Most people start their sideboard search with a colour in mind. Sometimes it's a vague sense — "something warm," "a dark wood," "a grey that won't clash." Sometimes it's more specific. Either way, finish tends to be the decision that takes the longest, and it's the one that's hardest to reverse once the piece is in the room. This is a look at what UK buyers are choosing in 2026, and what's worth knowing before you decide.

What's Actually Selling Right Now

The clearest pattern we're seeing in our own sales this year is a strong lean towards Dark Oak. It's been building for a while, but the shift has been more pronounced in 2026 — buyers who might previously have defaulted to a lighter oak or a neutral white are now landing more often on the darker end of the wood-effect spectrum.

It fits with the broader trend away from the all-white, bare-surface aesthetic that dominated UK interiors through most of the last decade. Darker finishes bring more warmth and visual weight to a room, and they tend to wear better over time — marks and scratches read less on a darker surface than on a pale one.

Anthracite — our deep, near-charcoal finish — tells a similar story. For buyers who want something with the neutrality of grey but without the coolness that a lighter grey can sometimes carry, Anthracite tends to be the answer. It works equally well alongside warm wood flooring and cooler, more contemporary palettes, which gives it a versatility that lighter greys don't always have.

The Case for Warm Tones

Oak, Light Mocha, and the warm mid-range finishes haven't gone anywhere. For rooms with natural light or those that already have warm-toned flooring and textiles, a lighter oak finish adds depth without darkening the space further. These finishes also tend to be more forgiving if the rest of the room is still in flux — a neutral oak sideboard is easier to restyle around than a very dark or very specific colour.

Light Mocha sits in an interesting middle ground: warmer and more textured than a standard oak, but not as intense as a dark wood. It tends to read well in rooms that already have some variation in tone — a mix of soft furnishings, layered textiles, or walls that aren't plain white.

Two-Tone: When One Finish Isn't Enough

An increasingly common preference — particularly for buyers who want the piece to do more visual work in the room — is a two-tone finish. Dark frame, warm oak panels. Muted colour body, contrasting legs. The combination adds depth that a single-colour piece can't quite achieve, without the commitment of a very bold choice.

From Our Range

Joji Modern Sideboard Console Unit

186.8 cm wide, with a Silky Black frame and Sapphire Oak panelling — or in the Moss and Sapphire Oak combination for a softer, more muted contrast. Four large doors with integrated handles. The kind of piece that tends to become the visual anchor of the room it's in rather than blending into it.

View the Joji — from £200.98

A Wide Range for a Reason

We offer a broad spectrum of finishes across our range — not to complicate the decision, but because rooms in the UK vary considerably and no single finish works everywhere. A Victorian terrace with original wooden floors calls for something different to a new-build with light grey carpets throughout. A flat with north-facing windows has different needs to a conservatory extension with light on three sides.

The Dune Console, for example, is available in nine different finishes — from White and Ancient White at the lighter end, through Oak and Light Mocha in the mid-range, to Anthracite and Dark Oak at the deeper end. The design stays consistent across all of them; the finish changes what it does in the room.

From Our Range

Dune Console Sideboard 123cm

A compact, console-depth sideboard at 123 × 35 × 78 cm. Nine colour options including Anthracite, Oak, Light Mocha, White, and Ancient White. The geometric door panels and angled legs stay consistent across finishes — a useful piece to compare across the range to see how much a finish changes the overall feel.

View the Dune 123cm — from £134.95

The 183 cm version of the same piece carries the same finish options at a wider scale — better suited to longer walls and larger living rooms or dining spaces.

From Our Range

Dune Console Sideboard 183cm

183 cm wide, eight finishes including Dark Oak, Light Mocha, Oak, and White. The same bold geometric door panels as the 123 cm version — at a scale that works well as the main storage piece in a living room or dining space. One of our longest-standing and most consistently chosen pieces.

View the Dune 183cm — from £207.95

One Practical Note

Screen calibration varies enough between devices that finish colours can look different on a phone, a laptop, and a tablet. If you're unsure between two finishes, the product pages on our site show multiple room-context images that tend to give a more accurate sense of how a finish actually reads in a space. And if you're still unsure, the chat is open — it's the quickest way to get a direct answer rather than guessing.