Home About House Tour Projects Press Contact

20 Mar 2013

DIY FLOATING SIDEBOARD

Organizing and weeding through tons of paper in Tech Guy's office is taking super long.  I am hoping that maybe sometime soon I'll be able to share some of the pretty manly decorating stuff I've been working on for him. 

So, in the meantime, I thought that I would start doing some more  tours of our house.  I have some pretty dramatic before and progress/afters to show you and will slowly plug through them room by room.  I'm starting with our dining room, but before I can post the before and after I want to share a couple DIY projects we did in the space.

Today's post is about the DIY floating sideboard.  I've had a lot of questions about how we made this piece and thought it deserved its own post. :)  

This was such a simple build-it-yourself piece with tons of mod style.  We mounted three 36" x 24" ikea cabinets (over the fridge cabinets with Applad doors) using the Ikea kitchen mounting rails.  You basically just need to level the rail and your cupboards will be nice and level as well.  Attach your cupboards to one another from the inside and that's it.  We mounted our cupboards 8 1/2 " from the floor.  The top of the sideboard is 33 1/2 " from the floor.  

The top for our sideboard was custom milled from cherry.  If you're in the Toronto area, we went to this mill.  They did such a nice job that it only needed a little sanding before we finished it.  The top is 13" deep and 1" thick.  We finished the wood using Waterlox (I highly recommend this wood sealer).  I love how the cherry has variations in the wood tones and even the knot!

Here you can see that we didn't overhang the wood top at all.  It is flush with the cabinet.  I really wanted a clean look.  I initially had planned to put on some cute brass pulls on the doors, but ended up falling in love with the plain doors.  There's also the extra bonus of Little Pilot not knowing how to open them!

Here you get to look at a semi-tidy section of the inside.  I have my Muumi cups, teacups and other dishes in there.

One more photo of the entire dining room.  I have added a little bit of spring colour via some tulips and lemons.  I may still craft something else into the room for Easter.  I haven't decided.  :)

Up next I'll show you how Tech Guy installed a completely invisible sound system in this room using these invisible speakers.  He's really excited about the post.  I agreed to it since there are some cute pictures of Little Pilot drywalling. :)

60 comments:

  1. Your creativity is beautiful and functional! I noticed the coffee mugs inside the cabinet have the Hippopatamus like character! I know this from Estonian books my in-laws gave us when my kids were little. My husband is Estonian and I Croatian. I even loved reading these wonderful stories with this adorable character despite the language barrier! So, this is a Scandinavian character then

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautiful, simple, clean lines..... very scandinavian! :) I especially LOVE the top and how it shows the wood (who Finn wouldn't love wood?).And of course Moomin mugs deserve their own photo. lol! Beautiful pictures!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think the main reason I took the picture of the inside was because of the Muumi mugs. :)

      Delete
  3. The cherry wood looks amazing! I like how the floating cupboards are simple, yet still so striking. Great job!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much! We were so happy when we found the cherry piece at the mill and it was just the right size.

      Delete
  4. Your dining room is so bright and spacious--it looks like it would be really pleasant to hang out in there :). Love that wood top...so pretty! My DH will be very interested in the invisible speaker post, I'm guessing....

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh my goodness I am SO in love with this idea! What a perfect look!!!! Thank you so so much for the great inspiration and for sharing at the inspiration gallery!
    Jaime from crafty scrappy happy

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love this! Really wishing we had an Ikea close. Thanks for the tutorial.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I loved the outcome of this DIY and that it was pretty simple too. :)

      Delete
  7. Wow. This room looks fantastic. Great job. I love how bright it is. The sideboard is awesome too. I would love it if you would share this over at my link party.

    http://www.ifitsnotbaroquedesignblog.blogspot.com/2013/03/tuesday-link-party-11.html

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wow, that looks awesome! What a great idea. I hope you will consider linking it up to the Pinworthy Projects Party over at my blog, Just Us Four.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Replies
    1. Thanks! It works great in our space.

