Buffet and Hutches
Coastal Design Furniture's Range of Buffet and HutchesMany of our Buffet and Hutches are hand crafted in Australia with Australian and imported materials and timber. All can be finished with a natural timber finish, whitewash or painted in your chosen colour.
Anything on this page can be customised. We can add shelving space, more drawers, or change dimensions to suit if you require longer or wider. The finished look can vary according to your style preferences also.
One of our consultants can come to your home and give you a free measure and quote. We have over twenty-five years of experience making high quality timber furniture. Get friendly advice that fits your needs and situation – click the button below to book in a free measure and quote.
Blackbutt Buffet
Blackwood Buffet
Coastal Buffet 1
Tas Oak White Base Buffet
Boston Buffet
Boston Cabinet
Coastal Buffet 2
Newland Buffet
Tassie Oak Buffet and Hutch
Terrigal Buffet
Tas Oak/Whitewash Buffet
Tasmanian Oak Buffet
Custom Made Buffet and Hutches
Do you have something special in mind. Want a buffet and hutch that is specially made for you. We can custom make your buffet and hutch so it fits your needs, style and requirements. We have over 20 years experience in building custom made buffet and hutches.
Click below to book in a free measure and quote for your custom made furniture.
Buffet and Hutches FAQ
Coastal Design Furniture designs and builds custom buffets and hutches from our Erina showroom on the NSW Central Coast. Many pieces are hand crafted in Australia with Australian and imported timbers. You choose length, height, drawers, doors, a hutch on top if you need one, and a natural timber, whitewash or painted finish.
This FAQ answers the questions we hear most about buffets and hutches. It uses the same details as our Buffet and Hutches page, the dining and measuring guides, and the Wall Units and TV Units FAQs.
What is a buffet, and how is it different from a hutch?
A buffet is the low timber cabinet that usually sits against the dining-room wall — drawers and cupboards for serving ware, table linen and the pieces you do not want on the table. A hutch is the upper section: open or glass shelves (sometimes with lighting) that sit on or above the buffet so plates, glassware and objects can be seen. You can order the buffet on its own, or a buffet and hutch as one run. On the Central Coast we often match the timber to an existing dining table rather than selling a boxed suite.
Do you sell ready-made dining sets with a matching buffet?
No. We do not sell boxed matching dining sets. Floor pieces in the Erina showroom are starting points. If you like the Blackbutt Buffet, Blackwood Buffet, Coastal Buffet, Tas Oak White Base Buffet, Boston Buffet or Cabinet, Newland Buffet, Terrigal Buffet, Tas Oak/Whitewash Buffet, Tasmanian Oak Buffet, or the Tassie Oak Buffet and Hutch, we can build that idea longer, taller, slimmer, with extra drawers or shelves, or with a hutch added or left off.
What can you customise on a buffet or hutch?
Almost the layout. Common changes include:
- Length, height and depth to suit the wall, the table and the walkway behind chairs
- More or fewer drawers, doors or shelves
- A hutch added to a buffet, or a buffet built without one
- Glass shelves, glass doors and internal lighting in the hutch
- A mixed finish — for example a white base with a natural timber top
- Corner or alcove builds, including a slimmer depth for a tight dining room
Bring a photo if you have one. We design from the wall and from what has to live in the cabinet — serving platters, glassware, linen — not from a catalogue SKU.
Do I need a hutch, or is a buffet enough?
A buffet on its own is enough if you mainly need closed storage and a serving surface. Add a hutch if you want to display plates and glassware, or if the wall above the buffet looks unfinished. A hutch also keeps everyday pieces off the table without hiding them. If you are unsure, we can design the buffet so a hutch can be added later, or quote both options after we have seen the room.
Will a buffet match my dining table?
That is one of the main reasons people come to us. We can work to an existing table — Tassie oak, blackbutt, blackwood, painted white, whitewash — or build table and buffet together so the timber and finish read as one room. Bring a sample, a photo, or a chair if it travels easily. We also work with interior designers when the dining wall is part of a wider scheme.
Which timbers and finishes can I choose?
