Bookshelf Cabinet

I found this piece on a sidewalk a few blocks from my house in the Glover Park neighborhood of D.C. Given the odd dimensions and locations of the original shelves, including four mounted to the doors, I don’t know its original specific purpose—maybe to store CDs or video cassette tapes. Clearly, those aspects had to change. I also thought the color was dull and figured it would be more interesting if one could see through the doors. I removed the guts, cut out the six recessed panels in the doors, and rough sanded the whole thing so that paint would better adhere to it. I created two new shelves that I aligned with the door panels, mounting them to the sides with corner braces. I cut some decorative perforated sheet metal to fill the openings in the doors, which I secured with shoe moulding on the inside of the doors. I chose some bright colors to give it new life and to match another piece. My wife uses it for books in her home office. (BTW, I used three of the original door-mounted shelves in a different project.)

Some Before/During Pictures

Related Items: Three Small Shelves on Reclaimed Wood, Tall Secretary Desk Cabinet.