DIY Toddler Kitchenette

My hubby Chris created the cutest toddler-sized kitchen created entirely out of recycled and re-used materials. Here's the before and after:

BEFORE: A humble bookshelf from an estate sale:


AFTER: Voila! The cutest darned toddler kitchen ever!


Here's how he did it:

Step 1: Gather the pint-sized kitchen hardware. We found the metal bowl used for the sink at an estate sale and Chris found the faucet, knobs, pulls, and plexi-glass at The ReBuilding Center in Portland. The hinges are new though. Total cost: about $8


Step 2: Get to drilling. Chris cut out the sink and faucet holes.



Step 3: My contribution: paint. I primed and painted all of the surfaces with leftover interior paint from our house:

Step 4: Oven and sink area. Chris installed a shelf on the left side (oven) and cut out the doors with the cut-out for the plexi-glass in the oven door. (I found mini-kitchen items at Goodwill including a set of plastic dishes and a tiny muffin pan all for around $11.)



Step 5: Late night paint-job. We painted the top burners with acrylic paint.


And that was it! Chris did all the hard work, and Olivia loves it.