HGTV's Jenny Marrs Shows Us The Sweetest Way To Make Use Of Empty Kitchen Space

Jenny Marrs is known for giving some great advice, including how to renovate historic properties and including your whole family in a home renovation. But she also has a great eye for turning small, empty spaces into focal points of a home. During a 2022 episode of her HGTV hit show "Fixer to Fabulous," Marrs turned an unusable corner of a kitchen into something super unique: an ice cream station. Instead of leaving the space as a cabinet or extra storage, something the homeowner was not lacking post renovation, Marrs turned the space into an adorable spot for ice cream.

Behind the closed door, Marrs included an ice cream maker and all the toppings you could imagine, along with a sweet "flavor of the day" sign. After homeowner Stacey McGhee spent his savings remodeling his father's kitchen following his father's cancer diagnosis, Marrs knew she wanted to add a bit of sweetness to McGhee's own well-deserved home renovation, and with the ice cream bar, she did just that.

After years of saving for a home renovation and finally enlisting the help of Jenny Marrs, the McGhees got a sweet surprise with their ice cream bar addition. "I'm so happy we were able to make that happen for the McGhees," Marrs said in her blog post about the episode. "This little spot in the house was underutilized but now, we can say it's the happiest nook in the house!"

If you want to add some joy to your home, all you truly need is a free cabinet space or an open area of your kitchen that you don't currently use. If your kitchen has a coffee bar space, that is a great area to transform as well. Marrs used a closed cabinet so the family could either hide or display the ice cream nook as they pleased. Additionally, you'll need to invest in an ice cream maker — Marrs used this commercial ice cream maker from VEVOR, which retails for $878.99 at the time of writing — along with ice cream toppings, jars, and dispensers.

Jenny Marrs may have splurged a bit for her client's ice cream bar, but you can get the same look and feel without overspending. If you want to save on the ice cream maker, you can find less expensive options, like the popular Ninja CREAMi, which helps make healthier ice cream from protein-rich favorites like Greek yogurt. You can find it at Walmart for $199. If you want something under $100, consider the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker from Amazon for $99.95 (it also comes in an adorable pink color at Target for $69.99).

In addition to the actual ice cream maker, you will also need jars and dispensers to hold your toppings. Marrs used a wall-mounted food dispenser, like this one from Amazon for $52.99, to hold toppings like sprinkles, marshmallows, and M&M's. She also used small jars for other toppings, which you can find at The Dollar Tree for $1.25 each. Include basic small bowls of your choosing, cones, and silverware and you have an easy, adorable ice cream bar that the whole family can enjoy.