Bathroom Cubbyholes

Keep bathroom items neat and accessible with cubbyhole shelves for large items and surgical jars for small toiletries and accessories. The jars, available at medical-supply stores, have easy-to-grab stainless-steel lids.

Materials: 4 pieces of plywood, 12"x9" 1 piece of plywood, 12" square Wood glue Finishing nails Screws (to attach to wall)

Instructions:

1. Each of the shelves is made from five pieces of 3/4-inch-thick plywood. The top, bottom, and two sides are each 12 inches by 9 inches; the back is a 12-inch square.
2. The top, bottom, and sides are mitered along the ends, glued together, and secured with 1 1/2-inch finishing nails.
3. Glue the ends of the bottom and top boards to the inside edges of the side boards, and secure with finishing nails.
4. Glue on the back, and secure with more finishing nails. Sand, prime, and paint the wood.
5. Screw the finished shelves right into the wall through the back (centering them on a stud), and cover the screws with paint.

If carpentry isn't your cup of tea, you may want to avoid mitering. Instead, have the lumberyard cut the boards for the box's top and bottom to be 10 1/2 inches by 9 inches, and the sides 12 inches by 9 inches.

MarthaStewart.com - Good Things: Bathroom Cubbyholes. www.marthastewart.com. Viewed on April 26, 2001.