Tag Archives: upcycled play kitchen

Upcycled Play Kitchen: Part 3 ~ The Final Chapter

Yay! It is finally done. I have to say, that this play kitchen project seemed to drag on for way to long and I found it very hard to get the job done. Obviously, I didn’t really have a reason to make it in the first place and have no plans for what I am going to do with the now finished project. The play kitchen was really all about stepping-up to the challenge because it was something I had wanted to do for a very long time, regardless of the fact that my little girl will be 12 in less than a month. I have seen so many cute little play kitchen upcycles and I just had to try one out. In the end, I am not sure how much the project cost me out-of-pocket, but I do know that I spent many hours on it. I can’t say that I will be doing another one of these “just for fun” projects again, any time soon. I am pleased with the final project, but did have a few bumps along the way. I am not going to provide much of a tutorial here, but will add a few captions here and there where necessary.  If you are interested in checking-out some of the steps and tutorials that led up to this reveal, you can check-out some of the previous posts. (Remember to click on the images if you wish to enlarge them.)

Upcycled Play Kitchen: Part 1

Upcycled Play Kitchen: Part 2

Ruffled Apron Tutorial

Upcycled Chalkboard/Frame

Before Pictures:

The play kitchen was made from two old furniture pieces: our old T.V. stand and an old stereo cabinet. Both were old and dated, but in otherwise good condition.

This is a shot of our old TV cabinet, before the upcycle.
BEFORE: Stereo Cabinet

Upcycled Play Kitchen Reveal:

Stove/sink
Faux tiled backsplash
Top view of sink/stove unit.
There is one shelf behind the curtain, below the sink/stove top.
I added a little ruffle to the top of the shelf above the fridge just to add a bit of colour and pull the two pieces together. (Clearly, I should have dusted the fridge a bit!)
I used a recycled metal bowl for the sink, garage sale taps/faucet ($5), painted wooden circles for the elements and antique stove knobs. The “elements” were thin wooden circles that I bought from Michael’s. I primed and painted them and then speckled them with white paint using a toothbrush.
Here is the coordinating ruffle apron.
This sign could be used to announce the menu or say who’s kitchen it is: “Cindy’s Kitchen”.
The menu stand is from the dollar store and was just spray painted black.
Upcycled Play Kitchen: The interior of the fridge. These hinges were a bit pricey, but I wanted them to be good quality.
AFTER: Upcycled Play Kitchen

I must say that I feel a little sad that this will never be used in our home. Eden is far too old to play with this and yet I still have so many ideas for what you could do to make this absolutely amazing. I even considered taking it to school, but I don’t think it would withstand the 45 five-year olds that grace my classroom each day. I think I’ll stick with the commercial set that is already there. So, the future of this little project is still up in the air, but at least it is now off my “things to do” list. I am sure it will find a good home with a little girl to enjoy it!

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Upcycled Play Kitchen: Part 1

I have wanted to do a project like this for a very long time, but I must admit it seemed a bit much to take on and of course makes no sense at all since my daughter is already 11 and is almost as tall as me!  I don’t know why I am so drawn to make one of these, but I have seen many examples of brilliant entertainment unit updates and the cutest play kitchens ever. To be honest, the upcycled red storage unit in my son’s room was originally purchased for a play kitchen, but it was a bit daunting and I “chickened-out”.

BEFORE: Entertainment Unit
Upcycled storage unit instead

Old TV Cabinet

I was really determined to make a play kitchen and when we switched our living room around this summer, our old TV cabinet suddenly became available!  The cost to upcycle this would be next to nothing because it was a piece I already had, so I decided worst case scenario, I ruin it and am out nothing but time and energy.  This photo was cropped from a Christmas picture, so it is not the best shot of the stand, but you can get an idea of what I am working with.  This cabinet must be close to 20 years old, but has worn well.  IMG_5415

My plan was to make the TV cabinet into the “sink” and “stove”, and then find another piece of furniture to serve as a “fridge”. I got to work right away and started to draw out a bit of a plan. I scoured the net to gather ideas and then began to collect the items I would need for my own version.

Old Stereo Cabinet

I decided to start to search Kijiji for a piece that was taller and could act as the fridge in the finished project.  I was thinking a lingerie chest or highboy style dresser at first, but then it hit me – why not try to find a stereo cabinet from the same era as the TV stand.  I didn’t want to pay much as this project may not work out and even if it does, I don’t have a purchaser or destination in mind.  I really have no use for it when it is done, but I think it will be lots of fun to make.  I ended up finding this cabinet at a garage sale and got it for $10.  I am really trying to keep this project simple, so I decided to make the finished project black as well.  This meant I was able to apply one coat of paint to freshen it up and required a lot less prep work.  Needless to say, completing this project is not a top priority.  I have so many projects on my list that should take precedence over this, but I will putter away and hope to finish it up sometime this fall.

IMG_8557

Play Kitchen Parts and Purchases

  • stereo cabinet for the fridge
  • a door from the “Re-Store” (Habitat for Humanity) $6 – this will be the door for the fridge – goodbye glass
  • pretty fabric for a curtain on the stove/sink cabinet and a few accessories – Fabric is my weakness – I totally splurged on this!
  • knobs from an antique store 4 for $6
  • wooden circles for the elements from the craft store – about $1.50 eachl
  • a silver bowl from a garage sale $1 (sink)
  • taps/faucet $5 garage sale purchase

BEFORE: TV Stand

Play Kitchen Initial Steps

  • Used my elementary school compass to draw a large circle slightly larger than the circumference of the bowl.
  • Used the skill saw to cut my very first circle – it wasn’t a fail, but not perfect.  Fortunately, the bowl has a lip and once it is siliconed in place it will not be an issue.
  • Sanded (scuffed) the entire surface of both cabinets and gave them a fresh coat of black paint.
  • Cut backs for both cabinets from scrap wood in the basement.  I wanted to use wood instead of that cardboard type of backing most of these cabinets are built with.  It will make the pieces more durable and sturdy.
  • I primed the backs and bottoms of the stereo cabinet shelves.

I am not sure what the timeline on this project will be, but now that I am back to work I will have huge time restraints and thus limited time for projects.  As mentioned above, I hope to finish it up this fall.  Maybe someone will be interested in it for a Christmas present for a little one??  Watch for Part 2 of this project within the next few weeks (I hope).

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