Handmade white shelving unit for the living room, by Valentino

A white compartment cabinet that combines storage and display

A cabinet that fits your living room perfectly and offers space for your favorite items: Valentino made it all himself. Using custom-cut wood from OPMAATZAGEN.nl, Valentino built a tall shelving unit with a playful combination of open compartments and closed sections. The finish with matte white paint creates a sense of calm, while colorful accessories give the piece a personal character.

Smartly laid out from floor to ceiling

The photos show a slim, rectangular cabinet that extends almost from floor to ceiling. The top section features three compartments side by side: an open niche on the left, followed by two white doors. In the middle section, you see two long doors on the left and two open compartments stacked on top of each other on the right. Below these are a narrower book compartment and a wide open compartment. Two large doors close off the bottom section. In this way, different compartment sizes alternate without the cabinet looking cluttered.

Sleek fronts, playful details

The flush doors have no visible handles. Narrow seams around the fronts emphasize the straight lines of the design. The shelves, dividers, and visible back panels are also finished in white, creating a unified look for the cabinet. The open compartments make all the difference: at the top is a fish-themed decoration, on the right green vines drape over the shelf edge, and below that stands a pink table lamp next to a fish-shaped candlestick. Books, a pink smiley face, a mirror ball, and colored candlesticks fill the lower compartments.

A custom-made cabinet next to the seating area

You see the shelving unit next to a grey sofa, against a soft pink wall, and directly next to the passageway to the kitchen. It is precisely in this spot that the tall, relatively narrow shape comes into its own. You utilize the height for storage space while keeping the passageway clear. The white color complements the light floor and creates a calm contrast with the pink wall. You can store items out of sight behind the doors; you use the open compartments for everything you want to display.

Completely homemade with custom-cut wood

Valentino realized this project entirely himself, using MDF Primed that was cut to size by OPMAATZAGEN.nl. This means your job starts with sheet sections in the desired dimensions, so you don't have to cut the large sheets yourself. The assembly, further processing, and finishing then give the project your own signature.

The construction photos beautifully illustrate the amount of work that went into the final result. You can see the cabinet still without doors, with rows of holes in various uprights for shelf supports. There are also images with taped edges along the wall and ceiling, and an intermediate phase where the fronts are still being touched up locally. In the final photos, those spots have disappeared beneath the smooth, matte white finish.

Making it yourself gives you freedom

With a custom design, you determine the height, width, and layout of your shelving unit yourself. You can reserve a wide compartment for decoration, create narrow compartments for books, and choose how much you want to store behind doors. You also tailor the materials and finish to your preferences. By assembling and painting yourself, you maintain better control over the budget. However, be sure to factor in hinges, mounting hardware, and paint beforehand so that you have a realistic overall picture.

Modern style with playful color accents

Do you love a calm base with cheerful details? This living room cabinet shows how well that goes together. The matte white paint, flat doors, and straight lines give your interior a modern look. The pink lamp, green plant, and glossy mirror ball make the whole ensemble airy and personal. Moreover, thanks to the neutral cabinet, you can easily change the atmosphere by swapping out your accessories.

The material used: MDF Primed

MDF Primed is an MDF board with a factory-applied primer. You benefit from a smooth, uniform surface without visible wood grain: a great base for a sleekly painted cabinet like this one. The pre-rounded edges save you preparatory painting work. Sawed edges and treated areas do still require attention before applying the topcoat. This way, you combine the convenience of cut-to-size board material with all the freedom to give your modular cabinet its own color and look.