Want to make (sort of) arches out of your old cabinets? I took a wack at it.

So… I turned two very normal, very rectangular kitchen cabinets into *sort of* arched shelves.

Was this a perfectly engineered, mathematically precise renovation?

Absolutely not.

Do I kind of love them anyway? Yes, I do.

Here’s how it all went down.

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The Vision (fuzzy at best)

There is a house that I go by when I walk my dog that has beautiful, underlit, arched bookshelves that glow through the windows at night — soft curves, cozy vibes, very much something that I want.

Per usual, instead of buying something new, I decided to experiment with two of my existing upper kitchen cabinets. They were fine. Functional. Boxy. A little boring. but the great thing about my old house is that I can experiment a lot, because some day, I figure someone will just tear it all out anyway.

So, I bought a jigsaw.

I like Ryobi and this jig saw was affordable...so

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Step 1: Drawing the Arch .On the garage floor. With chalk.

Rather than overthink it, I cleared a spot on the garage floor and grabbed:

* Chalk

* String

* A random screw.

I screwed the screw into the floor just enough to act as a fulcrum point, tied a piece of string to it, tied the other end to my chalk, and made a DIY compass the size of a pizza.

Then I swung the chalk in an arc and — boom — instant arch.

Was it perfect? I don't think so.

professional? Also no.

Did it work? Yes.

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Step 2: Cutting the Arch

harder than expected to use this baby, but I'll get there

Once I liked the general shape, I transferred it onto my wood panel.

Then came the jigsaw.

There’s something very satisfying about cutting curves with a jigsaw — it feels artistic. but it is also really hard to keep the line smooth...maybe that gets easier with a higher quality jigsaw? I don't know. As a result, mine needed a lot of sanding.

I sanded these pieces to create a smoother look...whaddya gonna do, right?

Now, full disclosure: these are not true, symmetrical, architectural arches. They’re more like… arch-adjacent. Soft curves. Suggestive arches. If you squint.

But I decided early on that “good enough” was going to win this round.

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Step 3: The Commitment Moment

There’s always a moment in a DIY project where you think:

* I could redo this properly.

* I could scrap it and start over.

* I could pretend this was intentional.

I chose option three.

I had already cut the wood. The arches weren’t perfectly full. The curves were a little flatter than I imagined. But instead of chasing perfection, I installed them anyway.

And honestly? Once they were up, painted, and styled — they looked charming.

Not magazine-perfect.

But warm. Handmade. Personal.

nice, yes?

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The Result

The cabinets feel lighter now. Softer. Less “standard kitchen box” and more “add this to the list of cool things I've tried”

And here’s the funny part: now that I know how to do it, I absolutely plan on doing it over and tweaking the radius next time. When that day comes, I'll make the arch fuller. Rounder. More dramatic.

But I don’t regret doing these first.

They’re proof of the learning curve.

Literally.

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What I Learned

* A string and chalk are very effective.

* Someday I will have a huge table jigsaw.

* Perfection is overrated.

* Sometimes the first try is supposed to be the “practice round” — even if it ends up staying on your wall.

And honestly? I kind of love that they’re not perfect arches.

They’re mine.

Would I do it again?

I plan on it.

Will I take more time and do it right?

…here's hoping 😅