Studio Office Cabinet Progress – Building Out The Cabinet Boxes & Running Electrical For The Sconces
![](https://scoopsky.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Studio-Office-Cabinet-Progress-Building-Out-The-Cabinet-Boxes-780x470.jpg)
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I made quite a bit of progress on the studio office area cabinets yesterday, and it’s getting really exciting to see this area come together. I showed you the other day that I got all of the doors and drawer fronts finished. I installed most of them and took a picture so we could get an idea of how this finished area will look. It still takes some imagination, but here was my progress…
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/painted-cabinet-doors-and-drawer-fronts-installed-7-1200x900.jpg)
So with those finished, I had to remove all of the doors and drawer fronts to work on the cabinet boxes and get those finished. I started by adding 2″ x 2″ lumber to the sides of the cabinets to fill in the space between the left cabinet and the wall. I attached this using screws that I screwed through the shelf pin holes inside the cabinet and into the 2″ x 2″ wood. This gives me a surface to attach the final trim piece later.
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-1-900x1200.jpg)
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-1-900x1200.jpg)
I did the same thing on the other sides of the cabinets. But on the other sides, I attached two 2″ x 2″ pieces of wood because these will be used to attach the plywood to cover the sides. Again, I attached these using wood screws that I screwed through the shelf pin holes inside the cabinet, through the cabinet, and into the wood.
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-2-900x1200.jpg)
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-2-900x1200.jpg)
I repeated that process on the other side…
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-3-900x1200.jpg)
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-3-900x1200.jpg)
And then I repeated that process one more time on the outside of the right cabinet.
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-4-900x1200.jpg)
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-4-900x1200.jpg)
With those strips attached, I could attach the plywood piece to the outside of the right cabinet. I attached this using 1.5-inch 16-gauge nails, and I nailed it right to the 2″ x 2″ wood pieces. You can see that I cut the plywood pieces a little taller than the cabinet to give me something to attach trim and crown molding to in a later step.
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-5-900x1200.jpg)
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-5-900x1200.jpg)
Since I decided to add sconces to the window side of each cabinet, I had to add junction boxes to the plywood panels before I could attach those. I used shallow old work boxes for this so that they would fit inside the area between the plywood and the side of the IKEA cabinet. I didn’t want to have to cut through the inside of the IKEA cabinet for a standard size junction box to fit. I measured and marked where I wanted the box to go on the plywood panel, and then used the box as a template to trace around to mark where to cut.
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-6-900x1200.jpg)
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-6-900x1200.jpg)
I made sure to get it just right because I only had one chance at this. If I messed this up, I’d have to cut a whole new piece of plywood.
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-7-900x1200.jpg)
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-7-900x1200.jpg)
I used my Dremel Multimax oscillating saw to cut the hole for the box. You could also use a drill and jigsaw, or even a router. With the hole cut out, I attached my old work box, which just screwed to the plywood.
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-7a-900x1200.jpg)
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-7a-900x1200.jpg)
I decided to use heavy duty extension cords to wire the sconces. In order to use the extension cord, I had to use my wire cutters to cut off this end.
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-7b-900x1200.jpg)
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-7b-900x1200.jpg)
The wiring had to be done before I attached the plywood panel to the cabinet. So I ran the wire behind the panel and through the junction box.
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-8-900x1200.jpg)
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-8-900x1200.jpg)
The other end of the cord came out at the bottom of the plywood panel…
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-9-900x1200.jpg)
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-9-900x1200.jpg)
You can see here that it just ran straight down behind the plywood and into this space between the cabinets.
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-10-900x1200.jpg)
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-10-900x1200.jpg)
And then using a 1-inch drill bit, I drilled a hole in the back spacer in that section, and threaded the wire through that hole.
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-11-900x1200.jpg)
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-11-900x1200.jpg)
And the I ran the wire in this space behind the cabinets, but above the spacers/braces that I used to attach the cabinets to the wall. I placed a scrap 2″ x 2″ piece of wood on top of the cabinet where the countertop will eventually go so that you could see how much space the wire has to travel through. It’s quite a large space (about 2″ x 1″), so you can see that nothing will be constricting the wire once the countertop is in place.
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-12-900x1200.jpg)
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-12-900x1200.jpg)
Once the wire was in place, I was able to nail the plywood panel onto the side of the cabinet.
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-13-900x1200.jpg)
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-13-900x1200.jpg)
At that point, here’s what the right bank of cabinets looked like with the 2″ x 2″ lumber and plywood panels added to both sides of the cabinets.
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-14-900x1200.jpg)
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-14-900x1200.jpg)
Here’s a peek at the sconce. I couldn’t hold the sconce in place and take a picture, so you’ll just have to imagine it up on the side panel where the junction box is. And of course, I will need to paint and gold leaf the sconces to match the pendant lights on the mural wall.
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-15-900x1200.jpg)
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-15-900x1200.jpg)
With that side panel in place, I needed to finish up the side panel on the left side. The wire from the right side ran behind the cabinets all the way across the back under the window.
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-16-900x1200.jpg)
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-16-900x1200.jpg)
And then I ran that wire, plus a second wire, through a hole that I drilled in that back spacer, just like I did on the other side.
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-17-900x1200.jpg)
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-17-900x1200.jpg)
And then I ran those up behind the plywood panel, and through the junction box.
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-18-900x1200.jpg)
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-18-900x1200.jpg)
That second wire (extension cord) then ran behind the left cabinet, and through this access panel that I had to cut in the back of the middle cabinet on the left side.
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-19-900x1200.jpg)
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-19-900x1200.jpg)
You’ll notice that on the first extension cord, I cut off both ends so that I was just left with the wires. But on this second extension cord, I only cut off the end where the sconce will be wired, but I kept the end with the plug. That’s because, after I finish wiring up this outlet behind this access panel, the sconces will plug into the outlet. I’ll control the sconces with a remote-controlled outlet.
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-20-900x1200.jpg)
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-20-900x1200.jpg)
After those wires were run on this side, I was able to nail the plywood panel into place.
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-21-900x1200.jpg)
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-21-900x1200.jpg)
So that’s the progress so far! I was so excited to get all of this done. Working through the logistics of wiring up those sconces too me a bit to figure out, and it’s always such a huge relief when a plan works out. 😀
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-22-1200x900.jpg)
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/office-cabinets-progress-22-1200x900.jpg)
Today, I’ll be working on the bridge with the cubbies. If you’ll remember, this is the vision…
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/studio-office-area-cabinets-bridge-with-cubbies.jpg)
![](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/studio-office-area-cabinets-bridge-with-cubbies.jpg)
I’m working by myself, so I’ve been thinking through exactly how I’m going to build a big, bulky plywood bridge with cubbies, lift it into place by myself, and attach it to the side cabinets by myself. These are the challenges I have to work through quite often as a DIYer who works alone. But I think I have it figured out. I guess we’ll all find out tomorrow if my plan worked. 😀
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
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