How to make DIY Storage Room Cabinets
Introduction:
The current lockdown has brought out all the chefs, artists, musicians, and singers into the limelight. Are you still figuring out what you should be doing in this self-quarantine period? Have you ever had a tough time cleaning your living room, especially when it’s that time of the year (The Spring)? Well, worry not because it is high time you started revamping your home. To get this job done smoothly, we bring you a pool of ideas to choose from. It is time you brought out your inner Monica Geller and hit it.
It is undoubtedly depressing to see a pile of things always there to be set at the right place whenever you enter your living room. However, living room storage cabinets can be a permanent solution to your problem. There is a wide range of options available depending on the size of your living room. Living room storage cabinets come in all sizes and shapes. You can color and decorate your life-saving and time-saving living room storage cabinet with innumerable themes and adorn it with hand-painted motifs.
With a few easy and clever steps, you can peacefully read one of your books from the display cabinet on a whacky Wednesday with a cup of Decaf Coffee in your hand and enjoy the evening while your stuff is in the living room storage cabinet. So, put on your red cap and let the work begin *Drum Rolls*.
Benefits of Having a Living Room Storage Cabinet:
While we discuss living room storage cabinets making our lives hassle-free, it is important to know how and in what ways. Below are mentioned the pros of having a living room storage cabinet.
Efficient Use Of Space
Having a living room storage cabinet can spare you loads of space. Do you remember the time you wanted to buy that classy recliner but you remembered that you did not have enough room and you dropped the idea? A living room storage cabinet of a certain size can make your materialistic desires come true by efficiently saving you space. Moreover, you can make your living room clutter-free with plenty of time and energy to beautify it with home décor ideas. If you are a bibliophile, you can stock your books in a display cabinet and put it in your living room.
Great For Small Homes
Usually small houses are unorganized because all the important and unimportant, seasonal, and unseasonal things are in one place and you do not want to get into the mess because a. it is time taking and b. it is frustrating when you don’t have a storage cabinet. Smaller homes are comparatively easier to organize because, with a little planning, motivation and free time, you can adjust showpieces at your display cabinet and put your temporarily unimportant stuff inside the storage cabinet yet manage to have enough space for a RECLINER! (I love them!).
Improved Organization In The Living Room
Many a time when we have sudden guests, it is quite an embarrassment to walk them through the living room, which is almost always lacking a great deal of order and organization. To combat this problem, most of the storage cabinets come up with shelves, drawers, and separated portions that help you sort your stuff as such that your things remain organized and the thought of not being able to find something does not dread you as well. Finding an organized living room after a tiring day can be a big relief and living room storage cabinets make it possible.
Easily Moveable Whenever You Want To Change Things Up In The Living Room
My dad is a strong believer of change being a necessity in life and he applies that in our house as well. Every month, on a specific weekend, we make changes to our respective rooms. Merely changing the setting of a place gives you fresh vibes. Most of the old-school modular furniture is heavy and unmovable. Storage cabinets however are easily moveable and don’t require much effort. For example, say, you finally bought that classy recliner but you want to do something new. Well, how about exchanging positions? One small effortless task can make you happy.
Diverse Shapes & Sizes
The living room storage cabinets come in all shapes and sizes. Depending on the measurements of your living room and your house, you are free to choose from a wide variety of storage cabinets. The size, shape, and the sustainability of a living room storage cabinet depend on the material of the cabinet as well. Moreover, if you have loads of stuff that you desperately need to put in a place, then a slightly bigger living room storage cabinet would be a good deal to make. Shapes give sophisticated looks to your furniture; you may want to consider that too.
Can Hold A Variety Of Items
This is the prime reason we all go after good quality storage cabinets with comparatively more shelves and enough space. All of the living room storage cabinets store a variety of items. With several shelves and drawers, you can easily put homogenous items together in a drawer. People, with busy schedules, prefer to name the drawers after what is inside them to save time. With a living room storage cabinet in your house, you do not have to rummage through the pile of stuff to find that pair of Bermuda shorts that your mom gifted you.
They Add An Aesthetic Appeal That Your Living Room Could Surely Use More Of
Your storage cabinet will not only give you enough space but also bring out the new version of your living room. With a set of fairy lights lit and peaceful music playing in the background, your living room will be GOALS! Moreover, with Queen’s posters pasted on your storage cabinet and workaholic quotes to keep you grinding, your cabinet can work both as your guru and a source of entertainment.
