How-To: Bedroom Nook From a Gift Box

With these dreamy clouds, I knew some kind of bedroom would be perfect. Also I love, love, LOVE bedroom nooks or cupboard beds. There’s something so safe and comfy about them!

 

 

 

First I start with a scale drawing. Clearly I’m no artist!

But the important part is getting the size right. You do this by tracing the box. Then you can account for the thickness of the box when you cut your pieces.   And you can accurately  and easily measure the pieces!  And yes, USE A RULER to draw your straight lines.

Step 1:  Draw a line across the back of the box for the main shelf/bed.

Step 2:  Cut 2 pieces of crown molding to the right length to be supports.   The box is 2 11/16″ deep and the wood that will go on the front to cover the supports is 3/32″ so I subtract 3/32″ from 2 11/16″ to get 2 19/32″.  Use double-stick tape to hold the molding in place temporarily.

Step 3:   Mark in pencil where the molding crosses the back line.  Slice the molding off at the pencil line so it is “flat” for the shelf.  Glue the supports in place

Step 4: Cut the main shelf and sand the sides to be curved.  Then glue on top of the supports.

 

Here is what the supports look like glued in. The support on the back wall is 1/4″ x 1/4″ basswood.  Notice how it doesn’t have to be the exact length – there can be gaps because you are going to cover it up and no one will see it.

 

 

One thing I always struggle with is how to get good right angles.  A trick I learned from Brooke Tucker is to use Legos!   Legos are perfect because not only are they exact right angles but you can stack them up or just use two so they are the exact size you need.

      

Two examples of using Legos to draw right angle lines for the shelving.

 

 

 

 

A bigger picture of the main shelf and the supports.

Don’t waste as much time as I did sanding the main shelf to the curve of the box.   Any gaps will be covered in Step 5!

 Step 5: Cut 1/16″ or 3/32″ basswood to shape for the front sections.  (Don’t you hate it when they put that in instructions – “to shape”. Exactly HOW am I supposed to cut it to shape?!)    Use the box to get the curve right.  Then use your x-acto knife, go slow, and make many shallow cuts.   Then sand the heck out of it.  Don’t worry about the obvious gaps (like on the right side) – those will be covered with trim!

Step 6:  Cut 1/16″ basswood for the shelves.  I ended up making my shelves less deep because I thought it looked better.   So the first shelf is 2/3 the depth of the main shelf and the second shelf is 1/3 the depth of the main shelf.

       

This lace “trim” is a scrapbooking border I got at Michael’s years ago.  I am a huge fan of buying and saving things to use later.  (My husband is not.)

However, I tried a couple of different things before I settled on using this one.  It’s so obvious to me now that the lace one is perfect because it is the same shape as the clouds but I had a different one I liked better.   Except it was too cream and not white.   So I tried to paint it.  That was a mistake!!

When in doubt put trim on it!  Trim covers all of the holes and makes everything look “finished”.   I am always buying small amounts of trim whenever I see them because you never know what colors you will need.  Pastels and neutrals always come in handy.   I also try to stock whites, silvers, and golds.   Miniature Luxuries is a great site and where I got this trim.

Step 7:  Paint all of your wood pieces and then glue in place.  When painting thin wood, it has a tendency to curl up.   Paint both sides and let dry completely.   If it is still curling, put wax paper on top of it and then several heavy books.

Step 8:  Glue on the trim.   and then VOILA!

•  The box I got from a Philosophy gift set of Tranquil Orchid. 
• The base paint color is Folk Art 519 Hydrangea.
• The shiny purple paint is Martha Stewart Pearl 32120.