apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

While Stephanie designed the kitchen, she gives all the construction credit to her husband, who built it while the rest of the family was away traveling. The Miele appliances were bought separately at Early Learning Centre, but most of the remaining components came from Ikea.

Here's Stephanie's source list and how-to:

• The 2 base units were Ikea discount pine bedroom side tables. They were turned on their sides and the doors chopped and re-hinged. Under the sink the hinge is on the left side to open like a door, for the oven the hinge is at the bottom to open downwards. The oven door is a thick plastic sheet from a hardware store screwed to the inside
• Sink is a KONCIS roasting dish.
• Taps are Ikea MAFFE red star doorknobs (now discontinued but available on eBay. Ikea has other designs, we just loved the red stars!)
• Faucet is a RIGEL hook, screwed upside down
• Handles on door of oven and under sink are ATTEST
• The 'window' is a NYTTJA picture frame in red. It is velcroed on for easy removal and we change the scenery each season and print a scenery photo off on the home printer. We get family around the world to take pics for us, so we have Swiss Alps and fields, English scenes like Buckingham Palace, etc.
• Wooden FORHOJA shelf also Ikea, above the oven, just holds the microwave and plates and stuff
• Our favourite part: the hot plates are Ikea PANNA coasters ($3 for 6). We stuck a black one back to back with a red one. When a hotplate is turned on, you flip the hotplate so it looks red and hot.
• Knobs for hob and oven are from an Ikea wooden toy car. They look like big screws and were screwed in loosely so they 'turn'.
• Inside the oven, we stuck an Ikea placemat which had a silver underside, underside-up so it is reflective silver.
• Wooden fruit bowl to the right of the sink is a BLANDA MATT, 12cm size
• Pots and pans, of course, are the Ikea DUKTIG

The success of this beautiful play kitchen is marked by the fact that it's in regular use, meaning that it's getting a bit too cozy for her growing chefs. Undaunted, Stephanie is currently working on an updated, even roomier version, which she'll be letting us know about in a few weeks!