100cm high and thus comes very close to the classic chest of drawers. However, it differs in function. Instead of drawers, the sideboard is often only equipped with doors and shelves. As a sideboard in the dining room, it also has drawers for cutlery. Today, sideboards are also placed in living rooms or other areas, as the storage and decoration functions can be perfectly combined. Today, sideboards are often combined in living rooms to form decorative elements of impressive length.

Sideboard definition

In German, a sideboard in the dining room is often called a “buffet” or “sideboard”. There is, however, a significant historical difference in the creation of these two pieces of furniture. The buffet evolved from the chest, the sideboard evolved from the table.

A sideboard was traditionally used in the dining room for serving food, for storing and displaying serving dishes. They became popular in the 19th century when households became wealthy enough to set up a separate dining room.

The highboard

A highboard is generally 110-130cm high, higher than a chest of drawers or a sideboard, but lower than a cupboard or a wall unit. It is also usually taller than it is wide. It combines a wide variety of storage space: doors and shelves, drawers, cabinet doors and open shelves. They therefore offer a wide variety of storage space.

Highboard definition

The highboard has also evolved from the sideboard, the higher buffet. In contrast to the sideboard, however, it often has open shelving and display cabinet elements to exhibit
favorite items. A buffet was traditionally used in the dining room or kitchen to store and display serving dishes. The term highboard does not exist in English. It is a modern, very general term for tall cabinet furniture with a wide variety of storage options. A highboard is now used as storage space and eye-catcher in many rooms.

The lowboard

As the name suggests, the lowboard is always low. As a rule, it is between 25 and 50 cm high and nowadays mainly serves as a TV or media board. The screen can be placed on the lowboard or on the wall above. There are many options in width to fit large and small televisions.

Lowboard definition

The lowboard has evolved from the classic television cabinet. With the change in TV sets, the furniture has also adapted and is often used as media furniture. All technical devices such as receivers, DVD players etc. find their place in the furniture. For an orderly cable management either no rear panels or rear panels with cable recesses are used. But even without a TV, the lowboard is a popular modern piece of furniture that uses the width instead of the height of the room and can visually stretch rooms with a corresponding length.

The shelve

A shelf is simple, open storage. You can basically differentiate between two types: the wall shelf, which only consists of a shelf attached to the wall, and more complex, free-standing shelves. Shelves are always open at the front, but they can
also have side and rear walls. Modular furniture systems offer the optimal possibility to equip a shelf partially with closed compartments or drawers, so the lightness and transparency of a shelf is maintained, but at the same time storage space is created for less representative things.

Shelf definition

The term shelf comes from the Latin term Riga, which means row. It is a piece of furniture used for storing all kinds of objects. It is created by horizontal floors that are connected to a vertical frame or attached to the wall. Unlike the cabinet, it is open to the front.