Building my own Play Kitchen

[MortifiedAdams]

Anyone ever done it? Bloody Pinterest has sparked the need to make a Playkitchen for DDs second birthday (December so plenty time).

Any advice / suggestions / ideas?

[princesssmartypantss]

How long lasting does it need to be? My mum was brilliant at creating similar from large cardboard boxes,.which lasted about as long as our interest!

[ATouchOfStuffing]

Use old cupboard for the oven and turn it on it's side? Splash back bit could be painted in blackboard paint so they can write shopping list on it? Use those plastic stick on hooks on splash back for mini utensils...you can get some in mothercare if you don't want to make them (metal ones I think).
Sounds exciting! You are making me want to make one for DD as she loves pretending to cook!

[MortifiedAdams]

Ooh blackboard bit sounds great, and I have some swatches of material to make little tea towels.

It needs to last a good few years - dd will be two and we are currently ttc so imagine it will have a good four years playtime.

[TinyDiamond]

If you don't have a bit of furniture to use already then check out the second hand
Shops.

For a sink you can cut a hole
And use a metal salad bowl or just
A washing up bowl.

The cupboard bits that open can be oven/fridge and you can build up extra bits higher if you need more hanging space.

Good luck! I think I'm going to do a puppet theatre for dd 2nd bday

[GemmaTeller]

aah, pinterest, the devils own ideas!

pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=play+kitchen

[MrsWooster]

Ikea do good cheap utensils to pimp your own cupboard based creation...

[MortifiedAdams]

love a trip to IKEA, any excuse!

[MercedesKing]

Take some frugal method...cardboard boxes are good idea for building a Play Kitchen.

[Kipsy]

I made one. Not because DD expressed ANY interest in cooking, but because I wanted to make one [buwink]

Strawberry Play Kitchen

I regret doing it now. One, DD never really played with it much - she is not the cooking kind (takes after her mum). Also, it ended up costing almost £100 (Aieee!) as I didn't have any of the tools and supplies. And no use for them later. The kitchen is now languishing in the shed. I used the "empty" space for a sorely needed dishwasher, which I should have in the first place. A simple cardboard box foldaway prototype [ bendy straws for taps!] I made was perfect - I should have just stopped rather than copy the same old RAST design.

The money is better spent on lovely kitchen toys, so many tempting ones around. Wish someone had given me this advice when I started, but I was just OBSESSED, doubt if I would have listened!

I did have a super time making it, though. And DD loved ... to look at it [bugrin]

[MortifiedAdams]

My dad has every tool invented some even doubled up so im sure I can loan those. I am a bit unsure as to whether she will.play much with it but they last a few years and we are ttc #2 so that one may want to play with it. Hoping to do the lot for £50.

LOve the ikea hack one!

[Kipsy]

Oh yes, if you have all the tools and the fabric swatches etc it will definitely cost you very little. So the cost issue is off the table.

Space is another consideration - possibly the most critical one.

Also, you don't want the kitchen toys all over your floor (I have slipped on pretend eggs so many times, I've lost count) - so you need storage for the kitchen toys near/in the kitchen to be convenient.

If I had not had space in the kitchen, I might have done a folding/drop down table screwed into the wall, with coasters stuck on or something.

Good luck and happy designing/building! (Honestly, I think I spent more time designing this pretend kitchen than I did with my actual kitchen!)

[MortifiedAdams]

Oh yes, my actual kitchen hasnt been touched since we bought the place five years ago - its practically derelict.

Might try and plumb in a gas and water supply to DDs and start using that!

[Smudge588]

I made one for my DS. I took 2 old bedside tables from a charity shop and made one into a cooker and the other into a sink. I painted them both to match our kitchen then spray painted the top of the cooker silver and stuck on round coasters for a hob, spray painted a oven window on the door (also with silver - just masked off the bits not to be covered) and put a long handle across the top of the door. I made the hob switches out of cheap door handles. for the sink I just cut a hole in the top of the cabinet and put a silver dog bowl in. we had an old tap so I used that too. it is played with a lot and i've made little accessories for it like oven gloves. I loved making it and am secretly very happy when friends say that they love it.

[MortifiedAdams]

Its very excitng and I an scouring gumtree for the right type of unit. Ive sewn two bits of material.back to back and added in a little loop so she has a pretty tea towel (my first foray into crafts!) and I have a little silver mixing bowl set aside as the sink.

[steppemum]

my dh made the best toy kitchen I have ever seen for my dcs. And he did it twice! First time for ds, when we lived overseas, and then again for dd2 when we moved back - we had been home for 6 months and I said you have to build another one, as we all miss it!

Everyone who come to the house loves it.

But it is actually quite simple
It is a cupboard about 1m long. There is a sink and fake tap at one end, and the other end has cooker rings painted on. There is an oven with open down door underneath, and a cupboard on either side. There is a drawer on the rings side.

Hooks across the back and on the side for tea towels, saucepans, oven gloves and aprons.

It has aback to it, like a splash back but about 50 cm high.

All made with MDF, and painted white with stencilled pattern.

dh worked out all the measurements and then B&Q cut it all to the right size, so then he put it all together.

[TheThickChickPlottens]

I'm being inspired by you making a kitchen.
Watching this thread with interest as grandad is making a playhouse which will definitely need a kitchen installed.

kipsy I love your strawberry kitchen. You are very talented.

[Beehatch]

We made one of the IKEA hack ones, not the strawberry one but similar and it is amazing. It gets loads of comments and had pride of place in our kitchen. The kids love it. DP got rather carried away and even wired it up to have little red hob lights and an oven light operated by flicky switches, but even without them it has amazing play value. I have a linky somewhere for the one we based it on, but am on my phone just now.