I can be impatient. And though it may seem anti-climactic, I have tendancy of revealing projects on this ol' blog while they're still in progress. Like the kitchen and the yet-still-unfinished master bedroom. But what can I say, I don't want to wait until things are perfect and done before I show them to you all - that could take years and then there would be nothing for you to read!!

So here's a first look at Chloe's DIY play kitchen set!!! Its 2/3 finished... the last piece, the play kitchen fridge, still needs a few coats of paint and the doors to be hung before its done. (Ignore the ugly wallpaper and tiny baseboards. The play area is in our soon-to-be-redone basement).




I am ridiculously happy with how this project turned out. We followed the very easy-to-use plans from Ana at Knock-Off Wood but made a few modifications for aesthetics and function. We painted the set in blue-green and marigold yellow (sorry, don't have the paint names handy!). Paired with the chrome handles and ceramic knobs from Lee Valley, it has a bit of a retro 1950's vibe.

Let's look at the sink a little closer, shall we? We scored and found the perfect bar faucet at our local Re-Store for $15. For the basin, we used a metal bowl from the Dollar Store. We had a bit of a mishap and cut the hole out too big originally and so had to find another larger bowl. Lesson learned: its easier to cut a smaller hole and sand or rasp down the sides until its the right size than to cut a too large hole!





We recessed the top face panel and the toe kick just for a bit of interest. Then we added a beadboard backing and a long handle for a tea towel I will eventually sew up.

Then there's the stove! Since we have a gas stove, we decided to make this a mini-gas stove too. Creating the grill was pretty easy. HandyMan took a 1"x2" piece of wood and drilled holes down the centre the same diameter as the dowelling. Then he cut the wood in half along the length and was left with two pieces of wood with semi-circle cutouts. He angled the ends to make sure there were no sharp corners. The burners are little wooden disks we found at Michael's.




My favourite part is the oven! The plans show the oven door hinge at the bottom but we decided to put ours on the side. This way, Chloe can open the door and stand in front of the stove while she puts things in and pulls things out. We also thought the bottom hinge might mean the door could fall open more easily and slam on Chloe's feet - a definite no no. We put a magnetic latch and Chloe has easily learned how to open the door with a little tug.



We were struggling with the inside of the oven - I really wanted a pull-out shelf that would mimic the movement of a real oven rack. Unfortunately, the slide mechanism would get in the way of the oven door so we had to find another solution. Cleaning up after dinner one day, I came across a great compromise - we could use a cooling rack that looked like a real oven rack. I just happened to have one that was the perfect size! We held it in place using four eye hooks.



To add to the realism, I decided to put a push-on LED light in the stove. And here it is, in use, as Chloe bakes a cake!


Man, I could go for a piece of cake right now :) More details on the rest of the kitchen and other small changes I've made in the playroom to come...