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This base is built as one wide plywood case split by a center divider into a bank of drawers on one side and open cubby storage (or a second set of drawers) on the other, with two doors below hiding additional storage. The divider isn't just a partition — building it in early, screwed to both the top and bottom shelf, is what keeps the whole case from racking, and it gives the drawer bank a second reference surface beyond the outer sides.
The doors use a false-front technique instead of frame-and-panel construction: cut a flat plywood door blank to fit the opening with a small 1/16"–1/8" gap, then glue strips of 1/4" plywood to its face as applied trim, which reads as a real door frame without any actual joinery. Fit every door and drawer in its opening before attaching any face — center each with an even gap on all sides, then let the face's position follow the box, not a fixed measurement.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| 3/4" plywood or MDF, 4x8 sheet | 2 each |
| 1x4 board, 4 ft | 1 each |
| 1/4" plywood, 4x4 sheet | 1 each |
| 3/4" wide moulding, 8 ft | 2 each |
| Wood screws, 2" (or 1-1/4" pocket-hole screws) | 60 each |
| Finish nails, 1-1/4" | 60 each |
| Wood glue | 6 oz |
| Wood filler | 1 each |
| Drawer slides, 18" | 3 set |
| Hinges | 2 set |
| Knobs | 5 each |
Overall cost: $$$. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L |
|---|---|---|
| Divider sides3/4" plywood or MDF | 2 | 3/4" × 20" × 24" |
| Drawer box divider pieces3/4" plywood or MDF | 2 | 3/4" × 20" × 14" |
| Bottom shelf3/4" plywood or MDF | 1 | 3/4" × 20" × 46 1/2" |
| Top3/4" plywood or MDF | 1 | 3/4" × 20" × 48" |
| Sides3/4" plywood or MDF | 2 | 3/4" × 20" × 29" |
| Footer blank1x4Mark and jigsaw a decorative profile before attaching. | 1 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 46 1/2" |
| Back1/4" plywood | 1 | 1/4" × 29" × 48" |
| Door blanks3/4" plywood or MDF scrapCut to fit your actual door openings, leaving 1/16"–1/8" gap. | 2 | 3/4" × 20" × 20" |
| Door applied trim strips1/4" plywoodCut to fit each door face — glued on as applied trim, not structural framing. | 8 | 1/4" × 2 1/2" × 20" |
| Drawer boxes3/4" plywood or MDF scrapSize to your openings, leaving 1/2" clearance per side for the drawer slides. | 3 | 3/4" × 7 1/4" × 20" |
| Drawer bottoms3/4" plywood or MDF scrapInset to the drawer sides rather than sitting under them. | 3 | 3/4" × 20" × 18" |
Buy 9 boards at 8 ft.
4 boards
Cut the divider sides, drawer box divider pieces, bottom shelf, top, and sides from your two sheets of 3/4" plywood or MDF. Doors, drawers, and moulding all get cut to fit later, once real openings exist to measure against.
Assemble the divider sides and drawer box divider pieces into the center drawer divider unit. Adding internal shelves here adds weight but also real structure and a better-aligned drawer box — worth doing since you already have the material from the two full sheets.
Mark out the top and bottom shelf locations and attach the center divider to both with 2" screws and glue (or pocket-hole screws and glue).
Mark the sides as shown in your reference photos and cut with a jigsaw — note the side cutout profile is different from the front footer cutout, so don't reuse one template for both.
Attach the footer blank to the bottom, inset as shown in your reference. Mark and cut the decorative profile with a jigsaw — cutting it in place (rather than off the cabinet) avoids extra clamping if you're confident with the saw. A nailer with 1-1/4" or 2" finish nails and glue works well here.
Attach the back with 1-1/4" screws or nails and glue, making sure to fasten into the shelves and divider as well as the sides — this is what locks the whole case square. Check it's perfectly square before moving on.
Cut the moulding to fit precisely: start with the center piece (mitered 45° on both ends) and get it right first, then cut the side pieces to fit against it. Expect to make several test cuts before you're satisfied — moulding fit is worth the extra time since it's the most visible trim on the piece.
Measure each door opening and cut a 3/4" plywood or MDF scrap door blank to fit, leaving about 1/16"–1/8" gap around it (adjust based on your hinge type). Once you're happy with the fit, cut 1/4" plywood into 2-1/2"-wide strips and glue and clamp them to the door face as applied trim, keeping corners securely clamped — but not so tight that all the glue squeezes out. Build two doors.
Cut drawer box parts from 3/4" plywood strips at 7-1/4" wide. Cut drawer bottoms from leftover panel stock, inset to the sides rather than sitting flush under them, and nail or screw through the sides into the bottoms. Always measure your actual drawer box before building it — standard slides need 1/2" clearance on each side. Don't attach the drawer face until the box is fully installed in the cabinet, so you can position it floating with an equal gap on all sides.
Remove the doors and drawers. Fill any exposed holes and plywood edges with wood filler. Sand, apply edge banding to any exposed plywood edges if staining, or prime and paint as desired. Reinstall the doors and drawers and add the hinges and knobs.
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Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →