So seth and I finally found 1) a sideboard and 2) a sofa that we liked. the former is vintage and the latter from ikea, but they were both affordable and both are a huge improvement.
this is actually two cabinets pushed together. i think it makes a huge difference to have our non-perishable food hidden from view.
we had a completely different sofa in mind, but after seth and his derrière had assessed the comfort of all ikea had to offer, he talked me into getting this one.