I recently remodeled our Kidkraft play kitchen and revealed the design on Instagram. People have shown a lot of interest, so I’m sharing more details about the project and design. To be clear, I am not a professional DIYer by any stretch of the imagination.
In terms of the quality of the execution, meh, we don’t have to get too far into the details. The important part is that it’s cute!
On top of all of that, this project wasn’t even planned. I happened to have some extra paint laying around after trying out the colors in this post about earthy desert-inspired paint colors. I couldn’t just let the paint sit there, naturally. I started not 1, but 3 projects.
Drawing design inspiration from real life
Our kid’s play kitchen set is over 3 years old and was put through the wringer. 2 kids and a move later, it was in need of some major TLC.
Besides that, I am on a mission to make our home’s belongings generally more cohesive. The Flower Bungalow definitely has a more organic and earthy palette than our previous home.
I didn’t have an exact vision in mind, I just knew that I wanted to draw design inspiration from our boldy designed kitchen by C Dot Design Studio.
Kidkraft play kitchen renovation
Once I got the knobs and accessories removed, I got to work painting the play kitchen set with “Hunt Club” by Sherwin Williams. A few days and paint coats later, I was ready to figure out the rest of the details.
I painted the handles to match our cognac-colored leather cabinet pulls, and kept the “appliances” silver and black. Similarly, I chose a peel and stick contact paper for the countertop that was close to our real granite counters. I even wrapped the pole in a rope to match the rope-wrapped shelf hardware in our real kitchen.
It wasn’t until I was basically done with everything else that the idea for the matching backsplash came to mind. That really tied it together! Here’s what I used to makeover this play kitchen.
Supplies to makeover kids kitchen set:
- Paint
- Brushes
- Rollers
- Tape
- Contact Paper
- Epoxy Adhesive
- Leftover kitchen tile
- Printed backsplash
- Cardboard
- Superglue
- Craft Rope
Basically, I disassembled the kitchen as much as possible, painted, and reassembled the kitchen. Because I wanted the backsplash to match, I created the design myself and printed it out on good ol’ computer paper and glued it to some cardboard.
I secured the “backsplash” by tapping tiny little nails into the back of the kitchen set.
Re-imaginative designs for kids
Whether you buy a play kitchen set secondhand or get something new, don’t be afraid to make it your own! Kidskraft makes great play products that are great bones for your very own DIYs. In fact, I’m in the process of making over their playhouse next, also Kidskraft Toys brand.
I have to be honest, I’m not sure if my paint job will stand the test of time. I’m pretty sure I could have applied the paint differently, or sealed it in the end. But I’m going to enjoy looking at it’s cuteness in the meantime.
It makes me sad to admit, but I think the kids may even be outgrowing the kitchen a bit. We might have to find a family to pass it on to in the near future!
Until then, I hope that I inspired you to reimagine your kids play sets! If you decide to DIY anything, be sure to share it with me! Would love to see it. And of course, stay tuned for the playhouse updates.
