In a small kitchen, every part not being used needs to be utilised in some way as a storage area. With this in mind, a side rack could be made and be used as a storage rack for holding, utensils, cups and crockery. Its strong oak frame will hang on securely fitted wall hangers. It can be built to any length since it has a repeating dowel pattern.
Measure the wall area where you want to hang the storage rack and mark it off with a pencil. Cut the shelf, wood or plywood is suitable, to the length required and nine inches wide. Then cut two top, two bottom rails and two face boards to the required length. Four side rails, 12 inches long will be needed as well. Cut three eighth by three eighth inch grooves along the centres of the bottom rails.
Mark points at six inch intervals along the centres of the narrow edge of both bottom rails and the face of each top rail. At each of these points, glue the dowels into the holes. One 12 inch side piece should be fastened to each of the top rails. Slip the shelf into the grooves cut into the bottom rails, secure the other side piece into place.
Mark across the top of the upper rails six inches apart. Place one slat across each point and fix with glue and one screw per joint. Fasten the face-boards to the top and bottom rails. Fasten hangers to the wall ends of the upper side pieces.
The three shelved bath valet only takes up a one foot square area in your bathroom but is capable of offering a quite large amount of storage space. Its other advantage is that it offers much needed dry storage space which is always welcome in a humid bathroom. White pine is recommended to be used in the construction of the bath valet.
When assembling the unit, you have the option to fix the shelves in place and use three separate doors. On the other hand, you may want to make the shelves adjustable and simply use one door to cover the front of the valet. Whichever decision you make, having a glass panel in the door or doors will enable you to tell at a glance what is being stored inside the unit.
To add to the valet’s usefulness, you could fix a towel rail to one or both sides. A shallow ledge around the unit’s top will be a handy addition as well, since it would make a convenient storage space for items such as deodorant, after-shave, shampoo and other such items.
A plastic storage rack with multiple pockets to hold various smaller items such as spare razor blades, hair grips and other miscellaneous bathroom necessities could be hung from one of the rails.
The unit will, ideally be mounted on four legs. The leg pieces should be cut to two by two inches square and about four inches in length and tapered to a one inch square at the base
Some plants and herbs cannot be put outside but do need a sunny location inside the house. A three or four shelved storage unit, depending on the size of the window will make full use of the window. White pinewood would be recommended for this project. Measure the inside of your window first. This will give you an idea of how much timber to order.
Cut the two sides and shelves to the length that will fit the window. Remember to allow about a centimetre clearance on either side of the unit. Therefore when cutting the shelves, take into account the thickness of the side pieces as well as the centimetre clearance. Measure the side pieces and use a pencil to mark off where the shelves should be positioned evenly.
Now form a rectangular box by positioning a shelf at the top and bottom of the sides. Fasten them into place using two inch cabinet screws, and then screw a metal corner support onto each corner of the box.
Put the remaining boards on the pencil lines you made earlier and use wood screws to fasten them into place. As an alternative you could create more versatile storage space simply using shelf supports making them adjustable by drilling into the sides at even distances so that the supports can be plugged into them when necessary.
To avoid the danger of the unit toppling over, use a hook and eye attachment secured to both sides, at the top and back edge of the unit.