Wall Storage Compartment

I built a detached home office during 2017 and 2018. As part of the permitting process, the city required a prefab shearwall in the corner of the building nearest to the door. This section came with a hole cut out in the middle, which seemed like the perfect opportunity to create a small storage compartment above the desk that would eventually be placed in front of it.

So I left the hole exposed after installing the drywall.

I decided to finish the exterior of the opening with walnut. I began by staining the interior space black to complement the walnut, then used 1x2s to frame the opening. Inside the opening, there was a vertical channel cut down the middle (see first picture). Since I only wanted to use the actual cavity itself, I opted to glue a couple of walnut strips to plug the upper and lower portions of the vertical channel. The glass in the picture below is holding the top plug in place while the glue dries.

Here it with the glass removed.

I had to fabricate a door using a 1x8 walnut board, trimmed to 5 1/2 inches. All of the walnut was stained with Tung oil (6 coats) and sanded with 400-grit sandpaper between each coat. A wood polishing compound was then applied to give it a finished look and feel. The hinges are countersunk on each side, and the left edge of the door is beveled to allow for a snug fit. Alignment was critical, so I decided it would be easier to assemble the door and outer edge and install them as a unit—hence the nails partially hammered in place in the picture below.

Door & handle installed.

Final pic, nail holes filled in, project complete. Steps not shown: final caulking and painting around outer perimeter.