As I was thinking about what to get Evy for Christmas, a play kitchen came to mind pretty quickly. I started researching and just couldn't find the right thing. I knew I wanted a wooden kitchen that was simple and would just encourage her imagination. The ones I DID find were around $200 or more (including shipping) and that just wasn't going to happen. I started looking on the internet and found a TON of DIY Play Kitchens! (Seriously, just Google "DIY Play Kitchen" and you'll see what I mean). I was so inspired and excited! Here's how I did it:
1. Find a piece of furniture to start with. I scoured all the Goodwill's, thrift stores, etc. in town and couldn't find just a basic nightstand (which is what most people start with)! I couldn't find ANYTHING that I could imagine as a kitchen. Sidenote: you need to keep your child's height in mind while hunting for a starting piece. Finally, I went into my go-to craft/antique mall and saw a display shelf in a corner. It wasn't even for sale, and the booth owner seems a bit irritated with me (??), but I insisted that it was perfect. She charged me way too much--$50, but I knew I needed it. That's the only reason this play kitchen was more expensive than I wanted. If you find a piece at Goodwill, etc., it's SO CHEAP!
Here's the piece, which was black. It also had a shelf that gave too much coverage, so I knew I would trim that off. Use your imagination when looking for a piece. (Note: this did have a cupboard door, but I had taken it off to paint.)
3. Gather your extras. Here are some things I picked up to accessorize the kitchen:
-Wooden letter "J" for a faucet (Hobby Heaven Lobby)
-Metallic Spray Paint (HHL)
-Flat Wooden Disks for burners (HHL)
-Wooden Knobs (ended up not using these)
-Layer Cake Pan for sink (Walmart)
-Wooden legs to add height as Evy grows (Lowe's)
4. Experiment with your kitchen layout and decide where you want everything to be. Just play around with it!
5. Use a jigsaw and/or router and cut a hole for your sink (and any necessary holes if you're using a real faucet, which I didn't). My dad and a man in our church traced around the cakepan and cut a hole with the jigsaw. Then they used a router to cut the shelf back so there was more room to play.
6. Paint your piece of furniture. I had no idea how much painting would be involved with this! I did two coats of a paint color I didn't like (below). It just didn't have any color, and for a fun play kitchen, I knew I wanted it to have color!
I went and got the next darker shade on the paint chip (Lovely Lilac by Olympic, I believe) and gave it another two coats. Perfect!
7. Seal your kitchen with Poly or some sort of varnish. I would recommend Polyacrylic, because what I used (I think just plain polyurethane?) has yellowed in some spots where it went on too thick. Not a biggie (to me), but just be aware. Also be aware that you'll need paint thinner to clean your brushes. I ended up just doing one coat of poly and throwing my brush away. Allow plenty of time for the varnish to dry.
8. Add all of your accessories. I painted the "J" metallic silver. I tried painting the wooden knobs to use, but after trying to poly them, it was a mess and not cute. I went to Hobby Heaven Lobby and bought some knobs that work great! Dad screwed them in (you'll need to drill pilot holes) so that she can still twist them and they won't come off. I just put my sink in the hole--no glue necessary. I used Liquid Nails for my faucet and burners. I think it was because of the varnish, but they didn't stick. I added some hot glue and they're in place for the moment, but if curious little hands get TOO curious, the faucet could pop off again. I recommend finding something that you can drill/screw into the kitchen so it really stays in place. The "J" is just too adorable though! We added simple ceiling hooks to the side for her pots and pans (ceiling hooks from Ace Hardware and miniature pots and pans are from Walmart). I found a "refrigerator"-looking handle from Lowe's.
Here's the final product!
(Click picture below if you'd like to see it bigger).
Evy loves her kitchen, and she has already played so much with it! I believe my total for the kitchen was about $90! VERY reasonable for a custom, cute kitchen! If you have any questions, let me know! :)
