Rustic Drinks Cabinet

I’d had the idea of wanting to build a drinks cabinet for my flat for quite some time, but as ever, work and other commitments had got in the way of actually getting started on anything. This all changed with the news of the corona-virus outbreak and especially with the unprecedented decision taken by the government to enforce lock down to all members of the public throughout the UK. Stuck in my flat in Manchester for potentially up to three weeks gave me the opportunity to start thinking about designing a drinks cabinet, mainly to keep me busy and take my mind off going crazy in isolation!

I started off by researching existing examples of handmade wooden drinks cabinets and came up with a design that I liked and thought would fit the available space that I had in mind for the project. Just before the beginning of the lockdown, I took a last minute trip out to Wickes to buy all the materials that I would need to get started.

What materials were involved?

• One six pack of Planed Softwood Whitewood PSE, 1.8m in length – 44 x 44mm
• One 9mm thick sheet of OSB (Oriented Strand Board) – 606 x 1220mm
• Old Wooden Wine Crates
• Variety of Wood Screws
• One Black Steel Pull Handle
• Flush Hinges x2
• One Galvanised Steel Single Jack Chain – 2mm x 2m
• One pack of Zinc Screwed Eyes – 55mm
• Dark Oak Refined Beeswax

Getting Started

After taking measurements, first steps were to start building the outer frames of the cabinet using the lengths of PSE. This was relatively simple and I cut the lengths to the correct measurements using my handsaw. The front and back of the cabinet were different sizes, so I built these separately and attached them together afterwards.

I also started to dismantle some of the old wine crates. I salvaged boards where I could and the all important inner wine holders/racks which were inside. Each crate had a stencil with the name of the wine label, region and year of the vintage.

Having chosen a favourite, I thought this would make a great centrepiece for the door of the cabinet. I would really add something unique to the overall design. This all took a couple of hours and as I’d only started late afternoon, I decided to call it a day in time for dinner and get started again in the morning. A good start!

Day 2

Having made good progress the day before, I started off by building the overall cabinet frame. The front and back frames were assembled and held together with supporting struts also made from the PSE lengths. The outer frame was pretty much now finished and I was eager to get the door attached. I wanted to see how it would look with the Wine label graphic as the centrepiece. I used the remaining planks salvaged from the wine crates for the rest of the cabinet door. Next, I attached the Black Steel Pull Handle.

I used the sheet of OSB for the shelves and top counter of the cabinet. Measuring these out and hand sawing them, I placed them on to the frame supports. The shelf was now in place for the cabinet. Next, I needed to get the hinges attached for the door. Once the door was attached I used the Galvanised Steel Single Jack Chain with the Zinc Screwed Eyes to create a ‘drawbridge effect’. Finally, I started measuring some of inner wine rack holders for the small wine rack. This was to go in place at the bottom of the unit. With most of the components now in place, it was really starting to come together. I was looking forward to putting the finishing touches on.

Finishing Touches

I ordered some hanging rails for the glasses, which offered a nice finishing touch. I attached these to the support at the top of the cabinet. Next, I added a small wooden clasp/hinge to the top of the door so that it would stay in place when closed.

I painted the top board white, as well as inside the cabinet. I then added the wine racks to the bottom of the cabinet (enough for four bottles), and finished everything off with a layer of beeswax to give it a nice rustic look! In the end, this was a very cost effective project. The branding of the wine crate really helps to give it some character. It has become a good additional feature for the living room.