How many times have you seen an unremarkable entertainment center like this at a thrift store, in a basement, or even an alley? Sara Batman and her husband turned this lucky $5 find into a remarkable Christmas gift for their daughter Berkley. See the project after the jump…
Not too shabby for cast off furniture, eh? Berkley's creative parents added a chalkboard door, a tap light to illuminate the kitchen, and transformed a real-life cooling rack into the play oven's baking rack. Here's what they had to say about the process:
This year my husband and I repurposed an entertainment center into a play kitchen for our daughter's Christmas gift. She's 18 months old and starting to mimic everything mommy and daddy do, so we knew she would dig it. My parents snagged the entertainment center for $5 and delivered it to us. I spent countless hours perusing the internet for configurations, color schemes, etc. I settled on light pistachio for the paint color, and had my mom make some vintage-looking curtains with red accents. I wanted to include red because we were going to put it in our actual kitchen, which is also decorated with red. The oven door was created by just moving the hinges to the bottom and we had a piece of wood cut to create the refrigerator "door."When she woke up Christmas morning, we couldn't wait to show what the "elves" had built for her. She loves it and it will be something she can play with for years to come!
Thanks Sara! Readers, if you want to learn more about Sara and her family, check out her blog Super Hero Fam.
(Images: Sara Batman)
• MORE BEFORE & AFTER PROJECTS ON APARTMENT THERAPY
• SUBMIT A BEFORE & AFTER PROJECT
100 DIY Ideas for the 3-Day Weekend
Danielle's Charming, Classic Walk-Up
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
White Enamel Flatwa...
How To Make Perfect Bacon in the Oven
Perfect Summer Cocktail Recipe: Honey Bourbon Lemonade
this is great! i just wish it wasn't an instagram picture so i could see all the details a little clearer.
That is inspired!
THATS BRILLIANT!
I plan to do a post on my blog with more detailed photos soon!
What a great idea!
Brilliant! That is so adorable! Well done.
I love that you included a window! I've been looking for play-kitchen inspiration for my daughter. Definitely filing this one away!
So. Much. Yes--what a lucky little girl!!
that is ridiculously cute
loving it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nice to see a play kitchen that isn't Barbie-pink. Very well done.
Sara -- You should send the detailed post to John and Sherrie at younghouselove.com
I bet the would love to share it with their readers, they made a kitchen for their daughter :)
Super cute! Ingenious idea, perfect execution. :D What a lucky little daughter!
That's so great! Entertainment centers have a lot of raw material if you are willing/able to do some deconstruction. We made a 20" wide by 48" tall storage cabinet with a door, to fit a narrow space in our bedroom. We cut out of the shelf side of a solid (but not pretty) entertainment center, added plywood and trim to replace the fake leaded glass in the door, and painted it white.
Truly adorable... I'll bet the lil chef will be cooking up a storm. I'm dying imagining all the cute accessories that are stached in that kitchen... and all the planning that was involved... As a note, I hope it's attached to the wall, since it is a hefty piece of furniture.
When my child was little, he loved to play with his own pots and pans (yard sale finds and a cheap set of wooden spoons) and cook along side me, in his kitchen. I had plans to transform a small tv cabinet into a play stove, but I just got to finish the "dinnette" part... his small table and chairs, that I painted and decoupaged.
ridiculously adorable! I love the window the most. Hope it leads to lots of imaginative play!
Beyond adorable!