When I last shared my living room I had put up curtains behind the TV on my old sideboard, but needed a solution to store all of Frank's electronics since stacking them on a stool wasn't doing it for me. I decided to build a cubby that would sit on top of the sideboard to house all of the electronics.
I made this project using one 1x12 and one 1x2 boards. I started by cutting a top piece and two side pieces from the 1x12. I cut 45 degree mitered ends on the top board and also on one end of each of the side boards.
Because I like to do things quick and easy I cut the side boards a bit long, clamped them together and cut the square ends at the same time so they would be the exact same height.
I started to assemble the cubby by spreading some wood glue on all of the mitered ends.
I laid the top upside down, put the sides in place and used my speed square to make sure it was all square. I then attached the sides using my brad nailer.
In order to make sure that the cubby stayed square I attached a back brace from the 1x2. I cut it to fit and attached it with wood glue and my brad nailer. I didn't want a solid back beacuse I wanted the electronic cords to be easy tucked down behind the sideboard.
I used some wood filler to cover the holes from the brad nailer and then sanded the whole piece down smooth.
To complete the cubby I wiped it down with a tack cloth and stained it using a mixture of cherry and walnut stains that I custom mixed together to match the sideboard. After it was complete I put it in place under the TV and tucked all of the electronics inside the cubby.
Unfortunately, while the stain is a good color match to the sideboard it is a little lighter in shade. I'm debating about whether I want to darken it up a bit more or just leave it as is.
I still need something to place on the left side of the wall to balance having the TV off center, but the room is starting to come together.