Like me, you maybe a teeny tiny bit addicted to Pinterest. If so, you more than likely have seen these once hideous television center monstrosities be transformed into absolutely adorable kid’s play kitchens. The big TV center pins were a bit much for me to bite off, however, I found one play kitchen pin that used a nightstand instead of a large unit. Now that I could do. Off to Thrift Town!

Found this for $9.99. Bought it.

 

Next items I searched for and purchased to make my kitchen complete were things like the following; bowl I could use as a sink, faucet pieces, curtains, hot pads, dishes, coffee pot, pots and pans, a fake plant, towels, fab frilly apron, and cooking utensils. Got everything I needed for under $40 including the nightstand.

First order of business once I got my supplies was to cut the holes for my fake sink and faucet. Measure the size of hole needed to cut, and trace a template directly onto the wood using a sharpie or pencil.

I had to take my drill and drill a hole large enough for my saw blade to go through in order to cut the holes out. Side note; I love using power tools!

 

 

Next, I removed the doors to the nightstand. One would be recycled, the other would be painted and reattached to be used as the refrigerator door.

 

I chalkboard painted the fridge door so the little ones could have some added fun.

 

Once doors were removed, I added a coat of white paint to the unit. I wanted a shabby chic look, so I only did one coat, allowing for some of the brown to show through.

 

Once dry, I inserted the sink bowl and the parts I used for a faucet. I actually used plumbing pipe instead of actual faucet pieces. It was a lot cheaper and worked out just as well in my opinion. I did use an adhesive putty to ensure the parts stayed in place. Once they were attached, I used a sharpie to draw on the stove top.

 

I reattached the door and used screw hooks to attach a towel holder, apron holder, and curtain rack.

 

My curtain is held up by a tension rod. I originally wanted the tension rod to be inserted inside the top shelf, but I had a hard time finding the right side rod, so went to plan B and hooked it up using my screw hooks. For a pantry, I attached a cloth scrap next to the fridge door using fabric adhesive tape. Here’s the final shot:

 

I am really happy with how it came out! Here’s the links to watch the transformation live on Good Day Sacramento’s Thrifty Thursday!

http://gooddaysacramento.cbslocal.com/video/10165043-thrifty-thursday-diy-kid-kitchen-part-1/

http://gooddaysacramento.cbslocal.com/video/10165051-thrifty-thursday-diy-kid-kitchen-part-2/

Happy thrifting!

Gina Doglione-Nielsen is featured every week on Good Day Sacramento’s Thrifty Thursdays, and owns GNJ Consulting which handles Public, Social, and Media Relations for Thrift Town Stores. Gina lives in Northern California with her amazing husband Josh, and is constantly on the go with three “very active” and “strong personality” bambinos; aka Team Nielsen, and loves every minute of it.