13 July 2010

how-to build a kitchen play set

HOW-TO BUILD A KITCHEN PLAY SET
by Miranda Walker of Narrating Life

My daughter’s favorite thing to play with—hands down—is the tiny little kitchen that my husband and I refashioned out of an old TV stand.  I can’t believe how fun and rewarding this project was and most importantly, easy! 


01.  Seek Inspiration:  I started out by searching for play kitchens on Flickr to gather inspiration from people who had already made DIY kitchens and made notes about my favorite features. 

02.  Find Your Furniture:  You always have the option of building a kitchen from scratch, but I really liked the idea of repurposing old furniture and giving it new life.  I started by checking out the furniture section of thrift stores looking for old television stands or small vanities.  Craigslist and yard sales are also great places to find furniture on the cheap.

03.  Make a Plan:  Once you have the piece that you will be repurposing, bring out all of those notes that you wrote for step one.  Make a list of all of the supplies you’ll need including any tools you might not have for cutting and drilling (maybe your neighbor wouldn’t mind loaning you his jig saw?), and make your way to your favorite home improvement store.

04.  Dig in:  Now that you have a plan for your vision, and your supplies, it is time to get busy.  This is where things get exciting.  Here is what we did: 

  • I removed the door and hinges and sanded all of the surfaces. 
  • We cut a round hole in the top large enough for the metal bowl that would be used as the sink to fit.
  • We cut the door horizontally, separating what would be the microwave door from the oven door. 
  • Everything was given a coat of primer and two coats of paint.  I also painted the microwave and oven doors at this time, and painted circles for the stove on top.  Then everything was given a coat of spray varnish.
  • We re-hung the doors using new hinges so that the oven door would swing open from the top instead of the side, and attached a new handle to the stove.
  • The sink was fashioned from half of a P-Trap plumbing pipe and red and blue knobs. 
  • We attached the knobs for the stove (check out appliance repair shops, they often have boxes of these lying around and will give them to you for free!).
  • I sewed a curtain and hung it using a tension curtain rod.
  • We filled the shelves with pretend food + pots and pans and waited for morning when our little girl would wake up and start making us pretend waffles.


I know it looks like a lot of steps but once we had a plan everything went quickly.  If you’re thinking about making your own play kitchen, go for it!  You, and your kiddos, will be so happy that you did!





add to marta's collection :: i created the how-to series to encourage you to share and celebrate your individual skills and talents; to focus on what we can do rather than what we can't. i am excited to showcase creativity and unique ideas. if you have a specialty (and i know you do), please submit your how-to guest post by emailing me. marta{at}martawrites{dot}com. i will be delighted to feature your how-to. 

"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." - John Wooden



21 comments:

Sonja said...

this is so awesome! i totally want to do this! i have a five year old daughter and i'm having a boy in the fall, but who says boys wouldn't enjoy a kitchen set? very cool idea.

[eeny] said...

This is so adorabel. I always wanted a little play kitchen when I was little.
I had a little play grocery store which my dad made for me and my sister. I adored it. The best was, when my mom bought as candy fruit and veggies to sell. On those days I was the best customer ever =) A kitchen would have been perfect to go with it.

Hil said...

This is my favorite do-it-yourself play kitchen I have ever seen! I have been in love with it ever since it was on Miranda's blog. Now if I could only talk my hubs into letting me build one for our boys...

SewSara said...

that is BRILLIANT!

Katie C. said...

That is so incredibly cute!

Season said...

This is the best how-to ever! I have been totally wanting to do this and I have a ugly old tv stand that was going to get thrown away. The only problem is it doesn't have a door, so I'll have to figure something out for that.

Desiree said...

Totally brilliant!

jen byard said...

What a great idea! Would be a huge hit under the tree Christmas morning :)

Dawn said...

This is seriously the cutest play kitchen I have ever seen!

Travelin'Oma said...

This is so cute! A one-of-a-kind heirloom.

Anonymous said...

Every time I see this kitchen, I want to bust down your door and make you make me one. SO adorable! You are one crafty lady!

Sarah said...

oh man, that is adorable. my little muffin would just love that. i love that it is not plastic- or a new piece.

cara said...

ADORABLE!!

Ana said...

This is so great!! I am going to have to make one for my niece. It's adorable - you did a really great job!

Trina M Curran said...

I think this is about the most clever thing I have ever seen done. How totally cute!

erin said...

wow - that is so cool. Good job. To the mom who has to convince hubby to get one for boys....almost all famous chefs are men!! :)

Anonymous said...

what an amazing transformation - fantastic! the colors are awesome!

I've included the link to this one in my weekly roundup of inspiring projects and posts, blogged here:
http://www.camilledawn.com/2010/07/tuesday-tumblr-6.html

camille =)

Yanet @ 3 Sun Kissed Boys said...

Super cool!!! Checking you out from Mother Lodge.

thelittleprints said...

SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!!! That is the best thing EVER!!

BBQ Bill said...

I like that the sink is just a bowl...i would have loved that as a kid.

Samara said...

I made one inspired by yours. Check out my kitchen on my sister's blog.

http://sustainabilityinreview.blogspot.ca/2013/03/guest-blog-approaching-parenting-in.html

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