Looking for a way to upcycle an old TV cabinet? This fairly simple DIY Play Kitchen tutorial is such a fun project that will delight the children in your life for many years to come!
Way back in 2013, I purchased an outdated TV cabinet from a local thrift store, with the hopes of creating a DIY play kitchen for our oldest daughter’s 2nd birthday.
Little did I know how much fun I would have with this project, how cute it would turn out, and how this play kitchen would become one of our children’s most beloved “toys” for the next 10+ years. 🥰
Our play kitchen made its way throughout our home, in and out of various bedrooms, the landing area, up and down stairs on occasion, and even in our outbuilding for a time, as we continued to move it to where it got the most use… and wow, did it get used!
Although all 4 of our children absolutely loved our play kitchen, we did eventually pass it along (to blog readers) in 2024, but the tutorial lives on via the internet!
If you’re looking for a fun way to upcycle an old TV cabinet, a fairly simple DIY project, or a creative gift for special children in your life, consider a DIY Play Kitchen… I’ll walk you through exactly how I did this project below!
Supplies To Make a DIY Play Kitchen from a TV Cabinet
Obviously, the necessary supplies will vary, depending on what type of cabinet you have and what type of kitchen you want to create — but here is a general list of the supplies I used to help you get started.
An older TV cabinet. Ideally, it would be solid wood with a full-length door on one side for a fridge. Look for them at thrift stores or on Facebook Marketplace.
Screwdrivers (electric or manual) to remove hardware, doors, drawers, etc.
Sandpaper and some wood putty to fill holes, smooth scratches, etc.
Some type of project saw to cut a hole for the sink and to cut out the center of the oven and fridge doors.
Denatured Alcohol (or something to clean the wood well before painting)
Primer (either spray-on or brush-on), I like the Kills brand, but any brand should work.
Paint (any color is fine — I used leftover paint we already had in the house)
Spray paint — I use metallic for “stainless appliances” and stone for a marbled counter look.
A very small sink (like a bar sink) — you can also likely find these at thrift stores or Marketplace.
Magnetic paint or a thin metal sheet for the fridge (we had a sheet of metal cut from a local heating and cooling place — it’s what they use for the ductwork).
A small piece of plexiglass for the oven door (totally optional — but it makes it possible to see into the oven).
Small round wooden disks to use for the stove burners (I used sports ball wall decals from the craft store).
Thin piece of wood and knobs for the stove (I used a piece of 1/8″ scrap wood and 4 water spigot turnoff valves that I found at the thrift stores)
Hardware for the oven and fridge (I purchased 3 long skinny drawer pulls).
Lights (optional but fun). We used motion-sensored rechargeable lights inside the fridge and oven, and a small lampshade connected to a corded hanging bulb socket over the sink/stove.
Various kitchen decor items, dishes, food, curtains, linens, pot holders, hooks, baskets, magnets, etc.
This is the really fun part because you can tweak the colors, fabrics, and decor.
Here are a few ideas to get you thinking about “accessories”:
- Mirror or window above the sink/stove
- Valance or curtains
- Skirt for under the sink
- Towel hooks
- Towels, washclothes, and pot holders
- Youth oven mitts and apron
- Small pots, pans, and baking dishes
- Mini collanders
- Wooden spoons, mini spatulas, and other small kitchen utensils
- Play dishes, cups, and cutlery
- Magnets for the fridge
- A corded phone for the side of the cabinet
- Play food (or just save some of the boxes and containers your food comes in)
How to Make a Play Kitchen from a TV Cabinet
Again, there are many ways to do this project, but here’s how I did it…
1. Remove everything that can be removed from your cabinet (shelves, doors, hinges, knobs, backing, etc.)
2. Wipe down the cabinet (and the removed doors) with denatured alcohol and a soft rag to remove any dirt, oil, or residue.
3. Prime the cabinet (and removed doors) — I like Kills Primer (either the spray or brush-on version) because it has great coverage and hides stains and also wood grain better than other primers.
4. Paint everything with at least 2 coats of paint (I used white for the entire cabinet, except for the inside of the oven, which I painted black).
5. Cut a hole for the sink based on the sink you find.
6. Cut out the inside of the fridge and oven doors (this is optional, but fun if you can put a magnetic panel or plexiglass in the doors).
7. Use accent spray paint to spray the counters, appliance doors, stovetop, burners, and anything else with metallic, stone, or black accents.
8. Install the sink. We just used some caulk on the underside of the sink to “stick it” to the counter.
9. Attach metal sheet to the fridge door and plexiglass to the oven door (if using) and reattach the painted doors to the cabinet.
NOTE: I reattached the oven door with the hinges on the bottom instead of the side so it would actually open like an oven.
10. Add lights (optional). We used motion-censored rechargeable lights in the fridge and oven that the kids loved. We also hung a corded hanging bulb socket with a little lamp shade over the sink/stove.
