I believe there is room in every home for a whimsical cabinet. Certainly, we can all use a little more storage, and a fantasy cabinet can provide it.

When Matt Fox, my partner, and I start a project like this one, we always have an inspiration piece. For our whimsical lighthouse cabinet we had a wall-mounted, lighthouse-shaped cabinet that was about 16 inches tall.

Now, keep in mind that for materials, every cabinet varies depending on what design you are creating. However, here are some of the basics to have on hand:

Materials:

An inspiration piece

3/4-, 1/2- or 1/4 inch plywood

Pine lumber

2 foot by 2 foot boards

Drywall screws

Finish nails

Wood glue

Measuring tools

Circular saw

Power screwdriver

Power sander

Step 1: Start with an inspiration piece

Find a miniature version of the cabinet you hope to create. Our 16-inch lighthouse-shaped cabinet was perfect for getting our design, scale, colors and general construction ideas.

Step 2: Sizing it up

Next, using a tape measure, measure the height of your inspiration piece. If it is 7 inches tall or less, depending on the height of your ceiling, you will be able to use the scale 1 inch equals 1 foot. However, if the inspiration piece is larger, like our lighthouse at 16 inches, use 2 inches equals approximately 1 foot.

I say “approximately” because an 8 foot cabinet doesn’t fit too well in a room with an 8 foot ceiling. In that case, work backward, determining the height of the finished cabinet first, then guesstimate the width and the depth. At this stage it’s nice to know how the cabinet is going to be used, because this is when you should alter the dimensions to work for the size of your TV, stereo or books.

Step 3: Analyze it

Since you have a handle on the size of your finished cabinet, start analyzing your inspiration piece one section at a time.

Move up to the body of your cabinet. We used a different thickness of plywood for different parts of our cabinets. The sides were 1/2 inch, the front was 3/4 inch because we wanted to cut doors out of it, and the back was 1/4-inch plywood to try to keep the weight down. The plywood sides and the roof were all held together with a 2-inch by 2-inch framing system.

Step 4: Don’t forget the details

Will you be able to build this giant replica in the garage and then get it through the doorway? Go over everything you have worked out and think about the tiny details. Will regular hinges work on the door?

Shari Hiller writes this column with Matt Fox. They also co-host the Home & Garden Television show “Room by Room.” For more information, visit www.hgtv.com.