Saturday 6 March 2021

Corner cupboard

The cupboard doors are on and I could not be happier with how it turned out.


It was not as straight forward as I had wished for. At one point, I almost thought, I had ruined it all together.
This is how it went:
After painting the outside of the cupboard with several coats and lots of sanding, I carefully measured and cut out little notches for the hinges to rest in. 



Then I glued the hinges in place on the doors. It seemed to be going ok. I decided to leave the excess of the hinges overhanging the edges, thinking it would be better to trim them after I had glued the pins into the holes and the hinges were properly secured. 


Sorry, I forgot to take photos of the next bit - This is where I started to panic, thinking I had ruined it all.

I added the pins and then repeated the processes to attach the doors to the cupboard carcasses. Even though I had recessed the hinges and pushed the pins in as far as I possibly could, the extra bulk of the pin heads, meant the doors wouldn't close. The glue had not set hard yet, so I carefully pried the hinges off, cut the recesses deeper and tried again. Still didn't work, still wouldn't close nicely. The deeper recess meant there was too much strain on the thin hinges and they broke!

Deep breath!

I cut and made new hinges, this time without holes. I decided the cupboard won't be opened and closed so glue alone would have to do. 

I glued the hinges into the recess and once that glue had dried, instead of cutting the excess off, I bent and glued it around the edge of the door and to the back of the cupboard like at tine cranked hinge. 

I know this it not very authentic for a cupboard door, but I figure this is my small world, so I can bend the rules and I don't think it looks too bad.

The doors now open and close nicely, What a relief. 


I must confess I was rather excited, so I couldn't help but pull out some of the minis that will be going into the cupboard and pile them in to get an idea of how it will look...


... and then, I piled it all out again (you should have seen my work table that night!) and popped it into the apartment, keeping my fingers crossed that it wouldn't look too big and bulky in the little room.


It is snug, but it is how I had imagined it would be. Truffle the dog could not care less of course. He is simply put out, because I still have not made him a bed to go in front of the stove. Before I do that, I have a couple of little finishing touches to do on the cupboard.

Have a lovely weekend everyone and thank you so much for all the kind and encouraging comments. 
Anna X


7 comments:

  1. It's perfect Anna! And so lovely in that beautiful room! All the accessories look like the cupboard was made just for them!
    I can't count how many times I have become disheartened, thinking that I had totally ruined something. But you did exactly the right thing - breathe, keep calm and try the next idea. Maybe it doesn't always work out exactly like we wanted, but we have learned valuable insights to take with us on the next idea. And often, we love our second try even more.
    As for making Truffle's bed - he is only miffed when you are looking. When you are not, he's is nestled comfortably on that cushy sofa, head resting gently on the exquisite butterfly pillow!

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    1. This is such a massive learning curve for me, Jodi. I am pretty happy with how it all turned out in the end and have learned heaps on the way. Will I make hinges again? Quite possibly :) it can only get better and easier, right?
      As for Truffle - you never quite know where he is or what he is up to.
      X

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  2. Making working and miniature hinges is a difficult job to do, Anna, but yours turned out wonderful. I am glad that you finally succeeded in making them, it's always hard to make hinges, which have to be an exact cpoy and mini version of the real ones, for example the holes in the hinges. Sometimes making things in mini has its restrictions, I think maybe this is one of them..?
    The content and the cupboard looks gorgeous, the colors are just perfect for it.
    I love seeing this room now, you have some beautful treasures in this room. And regarding to your dachsund, Truffle, well, I agree with Jodi ;O)!!
    Stay safe, take care and have a lovely weekend!
    Hugs, Ilona

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words Ilona. The quality and ingenuity in your wonderful work is always such an inspiration to me. I has such clear idea how I wanted this cupboard to look and work, so it is nice it (almost) worked out how I had imagined.
      Anna X

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  3. It looks great Anna! Glad you worked out the hinges in the end and I think they look fine. I admire your persistence with them. I probably would’ve just glued the doors in place! Haha!

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    1. Thank Shannon - trust me, a generous blob of glue did cross my mind :)

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  4. What a beautiful corner cabinet, beautiful in every detail. Looks very nice in the cozy room.

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