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Blog/How to build your kids’ dream kitchen

How to build your kids’ dream kitchen

Friday, January 27, 2023

Before summer vacation I decided that instead of buying my kids presents, I'd build their dream kitchen (I knew it’s what they've always wanted from the hours spent playing with the kids’ kitchen on display in IKEA).

For a project like this, I wanted to use long lasting materials. So I looked in our garage for an old wooden cabinet or small cupboard that I could use. I found an old TV stand that my husband and I bought when we moved in together ten years ago (I didn’t believe that we still had it).

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These are the shelves that belonged to the old TV stand. I dismantled the stand so that I could clean and paint each shelf separately.

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Other than the TV stand we had some more plywood that I found stored away. I picked a piece that looked best for the “back” of the kitchen. Applying a “back” to the kitchen isn’t necessary; it’s possible just to use an old TV stand or something similar.

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To build a similar kitchen you can use any small cupboard, even if it’s not in the best condition. 

Take Notes:
1. The cupboard height shouldn’t exceed 60 cm; remember it is for children. Ideally, the cupboard should be 45 – 50 cm high.

2. Measure up before you start to make sure you have room to place the cupboard in your house.

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Painting – Choosing the color is a tricky business. I think that any color you choose will be beautiful, Really. I can imagine a pink, green, orange, cream or red kitchen.

I chose light blue because our play room is an open space that is visible from the living room and the dining room. So I wanted a color that’s delicate and easy on the eyes.

On the other hand, I did want the color to have a vibrant feel. So I chose a stronger shade of light blue. It’s hard to see the exact shade in the pictures, but it’s definitely a beautiful, vibrant light blue.

I recommend going to a “buy and build” store with pictures of the cabinet or small cupboard you want to use, and show them to a “paint adviser”. It would probably help knowing the exact material that the cabinet is made of. They should be able to help you choose the best type of paint, and they will know if you need to use anything else – such as a primer, to protect the paint.

I bought a 2 liter can of water- based opaque paint and a paint roller with a small tray.

I double coated the paint and still didn’t finish the can (and the stand I used is pretty big)!

By the way, water- based paint is great because it has almost no smell, and most importantly it dries fast! If you think the cabinet you’re using is a bit rough, you can get some sand paper and sand it down to smooth it. Do this before you start painting, and make sure that you clean the cabinet well before applying any paint.

And now to the finer details – for the stove I used round cork hotplates I found in IKEA in the kitchenware department. I painted them black with basic black paint you can get in any arts and crafts store (you can use spray paint too).

When they were dry, I glued them with silicon glue to the stand.

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Oven knobs: I took apart real knobs form an old gas oven. You can choose to glue them permanently to the stand and then they don’t turn and are mostly for appearance. If you want to be able to turn them you can stick them to pins with some hot glue or epoxy modeling clay (as shown in the picture).

Sink: I have several large stainless steel bowls that I use for cooking and baking. So I used one for the kids’ sink. This might be the most complicated part in the whole project.

To place the bowl in the stand, you need to saw a hole in the stand (according to the size of your bowl) with a jigsaw where you want to place the sink. When the hole has been cut, apply some silicon glue around the bowl and stick it firmly in place.

I can’t find a picture from the sawing stage but here’s a picture of what it looks like after gluing the sink:

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Another option, if you don’t have a jigsaw to saw the cabinet, you can just glue the bowl with strong glue on the cabinet so that it sits on the cabinet instead of inside it. By the way, there are very expensive sinks that are considered “fancy” and designed this way today.

I bought the simplest faucet I could find in a hardware store and my husband connected it to the “back” of the kitchen. It’s important to bear in mind the height of the faucet, so that the children can reach it comfortably. If you decided to build the kitchen without a “back”, the faucet could be on the cabinet itself next to the sink.

And now, the oven: I wanted to build an oven that has a door like the modern “built- in” ovens. I don’t recommend making the oven door out of solid wood, because it will be too heavy for the kids to open and close.

I used some thin plywood we had on the back of an old closet.
You can easily cut it to the size you want the door to be (the thin plywood is easy to cut). Afterward I cut another square hole in the door for the “glass window” of the oven.

You can paint the door in black or silver, and for the glass of the “glass window” I used a square piece of clear plastic that I took from a picture frame.

I glued the plastic to the door with some double-sided tape.

When the door was ready I attached it to the stand with two hinges. After I took the pictures I added a handle to the door to make opening and closing it easier.

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On the “back” of the kitchen I added a shelf for a microwave, and here too I don’t recommend using solid wood, because it might be too heavy for the plywood that the “back” is made of.

My creative idea was to use a board that was the base of a kids’ puzzle. It was a good fit and it’s lightweight. I painted it on both sides and attached it to the “back” with two shelf supports just like a regular shelf.

Now I had some empty space left above the stove, because the “back” of the kitchen doesn’t go from end to end. It bothered me to leave that empty space, so I took 3 IKEA picture frames with pictures I printed that go well with the kitchen, and glued them with hot glue to the “back” of the kitchen.

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All done. So here are some extra pictures… The project was very profitable, especially when the outcome is a high quality and durable kitchen that will last for years! A great investment of your time with very satisfying results!

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So what are you waiting for?
I can’t wait to see your new kitchen's pictures here in the comments

Now it's your turn to CREATE NOW!

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HIYA, I'M HADAS

Founder of CREATE NOW

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