Custom pine shelves for any cottage kitchen
How do you spend a frosty day on the homestead....build something! Today I built some custom shelves for our kitchen area. With our cottage being 16x16 we have one piece that is dedicated as a kitchen. We will eventually have a kitchen counter and a sink. The plumbing is all in place, just waiting for me to do something. That may be a blog for another day, so for now lets talk shelving.
I'd like to apologize for the pictures looking blurry, we fought the lighting so much. It was either slightly blurry, or nothing, and we didn't want you guys to miss out on it!
It all started with an idea. I start by drawing out what I have in mind to fit in a particular area. I may not be some much a conventional carpenter, but more an artist that builds things. I usually build it one piece at a time and custom cut each piece to ensure it all comes together.
I am really hoping for a very durable shelving unit that feels like it is part of the house. I chose to go with interior wood screws for some nice and solid strength. Since these are not the decking screws I am used to I also got a drill bit and drilled pilot holes. The guy at the store said that the screws were rated for far more weight than I am even planning. Since I am building one piece at a time it means I have to drill and then put one screw in to hold the piece, and then switch back to the drill bit. Doing it like this definately made it take longer, but it really helped over all.
I started with finishing casing in my kitchen window. It is a 36" x 36", and we added a 2 x 12 on the bottom. A few years ago we added the bottom piece and it has been a great place to hold things or even start seeds. On the top of the window I ripped a 1 x 6 down to fit up and flush with the drywall.
Side note...I could borrow tools from other people that might make this easier, but I choose to use what I have. This makes me feel like I am capable of doing it no matter what, and I use things that most people already have. I hope to encourage others to try new things, and not think they need more expensive tools to get it done. For this build I used a drill, jig saw, and circular saw. I had a tape measure, speed square, straight edge and a pencil.
After I got the inside top piece in place I added the two vertical pieces that go on the sides. I am using 1 x 12 for the sides. This will make it match the bottom board, and give the window a deep built in look.
Next I was able to use a 1 x 12 x 10' piece across the top. It sits just on top of the side window pieces and creates the top of the shelves and also makes for a larger shelf up high. Stacie D was really excited to be able to put large pots and her mixer (Suzie) up there. I didn't get a picture, but in the next part you can see the top board.
On the wall next to the window, where trim would normally be, I used another piece of 1 x 12 as a back piece for the shallower shelves. I ripped a board to match the depth of the window side board, so the shelf would be flush on both sides.
Once I added the little shelves, it really started to look like something. She asked me to space the shelves to fit her different ingredients. This made the bottom shelf taller for oils and bags of coffee. The rest of the shelves comfortably fit all of her different spices.
She asked for an additiinal shelf that I hadn't planned for...and I love her...and so it is in and I had to create a little piece to give it an intentional look.
Never hurts to get a picture of the cameraman (woman) hard at work...
So let me try to explain the right side of the shelving. She asked for shallow shelves to match the left side, and then full sized for plates and things. I wanted to make her dreams come true, and make minimal cuts, and use less material. I attached a 1x12 to the wall like trim and a back board to match the left side. After I measured all of the different pieces and over hangs, I used my jig saw to cut two rectangles out of the bottom board. This allowed me to make one solid bottom piece and still give her two different depth shelves. I added a vertical 1 x 12 up against the back board and it lined up perfect with the notch I had made. Now, I have a seperation of the two areas and It is starting to become very sturdy.
Because it needed more strength on the end I needed to add a piece of 1 x 4 and screw it into the stud in the wall. This is now holding those shelves like a rock!
I finished cutting and fitting shelves like the left side, except the spacing was different for different uses.
The finished product....
Now we are going to prime and paint them white. This will help to seal the wood, and it will go well with the colors she is painting the house. It should really bring together the tiny cottage feel.
I hope you enjoyed this little piece of homestead magic. We try everyday to create our own reality and this is what it looks like.🙃
Nice work! Love the cameraman pic.
Thank you! She is great. For what she lacks in building ability she makes up for in banter and general crap talking haha.
The shelving look awesome! Then I saw you are going to paint them. I thought oh bummer. I’m a fan of natural wood, but it’s your place, your tastes! You are a very handy man!
Yeah, we talked about natural, we haven't really done anything else with natural wood. We are hoping this will help tie everything together.
Free vote for you! Yay!
Yes!!
those look great! pine has such a sleek look. it's so good to have a more organized, aesthetically pleasing kitchen i'm sure :)
You are so right! We love them so much already! It has realy opened up the area, and has opened up the area to see the back stairs. Next is prime and paint, and finish the kitchen and little details. Who ever buys this place should be pleased. 🙃
awesome. all of that feels so good to complete! happy finishing :)
Nice Job!
Thats amazing!
@freedomtowrite ALWAYS HAS the best facial expressions! Just seeing her glowing face makes me smile!
She's a friggin' gem....I like her!
Thank you @goldendawne! This made my day!
Well done! Good thinking getting the upper shelving in before the counter. Having to reach over or work around lower obstacles can be a pain. It's going to look even more amazing when it's all put together!
Thank you! There is a table there now, under the sheet. It was a bit of a pain to work around, but it is a tiny home haha everything is under your feet.
Ahhh, gotcha! Makes total sense. ;~P
These turned out beautiful!! Much progress since yesterdays preview peek whilst returning and delivering goodies!! Just unpacked my own pantry bits after many years in storage...storage solutions ahead! You are inspirational!
Yes! Be inspired! Forward!
Awesome job on the shelving. I need to put shelving in my kitchen but first the walls need to be finished off. It all comes in time...sigh
Thank you! Yeah that is for sure. We are nearly 4 years into our build. Life happens haha 🙃
These look really well done, and it's such an effective use of space with the spice jars &ct. We prefer open shelving instead of cabinets with doors as well. Once you start storing a bunch of stuff in conventional cabinets you wind up hanging on to a bunch of junk you never use.
Yes! That is what we think! It helps with storage and it is easy to clean. I hate losing things in a cabinet and then turning around and buying more to put in front of it.