IKEA Play Kitchen Hack

I was so excited to jump right on board the IKEA play kitchen hack train.

My boys love the kitchen so it was worth the effort, but my level 10 excitement to makeover the DUKTIG play kitchen had my husband raising an eyebrow.

Who wouldn’t have fun designing a fancy, realistic kitchen for tiny humans?!

Supplies

Here’s the before picture for reference:

I shared in my post about my Dark Green Upcycled Dresser, that Home Depot can customize their BEHR chalk paint to any color you want. I was close to painting the cabinets on the play kitchen dark green as well, but I chose navy blue at the last second.

You just give Home Depot the name and brand of the paint you want and they can look it up for you. I chose ‘Hale Navy’ by Benjamin Moore. It’s a true navy, with slight gray undertones.

The BEHR chalk paint is pretty affordable at about $20 per quart and I think the quality is great for the price point.

A tip before you chalk paint your IKEA cabinets: use shellac to coat the particle board as a primer. I use Zinsser BULLS EYE shellac. It comes in a spray can, and it dries super quick.

I learned this lesson the hard way when my chalk paint would scratch right off my IKEA projects super easily. The shellac gives the chalk paint something to grip on to.

I chose to spray paint the sink, faucet, boarder of the burners and cabinet feet. I chose a satin nickel metallic spray paint for the faucet and feet, and a matte white spray paint for the sink and burners. I would definitely recommend a clear protective top coat – toddlers aren’t gentle creatures!

I sourced a lot of the added details for the kitchen through Amazon.

I loved the little masculine touch the leather handles gave, and liked the color of these more than the ones they sell at IKEA.

The natural wood knobs tied in the color of the countertop that I left as is. I just screwed them right into the front of the kitchen.

The peel and stick subway tile looked classic and it was easy to work with. I adhered it to an extra thick foam board that I stuck on with command strips to the back of the kitchen.

One of my favorite additions to the project was the play refrigerator – the IKEA BILLY Bookcase and door.

I added a natural wood handle to the door to tie in the colors.

The little decorative details might have been my favorite part to shop for. I will link what I can below if you’re in the market for some kitchen supplies and decorations for tiny chefs.

Eggs – I am obsessed with these. They are so realistic and great quality!
Succulent and cascading plant
Galvanized pot and faux concrete pot
Cookware and utensils
Cutting board was a HomeGoods find but here’s a similar option
Bowls were also a HomeGoods find but here’s a similar option
I also scored the small letterboard from HomeGoods find but here’s a similar option – lots of color options!
Play food
Velcro play food for cutting