Create Your Own French Cheese Safe

Capture the charm of French country décor with this refined cheese safe. This cabinet is perfect for showcasing your lovely decorative pieces.

By Jamie Lundstrom
September 2018

Cover courtesy Page Street Publishing.

InFrench Vintage Decor: Easy and Elegant DIY Projects for Any Home Jamie Lundstrom makes giving your makes bringing the rustic and elegant look of French décor to your home effortless. Add French vintage style to your home with 70 easy projects that span every season and category, from sewing to painting and upholstery. The following excerpt is from Chapter 2, “Parisian-Inspired Home décor.”

A French cheese safe (or cabinet) is a place where cheese was stored on the counter in a French country kitchen. The safe or cabinet was covered in a fine screen. I’ve always loved the look of them and wanted to create my own. I used a thicker wire mesh in this design, and it can be used to store all your pretty decor items.

Materials:

Cut List:

Back and Front Frames:

Top and bottom: 4 (1 x 2 board cut into 1-1/2-inch long) pieces
Sides: 4 (1 x 2 board cut into 21-inch long) pieces

Two Side Frames:

Top and bottom: 4 (1 x 2 board cut into 9-inch long) pieces
Sides: 4 (1 x 2 board cut into 24-inch long) pieces

Door:

Top and bottom: 2 (1 x 2 board cut into 10-1/2-inch long) pieces
Sides: 2 (1 x 2 board cut into 18-inch long) pieces
Brace for Shelves: 2 (1 x 2 board cut into 9 2/3-inch long) pieces
Shelf Slats: 3 (1 x 3 board cut into 12-inch long) pieces
Bottom Base and Top: 4 (1 x 6 board cut into 12-inch long) pieces
Middle Piece: 1 (1 x 2 board cut lengthwise into a 1 inch x 12-inch long) piece
Inner Support Posts: 4 (1 x 1 board cut into 22-1/2-inch long) pieces

Cheese Safe:

Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Work gloves
Wire mesh
Medium duty staple gun
1/4-inch staples
Pencil
Brad nail gun
1-1/2-inch and 2-inch brad nails
2-inch nails, just for door frame
Sander
120-220 grit sandpaper
2 box hinges
Latch or knob
Tin snips
Stain, optional (I used Minwax Espresso)

Instructions:

Glue the 3 pieces together for the bottom base and 3 pieces for the top using the narrow 1 x 12-inch pieces in the middle. Build the back frame and side frames by hot gluing them together.

Bottom base with support post.

Wearing gloves, cut the mesh or screen with more than needed for the back and side frames, then staple it in place on each frame and pull back the excess mesh to cut off. Glue the support posts into place using the frames and a square as a reference for straightness.

Side frames are ready for mesh.

Installed mesh in back and side frames.

Once the support posts are secure, measure halfway up the support posts and using a square, mark a line with a pencil for the shelf. Glue the shelf braces between the left front and back posts and right front and back posts and glue on the shelf slats on top of the braces using the hot glue. Glue the back frame, first making sure it’s centered with equal distance on each side, then glue the side frames into place. The frames go in front of the bottom base not secured on top of the base.

Bottom base with all four support posts.

The shelf braces installed.

Glue and nail the front frame (the only frame without a screen). Dab glue on top of each post and insert the top. Secure everything with a brad nailer, nailing in approximately every 4 inches (about 3 to 5 nails on every frame board) making sure your nailing into the support posts and frames nailed to each other.

Shelf slats and a side frame are installed.

Both side and back frames installed.

Glue and nail the door together switching to 2-inch brad nails and install the screen using the same directions as above.
Sand everything down for a smooth finish. Leave natural or stain. Install hinges spacing out evenly and install the handle or latch.

With the top in place we can now install the door.

Notes:

Make sure the best side of the wood is facing out. Always choose the straightest pieces of wood. Dry fit everything first. Work on a flat, level surface.
Hot glue is the perfect way to “hold” your pieces into place before nailing. It is easy to fix if the wrong pieces are glued together first.
When working with a brad nailer, never place your hand or body in the direction the nail is shooting. Also avoid nailing through knots in the wood if possible.

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Reprinted with permission fromFrench Vintage Decor by Jamie Lundstrom, Page Street Publishing Co. 2018. Photo credit: Jamie Lundstrom.