PIN IT, POST IT, PLAN IT

My son wanted a bulletin board to help organise his room, but I couldn't bring myself to buy a cheap, generic one from the shop.

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At the same time, I wasn't particularly excited about making one either. So, I procrastinated until I found inspiration in the work of Piet Mondrian.

Using his iconic grid-based paintings as a guide, I created a bulletin board with multiple surfaces, textures, and display options. This design doesn't just include a corkboard for pinning notes - it also features Lego base plates, a magnetic board, a whiteboard, and plenty of shelves for extra storage.

This project turned out to be both practical and visually striking, making organisation fun while adding a touch of artistic flair to the room.

Step-by-step guide

Step 1: Building the outer frame Cutting the sides

The sides of the frame were cut from 18mm cherry wood. I cut these to their final length first, saving the mitred edges for the very last step.

A 3mm wide, 12mm deep rabbet (groove) was cut into the back edge of each piece to hold the plywood backing securely.

Routing storage trays

To add more functionality, I routed three small storage trays into the bottom frame piece. These were cut using a 6mm router bit with a 19mm bushing.

To ensure clean and accurate cuts, I made a jig with inside dimensions 19mm larger than the trays:

• Smaller trays: 12cm x 5.5cm

• Larger tray: 25cm x 5.5cm

After marking the tray positions, I secured the template using double-sided tape before routing each tray in multiple passes to a final depth of 6 mm.

Alternatively, a bowl bit with a bearing could be used, with the template cut to the exact tray dimensions.

Mitre cuts and glue-up