The room I am probably the most excited about, truly, in our new house is what is going to be the playroom. It was previously used as an office, but with its location directly off the living room, it's the perfect room for our children. In our last house, we did not have a separate space for Penny - her bedroom was very small, and only could hold her crib, small dresser, and rocking chair. We had a small cabinet in our living room that housed the majority of her toys, but as she and Theo grow up, the toys get bigger too, so I'm just so thrilled to make their own little space for them to play and explore and have fun!
One of the first projects I knew I was going to do was make her a little play kitchen. I've seen so many "Ikea hacks" for the Ikea play kitchen, and so I spent hours looking at different ones on pinterest. The one that spoke to me the most was one I found on the blog Katie Lamb. I love the gender neutral colors, and her step by step instructions made it pretty easy to follow. The only difference is that I used a latex brush on paint rather than a spray paint! Basically the steps to making this little play kitchen your own:
Take out all parts from the box, and figure out which pieces you will paint what color. I made 3 piles - the blue pile, the white pile, and the don't touch it pile.
Things I should have done here: sanded and primed. Things I didn't do: sand and prime. Instead I just taped off the pieces I needed to tape off, and started the painting process.
Paint //
Each piece got 2 coats of paint. I then let them cure for a few days before starting the assembly process. For the metal pieces, I used Katie's trick of using a box to peg all the metal parts up to paint easier, then they got 3-4 coats of spray paint. I let these sit for a few days before attaching to the kitchen.
Countertop //
I used this butcher block contact paper to make over the countertop. I used a credit card to apply it tightly across the top, and then cut out the holes for the sink and stove top. I also applied a little super glue on each of the corners to really secure it where it would likely peel off first.
Backsplash //
I bought a thick plastic board from Michael's. I got one pack of these stick & peel hexagon "tiles" on Amazon that I just love so much. They are a great neutral with some variation in color that adds a nice texture to the backsplash. I measured the size of board I needed for the back splash, cut it to that size, and then attached the tile. It was super easy, and a lot cheaper than some of the $40 options I saw on Etsy!
Assemble //
After everything had a few days to cure, I followed the instructions to put everything together - honestly, probably the most annoying part, but also so fun to see it all come together! Then during nap time, I brought it inside from the garage and got to set it up with all the little accessories I had found. I was so excited to show Penny!
There are so many adorable play food items out there, that it was hard to stick with just a few items! We have a little wood toaster that has a little lever that lifts the toast, and comes with butter! That, and our little espresso machine are the biggest hits. We have a little set of fruit and vegetables that are connected by magnets, which is so nice since they can't wear out like velcro could. Although we do have a little egg set that is probably the most played with item, and it's held up very well so far. She was gifted this little apron that we had personalized with her name, and I can't wait to eventually get one for Theo as well. I think for Christmas we are going to get her a set of little oven mitts!
I loved making this little kitchen for my babies, and am excited to get started in converting the office into their playroom. Next up on my projects for the room is this magnet wall!
