Bohemian style wardrobe wall cupboard made of poplar plywood, by Sanne

Description

For our bedroom, we wanted to build a large wardrobe that would make optimal use of the available space. Because our first home doesn't have much storage space, we decided to extend the wardrobe above the door — this way, even the space above the doorway is put to practical use.

The wardrobe is made of Plywood Interior Poplar B/B in 18 mm thickness and fitted with handmade oak handles. The interior of the doors is filled with rattan webbing, which gives the wardrobe an airy, natural look.

Work description: how was the project realised?

Because our house, built in 1965, has many wooden details, we wanted the cabinet to blend in nicely. That's why we chose light poplar plywood, which we treated with stain in the colour “pure pine” — the same shade as our window frames and window sills.

Most of the work involved sanding, varnishing, sanding again and varnishing all the boards once more. In a small house, that meant literally every room was filled with drying boards!

Then we started assembling the cabinet. This proved to be a challenge, because none of the walls in our house are really straight. It was always a trade-off between working with a spirit level or following the lines of the wall and floor. We started by installing the frame and only had the narrower strips for the doors cut later, once the cupboard was already in place. This allowed us to adjust the dimensions exactly to the actual situation, which sometimes differs slightly from the drawing.

We milled a rebate into the inside of the doors, into which the rattan mats are stapled. Initially, this seemed like a cost-effective choice compared to wood, but rattan turned out to be quite pricey — around €23 per metre, and we needed ten metres! But the end result is definitely worth it.

The drawers are made of underlayment with a poplar plywood bottom and front, so that the front view matches the rest of the cabinet nicely. Finally, we fitted the handmade oak handles, which give the furniture a traditional and warm look.

We are delighted with the end result — the wardrobe is not only practical, but also adds a lot of character to the bedroom.

Dimensions

• Total height: 250.0 cm
• Total width: 278.0 cm
• Depth: 50.0 cm
• Lower cabinet section up to the door: 176.0 cm wide