He Replaced an Outdated Kitchen With Red Oak Cabinets Built From Scratch
Kitchen cabinets can account for a large part of a remodel budget, but this kitchen never went through a cabinet company. Reddit user u/No-Strawberry7959 designed every cabinet in SketchUp, then built the red oak pieces himself at a local community workshop.
The project replaced an outdated kitchen in an 800-square-foot house with solid oak drawer fronts, exposed dovetail joints, furniture-style cabinet frames, marble counters, and integrated appliances. Even more surprising, the homeowner had been woodworking for only about a year before taking on the kitchen.
Old Cabinets Left Little Room for Change
The existing L-shaped kitchen packed the range, dishwasher, sink, drawers, and cabinets into two walls. Black counters ran across the oak bases, while a freestanding range interrupted the left side.
The new kitchen keeps the same corner and sink wall, but little else from the cabinet system remains.
Cabinets and Counters Came Out First
Removing the old base cabinets exposed plumbing below the window, damaged wall surfaces, and unfinished flooring hidden under the original run.
Instead of fitting new cabinets over the same footprint piece by piece, the cleared walls gave the homeowner access to rebuild the kitchen around his cabinet dimensions.
New Cabinet Frames Went In Before the Old Range Left
Construction continued while the old electric range remained in service. New wood frames appear against the wall behind it, showing how the kitchen was assembled section by section rather than installed as a finished cabinet package.
The homeowner built the cabinets himself at a local community workshop.
SketchUp Plans Became Full-Size Oak Cabinets
A construction photo places the cabinet frames beside the SketchUp model used to design them. The digital drawing maps the drawer positions, frame dimensions, and cabinet structure before installation.
Asked on Reddit how he planned the layout, the homeowner said he drew it in SketchUp.
Appliances Fit Inside the Cabinet Framework
The new oven and dishwasher sit between narrow red oak uprights instead of conventional face-framed cabinet boxes. Adjustable feet support the legs while side panels close the ends.
This construction leaves the cabinetry reading more like connected pieces of furniture than a continuous bank of standard base cabinets.
Solid Oak Forms the Parts Seen From the Front
Close inspection shows solid oak rails, legs, and face components joined around red oak veneer plywood panels.
The homeowner confirmed that surfaces visible from the front are solid wood. Red oak veneer plywood forms the interior cabinet walls.
Dovetail Joinery Was Built Into the Drawer Boxes
Drawer construction adds another detail absent from mass-market cabinet boxes. Dovetails remain exposed at the corners instead of disappearing behind separate applied fronts.
The interlocking joints connect the drawer fronts and sides without screws or brackets. Each finished corner leaves the dovetail pattern visible.
Marble Tied the Separate Frames Together
A continuous stone counter spans the sink, dishwasher, oven, and adjoining cabinets. The homeowner chose Fantasy White marble after deciding against a more expensive quartzite.
He noted that he would recommend quartzite for a client’s kitchen because marble is porous and prone to staining.
Drawers Replaced Much of the Old Door Storage
Wide drawers now fill the left run and corner section. Their oak fronts sit inside narrow frames, with dark horizontal gaps separating each drawer.
Cabinet doors remain where plumbing or appliance placement makes drawers less practical. Most everyday base storage pulls out toward the user instead of sitting behind hinged doors.
Cooktop Moved Into the Counter
The freestanding coil range seen in the old kitchen is gone. A black cooktop now sits flush with the marble on the left run, while the oven occupies a separate cabinet farther down the kitchen.
Splitting the two appliances allowed drawers to continue below the cooking zone.
Sink Wall Lost Its Double-Bowl Sink
A single undermount sink replaces the old stainless double bowl. Its position remains below the window, with the dishwasher placed directly beside it.
The homeowner already identified the sink as one decision he would change. Next time, he plans to use a wider model.
Cabinet Legs Created a Problem He Plans to Fix
Slim oak legs lift the cabinet frames above the floor instead of hiding the base behind a recessed toe kick. The open gaps continue beneath the drawers, sink cabinet, and dishwasher.
Those gaps also leave the floor beneath the cabinets exposed to crumbs, grease, and pet hair. The homeowner plans to add kick panels behind the legs on his next kitchen, closing the space while keeping the legs visible.
Drawers Took Over Where the Range Once Stood
The old range occupied much of the left wall, leaving one narrow cabinet beside it. Moving the oven out of that spot opened the run for six wide drawers, while a separate cooktop keeps the same wall available for cooking.
The sink wall changed too. Three drawers now occupy the corner side, followed by the sink cabinet and dishwasher. Instead of adding upper cabinets, the homeowner gained storage by changing what happens below the counter.
No upper cabinets were added to either wall. The open space above the counters keeps the window, skylight, and vaulted ceiling unobstructed while storage stays below counter height.
Image credits go to Reddit user u/No-Strawberry7959.