11. Create the stovetop and burners. I used a piece of 1/8″ thick scrap wood for the stove top and 4 craft circles for the burners. The smaller ones are 4″, the larger ones are 6.5″. The “knobs” for the stove are water spigot valves so they actually twist!
12. Put a back on the cabinet. I used leftover beadboard from our kitchen project (painted white). I just used a staple gun to nail it to the back.
13. Add decorative details. I added a mirrored window above the sink, then used a thrifted tablecloth to make a valance for the window and a skirt for under the sink. I used a wooden dowel for the valance and a tension rod under the sink.
I found all the other “accessories” via thrift stores and/or around our house — it came together nicely and looked like a real kitchen! We even had friends who thought the sink actually worked!
DIY Play Kitchen Costs
Over the years, so many people have inquired about the cost of this cabinet — and honestly, it would likely cost a lot more now than when I did the project back in 2013…
However, here’s my price breakdown (my goal was to spend less than $100!)
- TV Cabinet = $18 from local thrift store
- White / Black Paint for cabinet = FREE — we had leftover paint from previous projects
- Bar Sink + Faucet = $10 from Craigslist
- Small Tension Rod to hold skirt under sink = $2
- Bead Board for back of cabinet = $0 (leftover from our kitchen reno the year before)
- Hardware for refrigerator and oven = $6 (an amazing deal from our local Habitat For Humanity Re-Store.)
- Plexiglass for inside the oven door = $2.50 (This was also an amazing find by my dad. He found a big piece on clearance at Menard’s because it had a chip off one corner. It was only $2.50 and we could cut the size we needed and trash the chipped part.)
- Magnetic Sheet for inside the refrigerator door = FREE Thanks to knowing someone who works for a heating and cooling place. 🙂
- Spray Paint = $12 for 4 cans (2 cans of “dark steel metallic”, 1 can of “stone”, and 1 can of white.)
- Burners for stove = $3 from Hobby Lobby
- “Knobs” for stove = $4 from a local thrift store
- Window and lights = FREE — we already had them in the house
- Chicken Towel Hook = $4 from Hobby Lobby — this was my little “splurge” as it’s a baby version of the chicken towel hook I have next to our sink. Nora LOVES it!
- Wooden Peg Hooks = FREE — I used scrap wood and extra pegs we already had (see how I made it here)
- Fabric for curtains = $1 — tablecloth from a thrift store. I gave the extra fabric to Dave’s mom and she made a tiny apron, pot holders, oven mitts, and dish towels!
- Random scrap wood for the stove and the back of the refrigerator door = FREE
- Food = FREE — I saved our boxes for a while!
- Dishes, accessories, pig timer, pans, strainer, etc = $8 from Goodwill
- Child Size Table and Chairs = $10 on Craigslist
GRAND TOTAL = $80.50
Pretty good, I’d say!
This project took me about 3 weeks to finish — keep in mind, I only had one toddler at the time, and my dad helped me with some of the cutting. 😁
DIY Play Kitchen BEFORE
DIY Play Kitchen AFTER
I’m certain there are many more play kitchen tutorials online, but I’m thrilled to have this fun project on my blog — a little nod to the memory of one of our most favorite “toys”.
I only hope the new owners are enjoying it as much as my kids did!
Debbie says
Cute! That is so creative and amazing! Good job!
Nuria says
Impresionante la transformación!!! Me encanta!! Ojalá tuviera sitio para una cocina así!!!
Enhorabuena
Vickie says
Wow! What an amazing transformation – you did a great job!
Lizanne says
Impressive! I think it’s even much nicer than the plastic store-bought kitchens. I don’t have little ones yet, but when I do, I’ll keep an idea like this in mind. 🙂
Kathy B says
Cutest little kitchen ever – what a wonderfully creative idea!! And, it looks like it is built well enough to last through several Dekker children!! I hope this idea will be submitted for publication somewhere!!
Kristen @ Joyfullythriving says
Great job, Andrea! The kitchen looks amazing. It’s no wonder that Nora’s having a great time playing with it!
Abbey says
That is amazing! Such a transformation, you did great! I’m sure Nora is having so much fun!
Kathy says
Well…………I would have to say that is your BEST PROJECT YET and so much better than a store bought plastic one…………….totally love it. You have outdone yourself the whole thing, mirror window, light fittings, curtains, fridge………..I want one!!! Regards Kathy A, Brisbane, Australia
sandy says
That is the coolest kids kitchen I’ve ever seen. You’re such a good MOM!
JoDi says
That turned out AMAZING! Just love it, and it’s so special when you make it yourself with all the extra personal touches. Your kids and their kids will be enjoying this for a loooong time to come!
Courtney says
This turned out awesome! Thanks for the detailed info…this will def be on my to do list now!
Kelly K. says
Andrea, I totally share your excitement and enthusiasm! What a fantastic end result. Nora and your future children and those you hand this kitchen down to in the future will be so lucky to have this! Great job!
