This
week we are starting on a new adventure. We are going to create some
kitchen cabinets. You might remember back when I made the corner
roombox one of the reasons I wanted to make it was to use as a
backdrop for photographing my miniature creations. Since so many of
the minis I make are food/food related I want a kitchen “set” to
use in photos. I think of this kind of like a set used for TV or
movie filming. I do have nice kitchens in my dollhouses but they
really don't work for photos because it would be practically
impossible to get any good angles. By using the corner roombox I can
get good angles to take photos from and I can light it better too.
Since
my corner roombox might need to be a kitchen one week and a bedroom
the next I can't glue in top cabinets or glue a tile back splash to
the walls. I decided the easiest way to handle this was to make a
freestanding kitchen “wall unit” that has the cabinets all glued
to it along with that tile back splash that I can simply slide into
place for photos. If you follow my 18” doll blog I have a similar
kitchen wall that I use for photos over there.
This
week we are creating the wall itself along with the basic structure
of the bottom cabinets. Next week I hope we can finish the bottom
cabinets and the tile back splash. Then it will be onto the top
cabinets.
This
is a project I am really looking forward to. I think it will be a lot
of fun to create and it should make a wonderful backdrop for photos.
If
you are making the cabinets for a dollhouse you might still want to
construct them on a wall that you can slip in and out. Or you can
make the cabinets and glue them right into the dollhouse. I am making
a separate cabinet along with the ones attached to the wall unit so
you can see how to do that too.
If
you are adding this as a wall unit that can be removed from your
dollhouse you might want to substitute mat board for the foamcore for
the walls themselves. This would save you a bit of floorspace if your
dollhouse kitchen is small.
The
first step in making your cabinets is to decide how you are going to
set up your kitchen. That will be determined by the room you are
putting it into. Next you need to take very accurate measurements of
you the space. Then you should draw out a scale drawing of the floor
plan. Even if you decide not to completely follow the initial floor
plan it will give you a good idea of what you are doing. For
instance I was going to have a narrow cabinet next to the
refrigerator (at the end of the wall) but when I put the fridge in
the roombox I decided there wasn't going to be room. I was still able
to use my floor plan I just made notes of my changes.
The
first actual construction step is to make the wall unit (only if you
are not gluing your cabinets to the actual walls in your
dollhouse/roombox kitchen)All of the construction this week is done with standard foamcore. I love how easy it is to work with and it is lightweight too.
My
walls are 8” tall (that is how tall my upper cabinets will be) and
they will allow some space for the actual roombox walls to show at
the top.
Now
for the cutting measurements that you need to know.
The
backer piece for the lower cabinets is 3 ¼” tall by the length of
your cabinet section. You will need this backer piece behind each
cabinet.
The
base piece is 1 ½” by the same length as the backer pieces.
Sides
are 1 ½' by 3” (also use this measurement for any spacers you need
for inside the cabinets see my photo for where I put these)
 |
| top view of the cabinet construction |
Fronts
of the cabinets are 3” tall by the width of the cabinet units.
Next
week we will be putting the outside finish on our cabinets and adding
doors and a back splash. We may get to the counter-top too I'm not
sure it depends on how long the other steps take.
 |
| side view showing the profile of the cabinets |
If
you really want to have cabinets that have working doors and drawers here are the ones I used in my Harrison. They do take a while to put
together but in the end they are gorgeous. I didn't use all of the
kits, I drew out my kitchen plan and ordered just what I needed. On
this page (providing the link works correctly) you can follow links
to all the separate pieces available. It looks like at the time I am
writing this the kits are out of stock but hopefully will be back if
you do decide you want to get them
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