How to Do Something Your Don Know: How to Build a Jewelry Armoire

A jewelry armoire is a jewelry box that can hold a large amount of jewelry and is typically tall enough to hang chains and necklaces inside of it. Some are mounted to the wall, while others stand up on their own. If you would like to make your own jewelry armoire, you can make one from scratch that will suit your needs. To begin with, you need to decide how big your jewelry armoire should be. Then you can plan and build your own armoire.

EditSteps

EditPlanning Out Your Armoire

Assess the size of your jewelry collection. In order to make a jewelry armoire that will work for you, you need to take into account how much jewelry you want to put in it. For example, if you have less than 40 pieces of jewelry, the armoire can be modestly sized. If you have more than 100, the armoire will need to be substantially bigger.
Decide where you want to put the armoire. While the size of the armoire should partially depend on how much jewelry you have, it should also take into account where you want to put it. Decide where you have space for an armoire and where it would be most functional for you. Then look at the area you have picked and decide how much space it should take up.
- Measure the area so you have an idea of the ideal dimensions to would like.
Create a design plan. When building a jewelry armoire from scratch, the easiest design to make is basically a long, flat box with a lid that will mount with its bottom against the wall. You need to decide on the exact shape and size you want this box to be.
- If you have plenty of space for it, a good general size for a jewelry armoire is wide, tall, and deep. This will fit quite a lot of jewelry without being overwhelming in size.^[1]
- Remember, the bigger your armoire is, the more expensive it will be for the materials.
Make a materials list and purchase what you need. Once you know everything you will need for your project, you can go to the store and purchase them. The items and tools you will need for this project are typically available at any hardware or home improvement store.^[2]
- Remember that you can use tools you already have or you can borrow tools instead of having to buy them.

EditMaking the Frame

Cut the 5 pieces of wood for the frame. Cut 2 that are the final width that you want the armoire to be. You will also need 2 longer pieces that make up the sides. The length of these pieces will be your desired final length minus the width of the top and bottom frame pieces. Finally, cut the piece of plywood that will be the back of the frame.
- You can use any type of wood saw that you have to cut these pieces. However, a circular saw can cut the side pieces and the back piece easily.
Screw the side pieces together. Attach the side pieces of the frame together. Hold one of the shorter side pieces sideways and place the end of it on top of the end of one of the long side pieces. Then drill two pilot holes down through the short piece and into the long piece. Once the holes are drilled, you can screw screws into the holes without splitting the wood.^[3]
Repeat the same process on the other end of the same short piece. Put the other long piece under the other end of the short piece. Then drill pilot holes in the same manner as you did before and then screw the pieces together.
Attach the other short piece. Flip the structure over so that the ends of the long pieces that have nothing attached to them are facing up. Place the remaining short piece across the ends of the long pieces. Drill pilot holes on both ends and screw the pieces together.
- When finished with this phase, you will have a rectangular frame.
Drill pilot holes and attach the back panel. Place the rectangular frame flat on its front. Place the back piece of plywood you have cut out onto the frame, making sure it is exactly the same shape as the frame. Then drill pilot holes through the plywood and into the frame. Put pilot holes all around the edge of the plywood every few inches and then screw screws into those holes.^[4]
- When drilling pilot holes, be careful to get them into the frame and not into the empty space in the middle of the frame. To do this, make pilot holes a standard distance from the edge of the plywood. This distance should be half the width of the frame pieces, so that the screws are positioned in the middle of the frame pieces.
Add shelves and drawers on the inside of the frame. To make your armoire useful for jewelry organization, you will want to add shelves and drawers to the inside of it. Create a shelf by cutting a piece of wood that is the exact interior width of the frame and the depth of the frame as well. Then attach it to the frame with screws or place it on pegs that you insert into the interior sides of the frame.
Put hooks in the armoire. One of the benefits of having an armoire instead of a smaller jewelry box is that you can hang long necklaces on hooks inside of it. With this in mind, make sure that you preserve enough space inside to hang even your longest necklaces. You can either screw the hooks into the underside of the top piece of the armoire or into the upper section of the back piece of the armoire.
- Place hooks in locations where you could hang both longer and shorter necklaces. This will give you some flexibility when you are using the armoire.

EditAssembling the Armoire

Cut out the door. Make the door the same width and length as the frame you have already built. The door can be made out of plywood, solid wood, or any other flat material that can be cut to size.
- When building your own jewelry armoire, keep in mind that what you will see most of the time is the front of the door. To make it appealing to look at, be sure that the surface and the shape of the door are appealing.
Paint the pieces of the armoire. It will be easier to paint or seal your jewelry armoire before you put the pieces together. Paint all the surfaces that will be visible whether the armoire is open or closed. You can choose not to paint surfaces that will be hidden, including the back side of the plywood.
- At this point you can also add any decorative touches that you like. For example, apply a pattern to the door or affix a piece of mirror to it.
Put the door on the armoire. Once you have the parts of the armoire constructed and painted, you can put them together. Attach the hinges to the door and then attach the door onto the frame. Make sure that the door opens and closes easily after being attached. If it doesn't, the hinges will need adjustment.^[5]
- To install the hinges, follow the directions that came on their packaging. The directions should instruct you both on placement and installation.
Create a way for the armoire to be hung. You can simply drill a hole through the back of the armoire that will allow you to hang it off a nail or screw in the wall. However, you can choose to add hangers on the backside instead.
- Be sure that the hole you drill in the backside is in the upper half of the armoire and is perfectly centered between the sides. This will ensure that the armoire hangs correctly.
Put the organizational pieces in the armoire. Once you have finished the box, it's time to add details to the inside. Install any organizational pieces you have made or purchased, such as shelves and hooks.
- The inside of the door is a good place to store additional jewelry. If you would like to do this, install hooks there as well.^[6]
- Put fancy finishing details in the armoire, such as lining areas with velvet to ensure that your jewelry is cushioned when it is stored.^[7]