Debbie says
Great job with the kitchen! Looks better than the plastic ones out there and I love how you recycled/repurposed items to make yours.
Lynn says
This is so awesome! If only mine were still young …
Kiescha says
I love it!
Jennifer says
Love this! A very clever DIY furniture makeover project!
Debbie says
It’s so cute! It must give so much joy to see Nora playing with her new kitchen. Great job! I almost want to play in that kitchen.
Jen says
This project is so adorable and so creative! I love all of the “added” special touches like the towel hook, the stove knobs that turn, the working light, the magnetic fridge… the list goes on. And the price! $100 is nothing for a gift that she will enjoy for years to come. Great job!
Andrea says
Thanks Jen — I had so much fun with the special touches (especially since most of them were thrift-store finds or just extra “stuff” lying around our house!)
M@SSBD says
This is amazing!
Sue says
I am so proud of you! You are one amazing and talented woman! Nora is so lucky to have you as a role model. She is going to have hours and hours of fun with this. Well done, Andrea!
Andrea says
Thanks Sue 🙂 Nora has been very entertained by her kitchen so far!
Amy says
That is simply amazing! You can tell a lot of time, thought and love went into it. So impressed!
Linda (Phila burbs) says
i can’t get over how incredibly amazing this is!! well done!
Andrea says
Love the pictures and explanations, Guess what project I’m adding to my list. This would be great for the Grandkids coming in to my life as my kidlets grow up, mutiply and come back with more 🙂
I had a question and a thought.
Question, You said that the metal on the fridge is aluminum…yet aluminum won’t hold a magnet, so is it a steel product possibly?
Thought: Speaking from experience here…Nora will eventually get the notion that pretend water is not good enough and will pour liquid down the sink. It looks like you don’t have any piping down there, so you might consider adding a bladder of some sort that can contain liquid until you can empty it. I wouldn’t advertise this fact to her but it will save you water damage when she gets to that point and doesn’t tell you what she’s done.
She’s adorable, Enjoy her, and new brother too. The days are long, but the years are short.
Andrea says
Thanks Andrea — the fridge is magnetic, but I’m not sure exactly what material it is. It’s from a heating/cooling place — it’s what they make the ductwork out of. It’s about 1/16″ thick and pretty heavy.
Rose says
OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love it!!!!!!!!
Charmb says
Andrea, what an awesome job you did on this kitchen. Love it! Would you be able to share the dimensions of the kitchen. Thanks
Evie says
Oh wow, Andrea! I love it! AMAZING! She loves it SO MUCH! :-))) Is the kitchen in your kitchen, or did you put it up in Nora’s new room?
Rachel says
I love this! I saw this idea a few weeks back somewhere but I love what you did even more. Definitely going to keep this one in the files for someday if we have a baby girl!
Andrea says
Thanks Rachel — and boys love the kitchens too 🙂
Felecia Cofield says
Andrea, you did an outstanding job on Nora’s kitchen! You are such a multi-talented person! Nora looks just like you! And she’ll probably have a lot of your talents, as well! She is a very fortunate child to have parents like ya’ll! And the new baby too! I love what you did with this cabinet and I’m so glad you shared the bread-down with us! You live in an area where you can find things like this and at good prices. Our thrift stores are very ‘picked-over,’ being this is a low income area, so not as much to choose from here. Happy Birthday, Nora! Blessings from Bama!
Andrea says
Thanks Felecia,
yes, our thrift stores are very abundant in West Michigan so I can always find great bargains. That’s definitely helpful for projects like this!
Linda M says
That is so stinkin’ cute:)!!! And so much more lasting and some recycling and not crummy plastic….you scored big time!
Tracy says
Oh my Goodness! So cute, so creative. Awesome job!!
Kristy Farrow says
You did a fabulous job! I hope you put it on Pinterest because it deserves to be shared. Lucky little girl and to think under $100.00.
Monique says
Very cute!
Kimberley says
In one word…IMPRESSIVE! It is adorable!
Pat says
Awesome job!
Kim says
Adorable! So much better than anything you could have bought!
Angie says
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this!! It is the most adorable play kitchen I have ever seen! Andrea, you are one talented, creative lady! Lucky little Nora!
Jamie says
Love it! You did a fantastic job. We have a store bought kitchen that was way more than $100 and doesn’t look half as good. Nora will have lots of fun and memories!
Andrea says
Thanks Jamie, and thanks for sharing that you paid more than $100. I felt a little bad spending $100 on a kitchen, but when I started looking at new prices, I figured this was still a good deal (although if you consider my labor, it would be WAY more than $100!!) Labor of love right 🙂
Jen says
My mind is blown. This is fantastic.
Stacie Kaltz says
Andrea it is AWESOME! You guys are so creative! I would never think of anything like that. She is adorable and definately looks like she is loving it!!!
Amy says
Wow Andrea! That is fantastic! What an idea! Much better than all those plastic ones out there. Nora is very lucky to have such a talented Mommy and Daddy!!!!!! 😉