      Delete
  10. Toronto? You're Canadian too! Fantastic! I love finding other Canucks with an appreciation for simple, Scandinavian decor as sometimes I feel like I an anomaly here. Love the sideboard! And your dining room chairs are amazing, can I ask where you found them?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Alex! Yes, I'm Finnish-Canadian and so love anything Finn/Scandinavian. :) The wooden leg chairs are Saarinen executive chairs made by Knoll - we bought them from kijiji, but they were originally purchased from Hollace Cluny in Toronto. The white chairs are Arne Jacobsen knockoffs made in Canada and purchased from the Chair Source.

      Delete
  11. It looks amazing. Love the clean look and I really, really love the room!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much! It's one of our favourite rooms in our house and we use it all the time. :)

      Delete
  12. This is simply gorgeous. IKEA cabinets... what an awesome idea; and one that I have pinned and will recreate somewhere! The cherry wood top is divine. Another touch I love? Using light bulbs in the candle sticks. So many fun things to look at and ideas to recreate. Kudos on a job well done! Jules from bles-id.blogspot

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Julia for your lovely comment and for the pin! It's great what you can do with IKEA cabinets. :)

      Delete
  13. Wow! Looks great! LOVE this idea!

    Jenna @ Rain on a Tin Roof

    ReplyDelete
  14. Cabinets- that's brilliant. I need something to fit under the windows in the dining room for more storage.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Awesome!!! I love your clean fresh look too! Your home seems so inviting!

    Smiles,
    Rachael
    The Joyful Thrifter

    ReplyDelete
  16. It looks fantastic!! Brilliant idea using uppers and the cherry wood top is so pretty!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Sarah! We really loved the look of the cherry wood too. :)

      Delete
  17. You guys made that?! Holy cow - it looks fantastic!! Like seriously. Beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Rachel! It really was a pretty simple project.

      Delete
  18. LOVE! do you have a pin button I'm not finding?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much Mary. I don't have the pin it button installed. Maybe I should! You can repin it from my Nalle's House board: http://pinterest.com/nalleshouse/nalle-s-house/.

      Delete
  19. Sooo gorgeous and clean and crisp. I love looking at your home! Thanks for sharing!!
    Krista @thehappyhousie.com

    ReplyDelete
  20. Oh, Anu! That is gorgeous! I love it...that top?! Stunning! I'm sharing a link back in this week's DIY favorites. Thank you so much for sharing your inspiring DIY! :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. Love its style - it looks a lot more expensive than it probably was =)

    ReplyDelete
  22. This looks so pretty. I love that you chose such a minimal overhang on the wooden top. Makes it even more sleek and sophisticated. Love how this room looks!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Oh how I love this whole room! I especially LOVE those grey chairs....do you know the brand?

    Christine

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Christine,

      Thanks so much for your comment. The chairs are Eero Saarinen executive chairs made by Knoll. I hope that helps!

      Delete
  24. Ok so before I was just contemplating a floating credenza in our entryway. Now Im definitely doing it. This is absolutely beautiful and incredibly inspiring. Love the clean lines and modern look of it. Im sure my wife will too. Maybe ill sneak in some fun hardware to suit my eclectic tastes. It really us the perfect compromise. Thanks so much for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  25. I love how you did the credenza! I have a question about the measurements- you said you got a piece of cherry wood for the top that was 12" deep, but the measurements for the cabinets on the Ikea website say those particular cabinets are 12 7/8" deep, so almost 13". I assume you didn't use a 1 x 12 board, because the actual measurement for that is 3/4" x 11-1/4". Would you mind telling me the instructions you gave the lumber yard where you had the board milled? The lumber yard that I called where I live said that anything wider than 12" cannot be a single board, they have to be glued together. Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks! :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The top is actually 13" deep. Thanks so much for catching that and I'm sorry for the mix-up! I've corrected it in the post now. We got our top at an actual lumbar mill that carried all sorts of wood. They had quite a few large pieces including live edge pieces that were large enough for tables as well. They also planed the wood there as well. I'm thinking you may need to look for a mill that specializes in wood for furniture building (i.e., on that custom planes wood pieces for you). I hope that helps.

