Ava's Makeup Vanity Desk: Detailed Plans, Video Instruction, and More

Ava’s Makeup Vanity Desk

Marc Spagnuolo

My daughter Ava has been asking me to build a vanity for a long time now. I waited a few years until she was tall enough to enjoy a full size vanity that would be something she could use for her entire life. In addition to Ava's specific requests, my wife requested the piece also serve as a desk where she could do her homework. In reality, she's only 8 years old and doesn't actually wear makeup yet, but she does enjoy painting her face with play makeup. This vanity evokes a clean and modern styling but features classic hand-cut dovetail joinery and wooden drawer slides. The door in the hutch, by request, is lighted via a touch sensitive mirror though I've yet to come up with a good solution for routing the power cable. A simple mirror would substitute nicely. The video series and plans will walk you through every step of the build process so you can either build your own or adapt your newfound skills to another project entirely.

Dimensions for the Desk: 30"H x 18" D x 42" W

Dimension with Hutch: 25" H x 6" D x 40" W

Starting on September 13, 2024

~~$49.00~~$29.00

What will I receive?

Detailed cut list and plans including a PDF and a SketchUp file (Metric and Imperial).
Hours of detailed video instruction showing every step of the build.
All videos and plans are digital and will be available for download upon purchase.

What will I learn?

Hand-cut dovetails
Drawer construction
Continuous grain drawer fronts
Wooden drawer slides
Making wide panels
Tapered legs
Door Construction
Hinge Installation
Dowel Joinery via the Dowelmax (though any jig will do)

What will I need?

Please note that this list only represents the tools and materials I used and are not absolute requirements. There are always multiple ways to get a particular job done so please be sure to watch the entire series before making any purchase.

Table Saw, Bandsaw, Jointer, Planer, Random Orbit Sander, Router, Drill Press (hand drill can be used but it’s not ideal without a jig), Miter Saw

About Your Instructor:

Marc is a podcaster, video producer, woodworking enthusiast, and author of Hybrid Woodworking and Essential Joinery. He has contributed articles and video content to FineWoodworking.com, Popular Woodworking Magazine, WOOD Magazine, and Woodcraft Magazine. He is also the host of The Wood Whisperer, an instructional woodworking video series that’s been going strong since 2006. He is also one of the hosts of the Wood Talk podcast. He has taught classes at the William Ng School, Marc Adams School, Weekend with Wood, Fine Woodworking Live, as well as at various Rockler and Woodcraft stores. He also speaks periodically at woodworking events like AWFS and IWF.