Our DIY Countertop Kitchen Cabinet

We created a stylish and functional DIY countertop kitchen cabinet to add beauty, extra storage and organization to our kitchen space.

This budget-friendly project enhanced both aesthetics and practicality, making our kitchen more efficient and visually appealing.

We are going on 4 years in this home, I honestly can’t believe how fast time is flying here! One of the first spaces we worked on when we moved in was our kitchen. It has gone through several phases. We took upper cabinets down and replaced with tile walls. We painted the cabinets, added shiplap to the peninsula and installed new countertops. I knew I wanted shelving of some sort, to start we made this pretty wooden open shelving piece you see here below.

We enjoyed this and it really was pretty! It was a quick/easy project that was affordable while we were doing all the more expensive things. But over time I did begin to feel like it wasn’t perfect for the spot overall or our style of this home. I am a firm believer in enjoying your home as it is and in all of its stages, so this shelving unit served us well for the time we used it. I am still keeping it and moving it onto another future project I will be sharing one day.

I had been dreaming of something built in, traditional that also had glass. I knew that a countertop cabinet would be perfect here! I also knew building something from scratch was not feasible for us right now time-wise. Our schedules are too busy for that and I wanted to find something that had the right measurements and we could build it in to work.

I spent hours looking for the right piece. I even found one second hand but then that fell through. I was really disappointed, but kept searching! Finally one day I happened upon these sliding door cabinets and after measuring I realized it was just right!

Once it was delivered, we assembled it, I primed and painted it to match our current cabinet color. We used BM Stingray lightened 15% and it is still a favorite paint color of mine.

Tyler removed the old shelving unit and we got to figuring out how we would fit this in and build it in underneath the soffit atop the countertop. We actually made a mistake the first time and had to undo all our work to fit it in better a second time.

We added supports to the base and built it up a bit. Then we covered that with molding trim and did the same to the top. It is in there securely, safely and snug! We also removed the grids as I wanted an open glass view.

The handles got a new finish of gold vs the brushed nickel. I finished off the painting details and it was so fun to fill up with our decor/dishes!

While I really haven’t missed having upper cabinets in our kitchen, this has been such a wonderful compromise! We store only our glasses here and we unload them straight from the dishwasher in the corner. It is functional and amazing for organization.

The whole thing feels custom and like this was how it was always meant to be. I do realize it is asymmetrical and that is actually how we prefer it. If we put one cabinet on the other side it would steal up all our countertop surfaces. Where this countertop cabinet currently sits is not a functional area of the countertop itself, so it makes sense. It works both in design and function. We still need to finish off the ceiling in here and wrap the soffit with shiplap. And down the road I may trade out the light on the other side for something bigger… But for now, I’m enjoying the stages of it all.

I’m so please with the progress! It is a special place in our home, we spend so much time in here (like most kitchens)! Adding this countertop cabinet was the right choice for us and it is very doable to find something existing that fits right in. It just may take a little time to find the perfect piece.

This affordable project adds both style and functionality, it truly turned our kitchen into a more organized and visually appealing space!