Clara has had her play kitchen for more than a year and a half, and she still plays with it nearly every day — a rare win, given how quickly many toys are abandoned. Play kitchens have a special place in our homes for that reason, and this particular build is extra special because Casey and Phil made it themselves. They put a lot of love and creativity into the project, and generously outlined their process so others can learn from their approach.
Like many parents, my husband Phil and I decided to build our daughter Zoey a play kitchen for Christmas. I sketched a design inspired by our real kitchen cabinets and wanted a realistic-looking stove in a cheerful color. Phil is a talented carpenter, so we built the whole thing from scratch using scrap lumber from our renovation and leftover butcher block from a previous kitchen.
We ended up spending far more time on it than we expected, but the final result made it worthwhile.
The cabinet construction was fairly straightforward. We assembled basic cabinet boxes, attached face frames, and added paneled details to the sides. Phil built the doors separately and we installed them after painting. The stove required more planning: we built it in two main parts. The lower painted section is one unit, and the upper stainless-looking portion is built as a separate piece that sits on top.
Phil wanted dimmable “burners,” which were the most significant expense in the project but also the feature that elevated the whole build. Zoey loves them. For the top section we sandwiched the LED tubing between two layers of wood to keep it secure, used a hole saw to create openings for the coiled lighting, wrapped the top in stainless-style contact paper, covered the lights with tinted plexiglass, and then placed the upper piece on the lower unit.
For those who like materials lists, here’s an itemized breakdown of where things came from and what we used:
- Cabinets — constructed from scrap wood saved from earlier projects
- Countertops — leftover butcher block from a previous kitchen renovation
- Sink — small play or utility sink purchased separately
- Faucet — compact faucet chosen to fit the scale of the play kitchen
- Cabinet knobs — simple knobs selected at a big-box store
- Cabinet paint — Benjamin Moore Super White for a clean, bright finish
- Stove paint — Benjamin Moore Meadowlands Green for a cheerful pop of color
- Stove handle — an affordable hardware piece chosen for scale and style
- Stove knobs — small knobs sourced to mimic real appliance controls
- Timer — decorative kitchen timer used as a playful accessory
- “Stainless steel” finish — stainless-look contact paper for the stove’s upper portion
- Oven rack — repurposed inexpensive rack cut to size
- Flexible LED neon — coiled LED lighting for realistic burners
- Dimmers — inline dimmer switches to control burner brightness
- Plexiglass for stovetop — tinted plexiglass to diffuse the LED glow
- Interior cabinet wallpaper — leftover wallpaper used as a fun interior accent
Hope you enjoy the project and find some inspiration for your own build! — Casey
It’s a wonderful example of a thoughtful, hands-on project that gives a child a lasting, imaginative toy. Zoey is fortunate to have parents who enjoy building and designing, and their careful use of reclaimed materials and creative finishing details produced a play kitchen that’s both beautiful and durable. If you’re considering a similar project, this build highlights a few useful strategies: plan the unit in manageable sections, reuse quality leftover materials when possible, and invest in one or two special features (like dimmable burners) that make the finished piece feel magical.