A Little Project

In an attempt to help RB with his pretend play skills, I turned an old, unused Ikea computer table into a little play kitchen for him. I am no woodworker, and this is by no means a professional-looking job, but here's the makeover anyway.

Before:

Ugly, orange, peeling and--as I discovered during the sink installation--cardboard on the inside.

After:

Brits of a certain age might recognize my subtle nod to the classic AGA. Okay, fine. It's a pretty subtle nod. The last time I checked, the AGA didn't have a sink built in...

...or a white board on the side... 

...or curtains underneath. 

But it's got a certain retro charm, no? I wanted to paint spiral burners, but my hand is just not that steady anymore.

These old, cheap towel  bars were hanging in our (hideous) bathroom when we moved in. The voices in my head told me to stash them in the workshop for a rainy day. Proof that you should always listen to the voices...

 I had to hang the oven door upside down because RB loves sitting on any appliance door that opens the normal way. Just ask my dishwasher.

Dinner!

So that's my little project. Everything I used came from around the house and workshop, except for the hinges and the screws for the "taps", which came to just over $6 at the hardware store. All the paint (except for the whiteboard stuff, which has been sitting around in the workshop for months, so I don't count it as new) and the plywood for the shelf and oven door were leftovers from past renovations. The curtains were made with fabric from my stash, and the burner knobs were stolen from RB's wooden lacing set. A very cheap (but slightly labour-intensive) project. Firstborn loves it, and has had fun coming up with a new menu on the side. RB just wants to climb in the bottom and close the curtains.

So much for pretend play.