by Margot Guralnick - May 31, 2023

The DIY Dishwasher-Disguising Door Panel, via The Merrythought

Disguising appliances behind cabinet panels is a unifying trick, one that we often feature in our Kitchen of the Week. But integrated appliances are pricier than their traditional counterparts and they don’t always come in the desired sizes. We were happy to see that the creative thinkers behind the website The Merrythought have come up with a DIY way for handy sorts to camouflage standard dishwashers and fridges.

Photography courtesy of The Merrythought.

Dishwasher Before via The Merry Thought — Above: One of these things is not like the others—the dishwasher as it looked before the panel was installed.

Over the course of 16 months, The Merrythought co-founder Manda McGrath and her husband, Mike, entirely rebuilt their kitchen themselves giving it a modern farmhouse look.

DIY Dishwasher Door Panel via The Merry Thought — Above: The dishwasher camouflaged. Inspired by deVol’s Real Shaker design, Manda wanted inset cabinets elevated on feet—and, after “going into sticker shock” as they browsed, the couple went with an affordable option from Lily Ann Cabinets that Mike customized himself (read about their cabinet journey here). Mike fabricated a matching painted plywood and pine panel for their dishwasher, as shown here: tools and basic woodworking skills required.

DIY Dishwasher Door Panel via The Merry Thought — Above: All of the details for making the DIY dishwasher door panel, including an instructional video, are on The Merrythought.

DIY Panel Refrigerator via The Merrythought. — Above: Mike applied the same treatment to their fridge—they bought a floor model at a reduced rate because the door had scratches and added their own panel. Note the cabinet pulls of unlacquered brass: Manda gave them a near-instant patina.

Feeling inspired? Peruse our DIY Projects archive for more ideas, including these favorites from The Merrythought:

N.B.: This post was first published on Remodelista on May 23, 2023.

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