Thrifty Thursday...How to Turn an Entertainment Center into a Play Kitchen

It has been a LONG time since I've done a Thrifty Thursday post!  But I feel like it's time to jump back into the groove.  Shall we?

Remember when I talked about this play kitchen way back in September!  Well, it took longer than I hoped just due to life and being busy, but we got her done.  Here's the final product:

And here is the $20 entertainment center after I sanded it down to begin this whole project:

 

We just used what we already had on hand for most of it.  I only purchased a few items and I'll list those at the end of the post.

 

I just glued down 4 CDs and bought 4 chrome knobs for the stove:

 

I cut out a square to make the oven door look more real.  I added in a pane of plexi-glass and moulding to make it a bit prettier:

 

And I glued a light to the top so it lights up like a real oven:

 

I bought new hinges so I could change the orientation of the doors.  I wanted them to open from the top rather than the side like in the entertainment center.  They were pretty darn easy to install, which was nice:

 

Here's the refrigerator side:

 

I love the apron detail on the front under the sink.  I think it gives the kitchen the little pop it needs!

 

I simply sewed a few different fabrics onto the back of a piece of curtain lining.  I googled how to "gather" and it was not too difficult, thank goodness.  I used a tension pole to hold the fabric:

 

The faucet was the old faucet that came with our cast iron tub.  And the sink was just a bowl from Target:

 

The curtain rod was made using a leftover dowel I had laying around the garage.  And two nuts glued together.  Then I just spray painted it all!  The curtain was sewed from leftover fabric in my stash.  It's just a rectangle with a pocket at the top:

 

Here's a close-up:

 

I love the back!  The girls wanted a restaurant so we created a Diner.  They actually have played restaurant quite a few times since this was complete.

 

I just cut a piece of 1" x 10" to length and gave it a coat of poly.  I attached it with cup hooks, rings, and chain:

 

And lastly, I put it on casters so the girls can easily roll it around our basement.  (We have stained concrete floors which are perfect for rolling.)

 

And there you have it!  How I DIY'd a play kitchen.  Pretty simple, really.  Here's one last picture of it because I think it's just so cute!

 

Cost Breakdown*:

$20 - Entertainment center

Paint/Primer/spray paint - Free, already had it

4 Casters - $15.92 (could spend less if only two of them had brakes)

Hinges - $8.31

Door pull for refrigerator - $9

Oven and Dishwasher lights - $3

Plexi glass and trim - $7

Chain - $4

Bowl for sink - $5

Total - $72.23

 

*Note: I couldn't find my a few receipts but it's a pretty good estimate.

Just give me a shout if you have any questions!