Next project after the wainscoting

So, I've been planning out the next project, as I haven't finished the kitchen or wainscoting yet. My wife would like a "laundry center", and she has seen some things on Pinterest. I looked at them, and have decided I like the idea, but will build it correctly, as my old boss the carpenter would say.

We have a hallway in the basement, by our furnace and water heater. It has a little set back, which is an ideal place for this. Below are my Google Sketch Up renderings of what I'll be doing.

First, the overall view, from the side.



So the original plan called for the box to sit right on the ground. Now, having built kitchen cabinets and furniture this looks bad to me. It is purely aesthetic, but I wanted a toe-kick. Instead of being 36 inches off the ground, mine will be closer to 39 inches. I'll be grouping two side-by-side, and it will be 52 inches long. The height is taller than a standard cabinet, but that doesn't bother me, as you're going to fold laundry on top of it, and I think this might be a bit more comfortable.

Here is the front view. This cabinet is designed to hold six standard laundry baskets, so you can separate your laundry.



The original plan called for pocket holes to build this cabinet. I plan on employing my stacked dado head cutter, in the tablesaw. This will allow me to use glue and brads to hold it together, and not have to deal with the screws. This is also how I was taught to build cabinets.

Here is a view of the side. I will run a rabbit at the top, and a dado a few inches off the ground. (I'll do a follow up post with the exact measurements later.) That is it for the sides.



The top and bottom of each cabinet are a simple rectangle.



For the toe-kick, I'll cut two pieces. One will sit behind the other, and be painted black. This give the impression of a piece of furniture, but doesn't allow a bunch of dirt and garbage to get under the cabinet. I'll cut a simple arc on the front piece, mainly because I like Arts and Crafts style furniture, and this fits.



I will put a face frame around the front, to hide the edges of the plywood. This is the place I'll use the pocket holes.

The top will be a single piece of plywood, with a piece of pine wrapped around it. The entire cabinet will be painted the same color as the walls, and should make a nice addition to the laundry process.

Once I start the project, I'll post some pics.