Can Easily Hold Seasonal Items That You Don’t Need
Seasonal items are a big hassle when their season is not there anymore. It is even bigger an issue when you do not know what to do with them once the season is off. But worry not because the storage cabinet got you and your seasonal items. A living room storage cabinet can hold as many seasonal items as you want it to hold. You can temporarily get rid of them by haphazardly putting them in the storage cabinet and keep the organization part for later on.
Easy To Maintain & Access
Apart from their ‘stylish’ living room appeal, they are amazingly easy to maintain and access. Cabinets that are designed for living rooms are specifically designed to be this way. If they were not easy to access, how else would they sell? They are also easy to maintain and can go a long way with weekly dusting and cleaning.
Can Complement The Rest Of Your Living Room Furniture
It is human nature that we want things to be aligned with each other. For example, an ideal combo is that of pillows and curtains. They almost always go together. Likewise, if yours is a set of modular furniture then you can look for a storage cabinet that complements the rest of your living room furniture. I’d want a display cabinet and a storage cabinet to go hand in hand. If you can find a set of modular furniture that has a storage room then you are good to go. It will make your living room feel complete.
How To Build DIY Living Room Storage Cabinet
So far you read about the benefits of having a living room storage cabinet and I am sure it sounds fun because IT IS FUN. But do you know what is more fun? Building your very own living room storage cabinet. Don’t shy away; we know you are pretty good a craftsperson. Building your storage cabinet will cost you less and you can design it in your way. What else do you need? Now wave that magic wand — which in this particular case is a circular saw — and build your dream storage cabinet.
The following easy steps will help you build your very own living room storage cabinet:
Step #1: Tools you need to have:
(2) sheets ¾” cabinet grade plywood
(1) sheet ¼” plywood
(2) 8ft sticks of baseboard trim
(2) 8ft sticks of cove molding
(4) 1x2x8 boards
(3) 1x3x8 boards
Wood Putty
Wood Glue
1 ¼” brad nails (for nail gun)
Shelf pins (If you want adjustable shelves)
Rip-Cut (optional, but helpful)
If you want to sand everything by hand then you better have a sander included in the set of tools.
Step #2: Steps For Building A DIY Living Room Storage Cabinet
Now while building a living room storage cabinet, it is important to figure out what size you want your cabinet to be. However, this storage cabinet’s overall dimensions are 17 ½” deep, 40” tall, and 83” wide.
Rip, cut and size the plywood
First off, take a ¾ plywood sheet and rip it to 3 strips of 16 inches each. You can use circular saw and Kreg rip cut. Now draw another sheet of plywood and rip a strip of 16 inches.
Now using these four strips, cut 8 pieces. 4 pieces of 39 1/4” and 4 pieces of 31 ½”.
Assemble the structure of the living room storage cabinet
Make pocket holes in each of the 4 31 ½” pieces with a drill machine. Now make two carcasses by attaching two pieces with a 1 ¼” pocket holes screws.
After assembling both sides, go back to step #1, rip two 16” strips and size them down to 15 ¼”, drill ¾” pocket holes and attach both the pieces.
Add the top
To make the top of the living room storage cabinet, you can either use a new plywood sheet or use the same one if it is enough. So, for the top you need a plywood piece that is 17 ½” wide and 83” long. Drill ¾” pocket holes into the two cabinet sides and the two vertical middle pieces. Attach the top using these holes and 1 ¼” pocket hole screws. It is significant to have everything square and that the overhang on each side of the top is the same on both sides at this point. You might also want to double-check that the back of the top is flush to the back of the cabinet carcass…there will be about 1 ½” overhang on the front.
Add dividers to storage cabinet
Cut two pieces from 16” plywood strips at 13” long. Drill ¾” pocket holes in the ends and attach in the center of the two bottom side pieces using 1 ¼” pocket hole screws.
Add back and trim
Cut ¼” plywood to fit over the two outside openings. Better leave the cubbies and the middle section open. If you want to out the backing here, you can. Just staple the plywood in place.
To give a finishing touch, nail on baseboard trim along the bottom and cove around the top.
Finish
You can use both edge-band and putty along the top edges. You can edge-band along the plywood too.
Conclusion:
Now that you are done building your beautiful and attractive living room storage cabinet, how about you take a short nap and then start the drill? It is time you put all the unorganized stuff inside your hand-made cabinet, get one of your favorite books or play your favorite band, make yourself good coffee and sit in your living room, feel relaxed, and optimistic about the future (even if you are not!).