      Delete
  26. I love how you put this together. I'm gearing up to present this to my husband for our living room's blank canvas, do you remember which ikea cabinets you used? Did you purchase the doors separate, or did it all come together? Thank you!

    petitemodernlife.com

    ReplyDelete
  27. oops! I'm sorry, I realized I was over looking the link. You can ignore that last comment! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No problem at all! We're actually contemplating a new top for this unit as we're renovating the kitchen - possibly marble if there is any extra material from our kitchen counters. :)

      Delete
  28. You wrote "mounted three 36" x 24" ikea cabinets". I can tell from the photo that the floating cabinet 13" depth, which you've corrected recently in one of your comments above. Can you re-iterate the dimensions of our your Applaud doors? I don't think they are 36" either.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi the cabinets are 36" wide and 24" tall. The depth is 13". There is a link in the post to the cabinets that we purchased. For each 36" wide cabinet you get two doors at 18" wide. I hope that clears things up. Thanks for your comment. :)

      Delete
  29. Jesus Christ I love this. Great DIY project!

    ReplyDelete
  30. I am just discovering your blog and love this! Would you be willing to share where you got your dining room table/chairs, or where to look for inspiration?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much! The table and chairs are both Saarinen for Knoll (tulip table and executive chairs). I purchased them secondhand. I believe the oak top on the table was a special edition. I'm not sure if that finish/option is still available, but there are other options.

      Delete
  31. Where did you get that awesome picture above the sideboard? Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, the print was purchased from HomeSense here in Canada. It is called "wings over manhattan" by Caite Dansbury.

      Delete
  32. Hi there! Love this idea! Can you tell me how you attached the top board to the cabinets. I don't see any screws or nails. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi! The top was screwed on from underneath (through the cabinet). I hope that helps!

      Delete
  33. Hi! This is fantastic! Could you explain how you fastened the 3 cabinets together? Was there a specific hardware that was used? Also how did you end up fastening the cabinets to your wall? Does it come with the ikea cabinets or separate hardware? Thank you!!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Hi, the cabinets are mounted to a wall with a rail system that you can buy from Ikea. The mounting rail also holds the cabinets together in place.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Love this!!! I've been shopping for a large sideboard. I think I found my solution!!!

    ReplyDelete
  36. I've been shopping for a long sideboard, I think I have found my solution, I love this!!!

    ReplyDelete
  37. I noticed a marble-looking top on the sideboard in other photos. Is there a particular reason the cherry wood doesn't appear to have worked out? Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No, the cherry was great. When we renovated the kitchen (which is open to the dining room) we had leftover marble from the countertops. I thought it would be nice to use the same marble in the dining room to tie in with the kitchen and was happy not to have any marble go to waste. We saved the cherry to hopefully use for another project.

      Delete
  38. I really like this hack and would love to try the same @Home. I have a few questions :

    How did you manage the gap between the back of the cabinets and the wall ? Don't you see the rail when looking at the sideboard from the side ?

    Without the handles, how do you open the doors ?

    Thanks in advance.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Benji,

      The gap behing the cabinets is covered by the countertop. You just see the counter when looking from above. We open the cupboards from the bottom of the doors which is not very difficult since the cabinet is floating. I think Ikea may also have push latches that you can install to open the doors by just pushing the door. I know that blum makes them if Ikea doesn't have them. I hope that helps!

      Delete
    2. Alright ! Thank you for that :)

      Delete
  39. Hi there! I really like this sideboard - its soo pretty! Unfortunately the link doesn't work for me (Europe) - it doesn't show me the cabinets - it just shows the IKEA landing page :( Which cabinets did you use? Thank youuu!

    ReplyDelete

Connect with Nalle's House

Follow Me On Facebook Follow Me On Twitter Follow Me On Instagram Follow Me On Pinterest Follow Me On Bloglovin RSS Feed

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...