Handmade Play Kitchen

Ever since I saw my first handmade play kitchen, I wanted one.  I knew my kids would love it too, but I have to admit, I wanted it for me more than the kids.  Who could resist something so unique, thrifty, and adorable?

I was so happy when my husband surprised me and the kids with this kitchen he made:

When I first started seeing homemade play kitchens pop up on blogs and other places on the internet, I originally wanted my husband to make one out of an entertainment unit like the one here or here.  I showed him all my ideas, but he got creative on his own while the kids and I were on vacation.

This was what he started with...

...and This is how he did it:

First he went to a place here in Pittsburgh called Construction Junction and bought an old bathroom vanity and an old kitchen counter-top (for 10 dollars total.)  He put the two together and they magically fit!

Then it gets tricky.  He took the doors off the right side and turned them 90 degrees so one could open down and one would open out.  He had to build a shelf and a wall from the stove area to the drawers area.

Then he cut out a window in one drawer to make it look like a stove and made that drawer open down.  Then he painted the vanity and put handles on all the doors.

After cutting a hole in the counter-top for a sink, he bought counter top spray paint (right in the spray paint area of home depot.)  This spray paint made the counter-top more of a textured neutral color kitchen counter.  The sink is a silver bowl.  He bought a small faucet and attached it.  The burners are plates that he bought and then spray painted.  He also made burner dials out of some wooden handles that he spray painted.  

He used some old wood and attached it to the back of the entire thing and added some bead board for the wall.  Then he got a very kind nurse at work to sew (since I don't sew) curtains for the window and took one of my pictures of the Teton mountains and attached it for the window.  This nurse who made the curtains also made two dishtowels and four dish clothes for it.  What a wonderful person! and didn't she choose the cutest fabric ever?

Then all of our kitchen stuff went into the drawers and Whala!  I have the best husband ever!

Then a few months later he bought an old cupboard and turned it into fridge.  The kids love playing with this.  
I love looking it at and knowing no one else has the same play kitchen as we do.  I love unique!

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