I've been looking for a sideboard for my main living area for a while, but the ones I've been looking at are somewhere between $1000 and $3000 - which is not in our budget right now.
Here are a couple I've been looking at:
These are definitely beautiful, but since they are not in my budget rn, I decided to try and hack something similar on my own (even though I don't typically love doing difficult DIY's anymore).
I think I came up with what is probably the easiest and least expensive way to do it.
First, I grabbed three of these pre-made, unfinished cabinets and two of these end panels from Lowe's and lined them up right next to each other in my living room. (I just nailed the end panels on the ends with tiny nails. There's probably a better way, but this is what I did.)
Then I added these drawer pulls to the fronts of the cabinets. I think that centering them (rather than putting them at the bottom) helps the overall look of the piece look more like a sideboard and less like kitchen cabinets.
For the top, I used three pieces of unfinished wood.
I just grabbed three pre-cut, 5 1/2 " x 72" pieces, then screwed them together on the bottom with metal pieces, kind of like this.
Then I whitewashed the top for a light, coastal vibe. I couldn't find the exact wood online, but if you head to the store, I'm sure you'll find them.
You may even come up with a better option than I did, because this top solution is probably not going to be what I keep forever, because IT DOES NOT FIT PERFECTLY. The left and right edges barely line up and the front and back edges hang over a few inches, BUT, this was such an easy solution because I didn't have to do any cutting. Maybe sometime I'll head back over to Lowe's and have them cut me a top piece that's just the right fit, but for now, this works for me.
I happen to like a slightly imperfect, shabby chic look, so I don't mind the roughness of the wood on top. I also did NOT stain the cabinets because I love the look of unfinished wood. I may seal them with a bit of oil at some point, but for now, I'm going to leave them as is.
I also didn't screw the cabinet pieces together because I want to be able to move them out easily in the future and don't want to have to take it apart. I also didn't screw the top onto the cabinets because I'm not sure if I'm going to stick with this option. I plan on screwing them in as soon as I make up my mind. If you have kids, I would definitely not leave this overhang without screwing it in.
And, that's it! I love an easy DIY that has big impact for less money and I LOVE having all the extra storage and also a place for adding fun and creative decor vignettes.
Definitely worth it.
Here's a picture of my cart at Lowe's. I did buy legs for this project, but decided against them in the end because I liked it just fine without them. I didn't think it was worth the cost and effort.
Anyway, here's to easy, budget-friendly, high-impact DIY's - my favorite!
Happy decorating!
Lots of love,
