Today’s blog is about a mini-sized makeover for an Aldi play kitchen. Why can’t an interior design scheme extend to include toys? The goal was to make this play-kitchen look special in the home whilst fueling our little one’s imagination and love of being in the kitchen. Here’s how we created a mini This Home Grows version so we can all cook along together.
First birthdays are incredibly special and I was looking for a gift to match. Many of my seasoned parent pals suggested a play kitchen, so when I saw this one in Aldi last December I quickly snapped it up. What can I say, I don’t like to miss a bargain and I immediately saw its potential to grow.
If you’ve followed our journey you’ll know we like to transform items and make them more fitting for This Home Grows. This Aldi play kitchen is no different. We designed an open-plan kitchen to improve our daily use of it and Esme’s mini version had to live up to the same brief.
I’ve detailed a step-by-step guide that you can use to grow any play kitchen. I promise, it’s a really easy one to do.
Before After
Shopping list
Little projects like this don’t need to cost the earth to transform. Remember to check your own ‘stuff in the garage’ before getting started. You’ll be surprised what you have lying around that can be reused and utilised in your makeover.
- x1 Play-kitchen ready to grow. This Aldi play kitchen cost £29.99 and included a sink, hob, oven and three cute utensils, plus a salt and pepper mill.
- Tester pot size of furniture paint from the The Range in a chalky finish. Approx £4.
- x1 Can of white gloss spray paint. The Range and B&Q has a very good selection of all the spray paints. Unfortunately the ones I used are not on the website. They’re usually priced from £5.
- x1 Can of polished chrome spray paint.
- x1 Chrome cup handle.
- x1 Handle for towel holder.
- x1 Roll of self-adhesive marble-effect vinyl.
- x3 Self-adhesive stainless hooks.
- x1 Length of beading. I found this in the garage, but you can get cheaply from any DIY store.
- Black gloss paint for the hob. We had this left over from touching up our Aga flue, what better part of the kitchen to use it on than the hob?
- Superglue
- Painters tape
- Craft knife
- Paint brush, including a fine brush for detailing.
Accessories are optional and don’t worry, some were for styling purposes only and Esme isn’t using them. The wooden chopping board, grey saucepans and the heart-shaped pan were all from Poundland and will be used by us as well. I love these IKEA baskets and have many around the house so I added one for Esme’s kitchen tools and veg.
Play kitchen Makeover step by step guide
- Before assembling your play-kitchen, identify the worktop and up-stand/splash back. Set aside the sink bowl, tap, shelves and all handles, ready for spray painting.
- Next, carefully apply the self-adhesive marble-effect vinyl to the up-stand/splash back. Start at one end, peel back the underside and leave an overhang around the edge. Squeeze any bubbles out as you go using a credit card and wrap around the edges for a seamless finish. Proceed to cut out the areas for the sink, hob and clock using a craft knife.
- Now complete the play kitchen assembly, adding your new marble worktop and splash back.
- Use painters tape to mark around the oven, microwave and open cupboard ready for painting. I lightly sanded these areas before applying a first coat. We chose not to paint inside the oven or the open cupboard. You can apply a primer before painting, but I liked the texture of the chalk paint as it matched our own kitchen island. It only took two coats before I was happy with the coverage. If the paint bleeds through the edges of the tape you can use nail polish remover on a cotton bud to easily wipe it away.
- Then mark out a rectangle using the painters tape around the hob rings. Apply a black gloss paint slowly using a fine paint brush to help with the tricky areas. It’s worth taking your time to get the end result. Use approx one metre length of beading to go around the hob and cut into four pieces. Apply the black gloss paint and once dry superglue to the worktop surface. It’s great because it hides any wonky lines. The beading hasn’t moved and there’s certainly been a lot of cooking activity to test it!
- Next, spray the tap and handles in the polished chrome and the shelves and sink bowl in white gloss. I applied three coats to everything, spraying lightly each time.
- Add your three self-adhesive hooks to the side of your kitchen to hang kitchen items.
- Complete your play-kitchen by adding beautiful handles. This is a great way to make any kitchen look more bespoke. A chrome cup handle at the front to mirror our kitchen and one square handle for the all important tea-towel.
And that’s it. One play kitchen makeover complete ready for its little chef in the making. I honestly, can’t believe how brilliantly it’s turned out for such a quick makeover. An inexpensive little project that you can adapt to fit with your own kitchen style. The biggest win is, Esme adores playing with it every single day.
It’s possible to grow any play kitchen with your little one and ignite their passion for cooking at the same time. After all, you reap what you sow – this mummy and daddy are looking forward to some tasty meals in a few years ;).
I hope this play-kitchen makeover has inspired you to grow your own. Be sure to tag us @thishomegrows so we can see your transformations. Each one is perfectly unique.
Hols x
