Friday, March 04, 2016

Culinary Center, In Miniature -- Or, The Play Kitchen

This is bit overdue, since it was Rosa's birthday gift back in the Fall! But considering that I just put the finishing touch on it this past week, I suppose I'm a bit overdue, too...

Ah, the play kitchen -- we debated for a while. Would it really be played with? Would it just sit in a corner, taking up space? Then we had the opportunity to watch Rosa (and Little Man!) playing with other kitchens, and the debate was over!

Then it was just the little matter of details. Buy or make? Make, of course. Refurbish or start from scratch? With most of the materials on hand, we opted to start from the ground up. 




Scrap 2x4s, plywood, and some odds and ends. Of course, we still ended up spending more than we anticipated -- once we threw in six hinges, three door handles, stove knobs, and a little extra plywood, it did come out to a bit more than expected! But hey, for a "custom kitchen" it wasn't too bad.  





The advantage to making it rather than repurposing a media center/nightstand/what-have-you is that we were able to set the dimensions. Which meant we could use Dollar Tree cooling racks for the oven and refrigerator; can't beat 2 for $1! The sink is also a Dollar Tree bowl. 




Kudos to my husband for engineering that oven door! So nicely mitered, with the slot for the Plexiglas.

We ended up doing this super last minute, and then part-way through the build Pablo's schedule picked up. I finished it up, which was actually a blast! I got to use the table saw, band saw, miter saw, drill, sander -- all the toys. The basic structure was already built, but I got to work out some of the details like the range, burners, sink faucet/handles, and the post/valance.






For paint, we picked up a clearance quart of cream, and a bit of brown as well. Oh, plus some black and silver spray paint we had on hand -- black for the inside of the oven, silver for the faucet and the burner elements. Look at all of the room in the fridge! Time to make some more play food...





Actually, one of the best things about this kitchen is that it solves the mess issue -- before, all of Rosa's play food and dishes had a tendency to get scattered all over the room. Now, clean up is much easier, and the food and dishes tend to stay close to "home." Now I feel like I can add to her kitchen stash without just facilitating a giant mess.

The countertop is just a piece of thin plywood, painted cream.Using a terry washcloth, I daubed it with brown and a greyish color that I got by mixing the cream and brown together. Though if real estate experts are right, we seriously damaged resale by not going with real granite... then again, we didn't spring for stainless steel appliances or a French-door refrigerator. We're such cheapskates. *wink* 




Dollar Tree hooks, to keep kitchen tools handy. Simple curtains from scrap fabric, held up with dowels and hooks. Faucet handles made out of wooden clothespins (and the faucet is PVC pipe).





Some pots and kitchen utensils from IKEA made a perfect Christmas present -- though I think I wanted them for myself just as much as I wanted them for Rosa! They're so adorable!





As for the stove knobs -- well, we didn't get them in time for her birthday, and then we moved, and then... well, here we are! They're finally on, and I'm enjoying the sense of completion! Not to mention my new-found confidence with the shop tools.

So does she play with it? Oh yes, she does! Actually, Little Man has cooked up a number of concoctions, too. I'm feeling confident this will be a well-loved toy. I can't tell you how many pizzas, sandwiches, and other unidentifiable  meals I've already enjoyed -- some of which combine two of my least favorite foods, mushrooms and mustard. If I'm really lucky, there will be pickles included, too.

We're cooking up some real culinary delights here, folks.


14 comments:

  1. Wow! What a neat project for you and your husband to work on together. It looks awesome and is so much more unique than anything you could buy!

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    1. It certainly was a great project to work on together! I've so enjoyed looking at the various DIY play kitchens on Pinterest, so it was fun to put our own spin on it.

      Thanks for the kind words! :-)

      Cheers,
      Shannon

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  2. That came out so well!!!! I bet it's a big hit! My kids were given a kitchen and I ended up moving it into my kitchen because my kids love cooking while I'm cooking. It's one of the best entertainments while I'm trying to get dinner ready and I love seeing their creativity. I bet you're finding the same with your kids!! And yours looks so realistic!!

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    1. What a great idea to put the play kitchen in the real kitchen! Rosa has recently gotten into helping me while I cook -- she drags her step stool over to the counter (inevitably right in front of the drawer that I need to access...). I am learning to be patient and include her, but it can be hard when I just want to finish the prep as quickly as possible! :-)

      Blessings,
      Shannon

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  3. This might even make it into the next generation. Kudos for your hard work and "cleverness..." Is that a word?

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    1. Erica,

      Thanks for the kind words! I hadn't thought about it long-term, but that would be so great if it lasted for the next generation!

      Blessings,
      Shannon

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  4. That is utterly adorabel! It looks amazing and I'm so impressed (and inspired) at how you made it all yourselves! One day I hope I'll have a daughter to make something like this for too! :)

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    1. Thank you, Aurora! I hope you'll have a chance to make one yourself one day! :-)

      Cheers,
      Shannon

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  5. You and your husband did a terrific job creating this play kitchen! It is so much nicer than anything I have seen before. How did you make the faucet? Or did you buy one? I love the faux granite counter top! : )

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    1. Sarah,

      Thank you for your kind words! I was really skeptical about the counter top, but in the end I'm happy with the result. The faucet is a piece of thin-wall PVC pipe, heated with a heat gun and molded into shape. My husband makes PVC bows, so we always have some on hand. :-) The base is just a piece of 2x4, painted silver.

      Cheers,
      Shannon

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  6. My past child-self is super jealous! Actually, what am I talking about? I'd take one now, lol. That is so awesome! It's exactly the sort of thing I would have wanted when I was young, and it's just so nice, and professional looking. I love it :D

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    1. Laura Elizabeth,

      Hey, come on up and have a go! I just might join you! ;-)

      Thank you for your sweet words!

      Cheers,
      Shannon

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  7. So clever! And it looks so much more stylish than a lot of the plastic ones I've seen. You're making me want to try to make one for my boy, but I suspect he's the type who would be more into a workbench!

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  8. Ooh, I love the idea of a workbench! What a great thing that would be for a little guy!

    Thanks for the kind words! :-)

    Blessings,
    Shannon

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