Friday, July 6, 2012

DIY Play Kitchen

There are lots of fantastic play kitchens floating around Blog-land these days. I never thought I'd have to make one since I have a son and all. I thought if I'd have to make anything it would be a tool bench.


But lately the Con-Man has been "cooking" a lot. We'll be sitting outside and he takes his shovel, fills it with rocks and tells me he's cooking hot dogs. Then proceeds to give me some and tells me to eat it. And he has been really interesting in my cooking dinner and such.


I'm glad he's using his imagination but how can I deny my poor little guy a play kitchen? And since his birthday is coming up I thought it would make a great present.


So for the past few weeks I've been keeping my eyes peeling for a piece of furniture I can use for a play kitchen. It's not like there are tons of "boy friendly"play kitchens on the market; especially where we live. About a week ago I finally found what I was looking for!




It has several shelves and wheels for easy mobility. I painted it white with a primer/ paint combo and thought about leaving it that color. I didn't want anything to girly looking. But in the end I went with some leftover blue spray paint I had on hand.

I added a back to it by cutting down some extra plywood I had lying around. Something heavier and smoother like MDF might have been better but the plywood works well.



I used cup hooks to hang the utensils and leftover handles I bought from Ikea for Con-Man's bed for the towel bars. 


I bought some inexpensive towels from Wal-Mart and used Stitch Witchery to add the fabric; the same fabric I used to recover the pot holder that came with the play kitchen set.  


Before



We gave it to him early and he has been excited about it. He's been cooking me hot dogs and hamburgers all day!



A few more detail shots:



And one more before and after:



I'd still like to find some baskets to put the play food and plates in- attempt to keep everything organized. But for now he's having fun with it. 

In fact when I tried setting up his pots and pans for the pictures he waved me away telling my I was messing everything up. Oops- guess I should mess around in his kitchen anymore!!

17 comments:

Our Pinteresting Family said...

Looks great! I love how you hung up the utensils. I did a similar project last year for my daughter and it was a huge hit. I hope your son enjoys it. Megan

Lisa said...

Love this! (First of all, we call our Connor Con Man too !)

When I dropped him off at daycare, he went straight for the play kitchen today. I'm sure he doesn't know what it is yet, but I love that he's interested in it. Why not get them started cooking early?!? :)

ShirleyRunner said...

I love this, what a great idea to make a play kitchen yourself.

the cape on the corner said...

so cute! maybe he'll be a chef when he grows up?

Ashley@AttemptsAtDomestication said...

That looks awesome! You did such a great job! With all those hamburgers and hot dogs he's been making sounds like he needs a grill next! ;)

Mally said...

Absolutely adorable. This is just to cute. Love all the personal details.

Mally said...

Absolutely adorable. This is just to cute. Love all the personal details.

Tammy said...

What a great mom you are! That is a great idea! Love the details with the towels and potholder! Thank you so much for linking this up to Rustic Restorations Weekend!

michele said...

precious!

thank you for such lovely inspiration! found you at MMS's link party, always a favorite!

hope you can swing by:
http://hellolovelyinc.blogspot.com/2012/07/summer-sale-giveaway.html

smiles to you.

michele

Sunnyside Dru said...

fantastic, the boy has a kitchen he loves already...my husband just installed a commercial kitchen here on our farm, and he loves it as much as your little guy loves his!

Heidi@OneCreativeMommy.com said...

What a great idea! I see those tv stands all the time. Perfect!
I'm hosting a linky party "One Creative Weekend" at OneCreativeMommy.com. I'd love for you to visit and link up this idea and/or anything else you'd like to share.

Unknown said...

LOVE this! When my son wanted a play kitchen, we got him one of those ones from Walmart and it is a cheap piece of junk. This is so much nicer and will last him a long time for hours of fun! Nicely done! Thanks for sharing at Shine on Fridays!

Rachel said...

This is so cute! My son always plays with his sisters when they play food. I think it's important for boys to learn to cook just as much as girls, yet it's hard to find "boy" kitchens. I love how your kitchen turned out. Thanks for sharing at Terrific Tuesdays.
Rachel
adventuresofadiymom.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

Stopping by from Too Much Time on My Hands today.
I saw a few diy kid stoves today on Pinterest. It's amazing how creative people are.

Lauren @mercyINK said...

Oh my word this is the sweetest idea EVER!!! Would love for you to share with us at the Heart&Home link party at www.mercyINKblog.com! hope to see you there :)

xo,
lauren

At The Picket Fence said...

That is just adorable! Thanks so much for sharing your creativity with us last weekend at Inspiration Friday!
Vanessa

Richella Parham said...

This is adorable! What a great idea--better than a huge hunk of plastic, in my opinion. (My boys had a huge hunk of plastic that a neighbor gave to them, and I was grateful for it--but this is so much cuter!)

I love a man who cooks. My husband and sons are pretty handy in the kitchen, and I think it's great! So why not start them young? :)