Our play kitchen makeover

I have wanted to do this FOR AGES. Literally, ages. Lily got her first play kitchen for Christmas when she was just one. It was cheap and it didn't last long, but she loved it. We bought her the lower half of the IKEA Duktig play kitchen for a bargain price on Gumtree just after her second birthday and I always wanted to customise it like the amazing creations you find on Pinterest.
But over a year went by. And the kitchen stayed the same. Lily loved it anyway, it is a great design and the adjustable height feature meant that she could easily reach everything. Because it was low we found that it didn't intrude too much into the limited space of our living room and yet still had tons of room for all the kitchen accessories.



We moved house. And then we went to IKEA. Finally, we bought the top half to the kitchen and I could wait no longer. Despite the fact that I haven't unpacked most of the stuff in my bedroom, I HAD to start on making Lily's kitchen unique.
And so, I bought some supplies and got started.

It was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be. I used two types of sticky-back plastic (or contact paper as it's often referred to as on Pinterest). For the 'wallpaper' effect on the sides I used a blue ditsy flower design by Fablon and the glossy blue fridge effect I picked up in Wilkos. I then removed all the handles, the tap and the sink and spray painted them with a high shine metallic silver.


It took a few coats of paint which didn't take long at all. I sprayed some adhesive hooks for good measure then I also picked up some chalkboard paint and used it to turn a plain wooden heart from The Works into a slate-effect 'to do' board.


It didn't take too long, and once done I popped it back in it's new home under the stairs. This has now become Lily's 'home corner' as it seems like a pretty good way of using up an awkward space and also moving some large toys out of our way in the living room.


Now I've started it's actually pretty hard to stop! I'm still on the lookout for some little lights to go on the underside of the top unit and some knobs to add to the oven. I also have my eye on some little baskets to go underneath and hold some of the various paraphernalia that goes with a toy kitchen.

Let's just hope it doesn't take me another two and a half years to complete!

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Crummy Mummy said...

This looks so cute - I did a double take as it looks like a real kitchen! #sundaystars

Unknown said...

Love your upcycle it looks fab! #howtosunday x

Jenny Eaves said...

I love the look! A fantastic way to upgrade the Ikea kitchen, I love the idea of using sticky back plastic to change the colour of the sides and fridge and the slate effect heart is very sweet. I bet she loves it!
Thanks so much for linking up to #HowtoSunday

Coombe Mill - Fiona said...

What a transformation, you have made the kitchen so much more inviting and look how well it matches all the other big toys. Lily's little corner looks so much fun, I want to play there too! It sounds like you have plenty of good ideas still to come too, Lily has a very clever Mummy. A great upcycling diea. Thank you so much for adding the #Trash2Treasure badge, the new December linky will be next Monday.

Katie said...

This is just adorable! You have done a great job transforming it into something wonderful, I bet Lily just loves it! Thanks for linking up to #sundaystars

Su said...

This looks amazing! I wish I more hands on like you are. My kids would love it! Well done you! Great job! :) #Trash2Treasure

Our Cherry Tree said...

Thank you! x

Our Cherry Tree said...

Thank you! x

Our Cherry Tree said...

The sticky back plastic was amazing! I keep trying to think up ideas to do more! Thank you! x

Our Cherry Tree said...

Thank you! To be honest, I'm only showing the projects that I've finished, I have so many more sitting in the loft that haven't gone so well :) x

PAHT said...

We have this kitchen. Now I want to give it a makeover.This looks fab! I love your home area too. I think we need some dolls furniture for ours as Sophie was enjoying putting the babies in their beds at playgroup the other day.

Our Cherry Tree said...

I bet you would do an amazing job! Give it a go, it's so easy and there are some really fancy versions out there for more inspiration. I picked up the highchair and cot separately, I think they're John Lewis but I got them second and hand and so saved a fortune.x

Leta said...

Looks fab! I love your customising ideas, and such a cute space for your daughter to play in.

Our Cherry Tree said...

Thank you! It's usually a lot messier than this but I am a bit sad and enjoy setting it all up again when the kids are in bed! xx

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