Homemade black built-in wardrobe in the living room, by Klaske

From sideboard to black built-in cabinet in the living room

Are you looking for a new place for your belongings *and* your most beautiful home accessories after a renovation? With this project by Klaske, you can see how to combine those two wishes. As a replacement for a sideboard, Klaske made this black built-in cabinet entirely herself, using custom-cut wood from OPMAATZAGEN.nl. The result is an almost wall-filling cabinet with closed storage space at the bottom and illuminated open compartments above.

A calm base with space to display

In the photos, you can see the cabinet in the dining area of ​​the living room, directly behind a round wooden dining table with black chairs. The cabinet utilizes almost the entire back wall and extends to just below the ceiling. Thanks to the straight lines and the black finish, the furniture forms a single, harmonious whole. The light side panels and the wood-colored herringbone floor provide contrast.

Closed base cabinet and open upper structure

At the bottom, you see a row of flat, black doors without visible handles. The construction photos show that behind them are multiple compartments with shelves. This allows you to store items out of sight while keeping the front clean. Above this, the cabinet consists of vertical uprights, horizontal shelves, and black back panels. On the left is a tall, open compartment for a large vase with dried flowers. In the middle and on the right, the open sections are divided into two levels for smaller accessories.

Lighting makes the compartments special.

In the top finish, you can see four light points illuminating the back panels and decoration. Two additional light points are visible beneath the intermediate shelves. This draws extra attention to the figurines, a framed bridge image, and other decorative objects. The light also highlights the subtle wood grain texture of the black panels. This way, you get not only a storage cabinet but also an atmospheric backdrop for your dining table.

Build your own built-in wardrobe with custom-made wood

The construction photos show various steps: from the open base cabinet and installing the doors to assembling the tall compartments. The loose black panels are neatly laid out on a protective blanket on the floor. You can also see wood glue, dowels, and a rubber mallet ready. The photographed assembly instructions explain the construction using crossbeams, uprights, and back panels.

OPMAATZAGEN.nl took care of cutting the wood to size for this DIY project. This means you don't have to cut the large panels to size yourself and can focus on assembling, aligning, and finishing. Especially with a cabinet featuring many continuous lines, accurate measurements make a visible difference.

Practical to bring along in advance

Do you want to build a built-in cabinet like this yourself? Then measure the available space at multiple heights and constantly check during assembly that the parts are level and square. Consider in advance where you want lighting and cables so that you can incorporate them into the construction. Always anchor a tall cabinet to the wall using mounting hardware suitable for your wall.

The detail photo also shows a small damaged spot on a door edge. A good reason to place panels on a clean, soft surface and move them carefully while working. This way, you protect the visible sides and edges while you work.

Custom work that suits your living room

By building it yourself, you determine the width, height, and compartment layout. You can reserve a tall compartment for a favorite vase and create more enclosed space for items you prefer not to see. You also choose the panel material and color yourself. By doing the assembly yourself, you can save on installation costs. Your total budget naturally depends on the dimensions, material, hardware, and lighting.

Warm modern style

In the finished project, you can see how beautifully black and warm wood tones complement each other. The sleek cabinet and black chairs provide a modern foundation for the dining area. The round table, flowers, and soft lighting make the whole space feel homey. With personal accessories in the open compartments, you give such a large black cabinet a unique, warm look.

The sheet material used

Furniture Board Chipboard 113 W06 Elegant black

For this project, Furniture Board Chipboard 113 W06 Elegant black was used: chipboard-based furniture board with a black decorative finish. This gives you the look of wood grain in a dark color, without having to use solid wood. You no longer need to paint the finished visible surfaces black yourself. This saves on finishing work and helps you visually coordinate doors, shelves, and back panels. This makes this board material a practical choice for a DIY black built-in cabinet.