Hi all,
I've recently moved into a new apartment and I've been thinking about how I can fill out the place. I have some unused space underneath the breakfast bar that I want to use for storage but in my search for furniture I couldn't find any that would fit flush to the bench and so I decided to build my own. I have been watching some YouTube videos and reading articles but I'm still clueless as to what is required to build something like this. I'd like to preface I am a beginner and that this is my first woodworking project so I'll try to provide as much detail as I can. Any advice will be great!
Here's a diagram of my idea and a reference photo of our kitchen:
Kitchen Bench Reference
Cabinet Reference
Kitchen Cabinet Prototype
Here are a few questions that I have about the project:
- What kind of wood would I use to build the cabinet? I wanted to go for something darker (see below for some references)
- Where and how can I get this wood?
- Can Bunnings cut the wood for you or will I need to cut it myself?
- If they do cut wood, will Bunnings help me with the measurements or will I need to provide a cut list?
- I don't really like the colour of the yellow-y wood behind the cabinet (probably some sort of particle board). Would painting it be a good option?
- I was thinking of getting a circular saw and a router. What other tools will I need?



I have a kitchen with some shadow line cabinets so I wanted to continue with that design pattern. I also want to eventually replace the wood in my kitchen with a darker wood than the one I currently have.
Let me know what I need to know before I start this project 🙂