The thought to show a fridge into a cupboard was gifted to me by my ever intelligent buddy, Meta Coleman. Earlier than she stepped in, I had each intention of turning a panel-ready fridge into the identical fashion as the cupboards so it will mix. Nevertheless, Cliq Studios didn’t supply panels for the fridge so we’d have needed to have a cupboard maker do it any manner and actually, to make it look precisely like present cupboards would have most likely been trickier as a result of it will have needed to have been impeccable. Nevertheless, in the identical quantity of vitality, we may flip it into no matter we wished. And that’s precisely what we did!
How one can do it
Meta has achieved this concept on different shopper’s properties so I used to be relieved to know that it may really be finished. I hadn’t seen photos of her creations and didn’t know the way precisely to do it so we needed to determine all of it out. And there was a LOT to determine! And a number of courageous folks as much as the duty, ahem, Helpful Nanny Pat!
Inspiration for the fridge cupboard
As a result of the remainder of the cupboards had been white I felt like I may actually go wild to let it shine as a stand alone piece. I made a decision to go for a Scandinavian marriage ceremony cupboard look as evidenced from a visit we took to Denmark in December of 2021. The cupboard within the center picture under is discovered within the Nationwide Museum of Denmark and it was a serious supply of inspiration. The proportions had been good for the 36″ panel-ready fridge we purchased. I collected a number of extra inspiration and introduced in parts from in every single place however these three had been the principle ones.
The left for the form of the roof and presumably how we might do the flowers within the subsequent go (extra about that later). The center for the highest form in addition to the colours and presumably the fake marble look on the highest and middles. And the proper for the diamond shapes.
Sketching the cupboard fridge
I did a ton of sketching to determine the form I wished. Should you recall from the kitchen put up, I used to be going to go a very completely different path on the tile, which meant I used to be going to go a lot easier on the cupboard. As you may see under, I attempted out a number of shapes:
Remaining design
I landed on a last design and a cupboard maker who was going to make it for me made this rendering for it, which was very useful. It contains trim work on the edges and fronts. Squares on the highest and diamonds on the center panels. The underside portion of the fridge had a large base and so I wished to divide it into smaller drawers that match higher with the proportions.
Finally, the cupboard maker needed to again out of the venture as a result of time constraints, which left me in a giant bind and never an excessive amount of time to search out somebody new.
Enter, Helpful Nanny Pat to save lots of the day as soon as once more!
Pat graciously shared how you can make the cupboard if you happen to’re trying to create the identical!
How one can make a cupboard out of a panel-ready fridge
You’ll need:
- Extra molding trim as wanted for the highest. We ended up utilizing chair rail molding. The design known as for crown molding, however we didn’t have the obtainable width for it.
- Wooden glue, we used Titebond.
- Liquid Nails
- Building screws
- Painters caulk
- Oil primarily based Primer
- Paint
Directions
- Step one was to construct the three sided (plus high and backside) cupboard that the fridge would sit within. Your panel prepared fridge will include directions on tolerances for the scale of the cupboard. Ours was roughly 6’ excessive, x 3’ large, x 2’ deep. On the again of the cupboard, we left two giant openings the place the entry panel and electrical twine on the again of the fridge are. We had the panels for the cupboard reduce from the ¾” plywood at House Depot, and used each wooden glue and screws for the development. The 2 sides of the cupboard have the two” x ½”’ trim across the edges, and the ½” inside nook pine trim set inside the two” trim. All trim corners had been mitred. Along with being ornamental, the trim additionally covers the screw heads from the development of the cupboard.
- Subsequent we labored on the door panels. We purchased the Hardboard and trim at Lowes. We had the Hardboard tough reduce there, after which did the ultimate chopping on a desk noticed. The door panels have a most weight tolerance in addition to very particular measurement and thickness tolerances, in order that influenced the selection of supplies. The door panels have the identical trim remedy as the edges of the principle cupboard. Hardboard (MDF) gained’t settle for commonplace wooden glue, so you must use liquid nails or building glue to connect the trim on these panels. On the decrease drawer, the place the freezer is, we appeared like two drawers, however it’s really one. The trim was used to realize that look. The diamond accents on the entrance panels had been additionally reduce from the hardboard and glued on with liquid nails. Caulk was used to fill in any gaps within the mitered trim and easy out joints as wanted.
- At this level, we sanded, primed, and painted the cupboard and door panels. We connected the bun ft utilizing hanger bolts and added felt pads to the underside of the bun ft.
- We had been underneath a good deadline, and didn’t get the higher ornamental a part of the cupboard constructed till later. So after the cupboard was painted, we moved it into place within the kitchen and positioned the fridge into the cupboard. We connected the door panels utilizing the attachment plates supplied with the fridge.
- Then Growth! Covid hit, and the deadline was moved again two weeks!! The higher ornamental factor was constructed, connected and painted. We ended up modifying the design a bit and used chair molding somewhat than crown molding, to accommodate the width we needed to work with. We additionally left a spot notch at the back of the highest molding so as to add a steel bracket and safe the cupboard to the wall, as soon as it was in place.
- Within the schematic that the contractor had made, the trim was 3” large, which on reflection, would have been higher. I used prepared made trim that was simply obtainable, however when you’ve got entry to a customized made product, I’d have 3” trim made. When it actually mattered was when it got here to attaching the {hardware}. I needed to modify the {hardware} a bit with the two” trim that I used. Apart from that, I used to be actually stunned that with some encouragement and perseverance, I used to be in a position to construct a extremely particular factor for the kitchen.
The place it goes from right here
Now, for the present we had been up in opposition to such a time crunch that I couldn’t obtain the outdated cupboard impact I used to be going for. So we painted it stable inexperienced and Carrie from our group shortly painted on some flowers. It’s the most effective we may do within the circumstances and she or he did a beautiful job. The following step will to be so as to add on some extra ornamental portray and actually play up the diamond shapes. Perhaps try to make it look aged. I’m additionally ready to see what I land on for the tile to assist inform the design.
Pat did an AMAZING job on it. I believe she even stunned herself! Ha! We’re all surprised. And now now we have this stunning kitchen cupboard that’s significant and full or surprises for our company who surprise the place our fridge is. Ha! Thanks a lot, Pat!
Associated posts:
Should you’re trying to see all of the earlier than and after images from the renovation, you may see them right here
You’ll be able to see the complete kitchen renovation right here
Kitchen cupboard information
Vintage-inspired oven vary
Kitchen {hardware}