Timber options used across the custom range include Jarrah, Blackwood, Tassie Oak, Rosewood, Beechwood, Blackbutt, Pine, American Oak and Spot Gum. Other local and imported species such as Victorian Ash and Oregon are also used depending on the piece. The range page itself includes Blackbutt, Blackwood, Tassie Oak and Tasmanian Oak buffets, plus white-base and whitewash versions.
Finishes are a natural timber finish, whitewash, stain, or paint in a colour that already sits in the house. A Tas Oak White Base Buffet is a typical mixed finish: timber top, painted base.
How long and how deep should a buffet be?
Long enough to be useful as a serving surface, short enough that chairs and a walkway still work. Depth matters as much as length: too deep and the dining chairs cannot pull back; too shallow and platters and drawers fight each other. Measure the wall twice, in millimetres, and measure the gap behind the table when chairs are pulled out. We confirm those figures on a free measure and quote so the finished piece suits the room, not a photo of someone else’s dining room.
How do I know what size to order?
Measure the wall twice: width, height to the ceiling or picture rail, and how deep the buffet can sit. Note windows, power points, air-conditioning units and skirting. Also measure doorway, hallway and stair widths on the delivery path — solid timber buffets and hutches do not flex around a tight corner. Photos of the full wall, including corners, help more than a floor plan on its own.
You do not have to get every figure perfect before you visit. Rough notes are enough. A showroom conversation or a free on-site measure confirms the numbers before anything is made.
Do you offer a free measure and quote?
Yes. A consultant can come to the home, measure the wall, ceiling and delivery path, mark skirting, windows, power and door swings, and talk through how the dining room is used. The visit is so production starts from the room, not from a photo of someone else’s house. Book through the Measure and Quote page, call (02) 4365 6298, or come into 166 Central Coast Highway, Erina.
What if the wall is an alcove, a corner, or shorter than a standard buffet?
That is a common reason people come to us instead of buying a standard cabinet. Length, height, shelf layout and whether a hutch sits on top can all change to suit the wall. Off-the-shelf buffets are often too long for a Central Coast dining alcove, or too deep once the table and chairs are in place. A custom run can fill the wall and still leave a clear path around the table.
How long does a custom buffet or hutch take, and do you install it?
Lead time depends on timber, finish and how full the workshop is. We confirm timing with the quote. Taller buffet-and-hutch pieces are planned around the delivery path as well as the finished wall. Installation can be arranged so the piece is set level, the hutch is fixed where it needs to be, and the build is checked against the measurements taken on site.
What should I bring to the Erina showroom?
Useful, not mandatory:
- Width, depth and height of the wall, measured twice
- Doorway and hallway widths on the delivery route
- Photos of the wall, including corners and windows
- A note on what the buffet has to hold — platters, glassware, linen, serving pieces
- A photo or sample of the dining table if you want the timber to match
- A finish direction if you have one: natural timber, whitewash, or paint
If you only have a floor plan, bring that too. Plans often miss skirting, door swing and the real delivery path. Those get checked in the showroom or on site.
Who do you build for, and how far do you travel?
Coastal Design Furniture has been Australian owned and making timber furniture from Erina since 1995. The family background in custom timber work goes back further. We serve the Central Coast and work with clients from North Sydney through to the Hunter. The showroom is open Monday to Saturday 9am–5pm and Sunday 10am–4pm.
How do I start?
Call (02) 4365 6298, email info@coastaldesignfurniture.com.au, book a free measure and quote, or come into the showroom at 166 Central Coast Highway, Erina NSW 2250. Look at the Buffet and Hutches and Dining Tables pages first if you want a starting shape. We will design the piece that fits the wall and the table.
Useful pages
Buffet and hutches: https://www.coastaldesignfurniture.com.au/buffet-and-hutches/
Dining tables: https://www.coastaldesignfurniture.com.au/dining-tables/
Display units: https://www.coastaldesignfurniture.com.au/display-units/
Wall units: https://www.coastaldesignfurniture.com.au/wall-units/
Measure and quote: https://www.coastaldesignfurniture.com.au/measure-and-quote/
Contact: https://www.coastaldesignfurniture.com.au/contact-us/