DIY Wood Storage Cubbies with Mid-Century Modern Inspired Metal Details

It’s almost time to open up the guesthouse for spring, so I figured it’s also time I finally showed you how we made these little DIY wood storage cubbies for the bunkie bathroom:

For my Scandinavian inspired bunkie bathroom design, I ended up mixing metals – something I NEVER do!  But the mid-century inspired sconce I loved was lined in copper, the stock tank only came in silver, and the mirror I picked for the space had brass accents.  So I decided to roll with it!  I broke a lot of my decorating habits in this cute little bathroom – and I had fun doing it.  To tie all of the mixed metals together, I designed a pair of cute DIY wood storage cubbies with a decorative accent featuring brass, copper and stainless rods.  I had been trying to figure out a way to use these metal rods I found at Lowe’s for months!  They are purely decorative, but I love the mid-century modern vibes – plus they pick up on the geometric design of the shower curtain fabric.  

These simple DIY wood storage cubbies are great for adding a little storage to this small space.  I styled them pretty for photos, but in reality I think I’ll stock a few staples but otherwise keep them empty for guests to stash their own toiletries.  But I’ll encourage our friends and family to keep their toothbrush inside the vanity cabinet (and not above the toilet, lol). 

Supplies for DIY Wood Storage Cubbies:

• 1×6 pre-planed pine
• 1/4″ plywood
• wood glue
• air nails and air nailer (or bar clamps)
• construction adhesive
• metal rods
• hack saw
• paint
• screws
• drill
• metal file

How to Make DIY Wood Storage Cubbies:

Making these cubbies was actually super easy!  Once we figured out the dimensions we wanted (double checking that it was shallow enough to comfortably place above the toilet), we made a cut list for the pieces.  We cut the sides first (they’re just 1×6 pre-planed pine) in two pairs of lengths for each cubby.  Then we just glued and air nailed the pieces together to form a box.  No air nailer?  No problem!  You can also clamp the wood in place – or even drive in some screws, basically something to keep the wood in place while the wood glue dries.  Next we cut a piece of 1/4″ plywood to fit the back and glued and air nailed it onto the back of the wood box.  Easy peasy!  

You could stop there and just sand/paint/install – instant storage.  But I wanted the decorative metal rod detail, which was easy enough to add but you do need a second – or third! – set of hands. 

With the boxes done, we laid them on the ground and played with placement for the rods.  Once we figured out the placement of the rods, we cut them using a hack saw (pipe cutter works for anything hollow).  Next we created little dents for the rods using a drill.   Before installing, we double checked placement for the rods – tape helped hold them a little because there were a lot of rods to hold!  We also labeled them at this point too, which made figuring out what goes where easier. 

Then we installed the lower cubby by screwing it to the wall through the back plywood piece.  One of us held the rods in place while the other positioned the top cubby and screwed it into the wall.  With this method, the rods almost tension fit, but we added a dab of construction adhesive to each dent and glued the ends in place.  Some tape helped hold them straight while the adhesive dried.  

Lastly, we painted these easy DIY wood storage cubbies using the same exterior matte paint we used for the trim around the DIY stock tank shower.

The snow has actually been melting around here and even though we had heaps and heaps of it, I can already see grass!  I’ve been in such a great mood lately because I am convinced that warmer weather will come our way much earlier this year.  Around here it has snowed in May, so the beginning of spring always just feels like slightly warmer winter.  But I have a gooood feeling about this year.  Once the ground thaws we can open up the bunkie again – I know friends and family are so eager to join us at the lake this summer.  We’re excited to keep chipping away at bunkie projects too: we’re planning to stain the bunkie deck, re-do the shingles, and also build sauna benches so we can finally use the sauna!  Big bunkie plans…

Sources & Projects:

Square Rainfall Shower Head (Amazon) | Stock Tank Shower (DIY) | Shower Curtain (DIY) | Curtain Fabric (c/o Online Fabric Store) | Stock Tank (c/o Tarter USA) | Hex Tile (c/o Lowe’s) | Ball Shower Curtain Rings | Ceiling Mounted Shower Curtain Rod (similar) | Skirted Toilet (c/o Pfister) | Turkish Towels (similar) | Sliding Barn Door Hardware (c/o Renin) | Retro Folding Stool (DIY Vintage)

P.S. I recently created an Amazon Storefront with a list of cute finds with the bunkie bathroom vibe – click here to take a look around.