Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Mon Espace Créateur - { My Creative Space }

When I decided it was high time that my little kitchen shadow needed some "Nigella" room all of her own I had a brief (and rather unpleasant) look at some of the play kitchens out there in the land of toys. Unable to find one that suited my sturdy yet cute requirements I decided to go d.i.y. With a little inspiration from here the hunt for a two drawer bedside table began...the cheaper the better!

This little beauty, or shall we say "ugly" was just the trick. Not quite two drawers but two shelves and we're a flexible bunch here. I removed the door and had hubby cut it down to fit over one of the shelves on his trusty Triton. I then hinged this underneath the top shelf so it would fold up like an oven door, clipping shut with a magnet latch at the top and attaching a handle at the front. Some wood glue and a few tiny nails held the top drawer closed...for good. A few coats of charcoal paint and we had a little wee oven. Another job for ye olde white paint too!


Next, I sourced some old taps (from the shed), some old cupboard handles and hooks (again from the shed) and a stainless steel bowl (from The Warehouse this time...for $1!). With the help of a jigsaw and one exceptionally spunky husband we soon had holes for the sink and taps. Lashings of liquid nails kept them all in place.


Some leftover MDF was screwed to the back and a mini shelf was attached. Hooks were attached on the sides and the front for all those necessary kitchen utensils. The knobs were given a thorough spray with silver paint and two old wooden coasters were titivated with charcoal paint and a (rather wonky) spiral. Again my old friend Mr. Liquid Nails was called upon to attach these petit hotplates.


Two little holes were drilled into the sides of the bottom shelf and a small piece of dowel was wedged in.
Some leftover scrummy Heather Bailey fabric was whipped up into a curtain to keep pots and pans discreetly hidden away from snooty visitors. With a few even smaller scraps I managed another little oven glove for Bijou too.


Some weeny pots, pans and utensils and some vintage salt and pepper shakers and her kitchen renovation is complete!


She absolutely adores it and spends hours each day cooking up a storm for all her toys. Her favourite dish to prepare for her greedy crowd is be-set or spaghetti to you and I and bu-bu-bu-bu-bu (insert chicken noise here) i.e. chicken. Warms the cockles of your heart :)

I wonder what all the other creative lovelies over here have been up to?

37 comments:

Katie @ Grow. Cook. Sew. said...

Steph, that is AMAZING! What a great transformation.. you are soo clever! Lucky Bijou..

Jane said...

Oh, Steph! How absolutely divine! I have to show this to my two year old daughter. And my husband. How brilliant. Custom made for a song compared to what they charge in the shops. And so much more personal. A triumph - take a bow, Mummy (and Daddy)! J x

Heidi said...

Whats the biggest word for Adorable!!!!

Brenda @ 13 Acres said...

I cannot believe it! i just cannot - you never cease to amaze me, with your handy skills and vision to create steph! This is perfecto plus and what a team effort at that! I think I will keep this little project in mind for my two as a wonky little plasticy kitchen they were gifted has finally fell apart (yay says me!). Have a fabulous rest of your week and enjoy all meals cooked by Bijou!

Jennie said...

Oh Steph, what a brilliant transformation! I love it!!

melissa said...

WOW! You are a clever little chickadee, you come up with some fantastic ideas Steph and this is one of your best, yet! I Love it ! Well done to you and your hubby - you make a great team!

Cat said...

Wow Steph you are a clever D.I.Y.er.
I love what you made it looks so cute and beautifully created. xo

Justine said...

That is just an amazing transformation. It is so cute and I love it!!

Megan said...

oh steph, you've taken my breath away yet AGAIN!!! this is amazing and looks just so fantastic for what was by the sounds of it a pretty cheap creation. Well done!!

bybido said...

Wow! What a beautiful job! How lovely...

Sarah - Red Gingham said...

Fantastic makeover! Well done to both of you. So much nicer than those nasty plastic ones too. Great bowl bargain! Love the fabric too. No wonder she loves her new kitchen. Can I please make an order for chicken too?

Renee said...

Love it Steph, love it! You have inspired me to makeover Khye's little kitchen - I'll add it to the list of things to do! The salt and pepper shakers are a gorgeous accessory!

Seaside Siblings said...

OMG!!!! You are a freaken creative goddess!!! This is with out a doubt, the best kids kitchen I have ever seen!

seabreezequilts said...

Fantastic, what little girl wouldn't love that.

Unknown said...

The sweetest thing ever...I love everything about it..Fabulous!!

Catherine said...

I love that on top of everything else, you've given her vintage salt and pepper shakers!

CurlyPops said...

That is so cool - love it!

Beck said...

A beautiful idea and so well done! I'm jealous, I want one xo

Vic said...

Holy Moly that is AMAZING!!!

I have been meaning to make a play kitchen for The Punk for the longest time, but keep getting distracted... ONE DAY!

In the meantime I shall content myself with admiring such grand creations as this... WELL DONE!

Maxabella said...

Oh my, this is the biz. You should start production immediatley - Mums all over the world will snap them up for their little girls. Those awful plastic ones sell for around $200 a pop, so you'll be a millionaire in no time at all. x

Ady said...

That is so cute and clever. I think I might have to start keeping my eyes open for a small cupboard to transform like this!

Tracey@bountifully said...

you are such a resourceful one!

Photography said...

Best creative space this week!!!! I want one!!!! That is awesome!

Miss Muggins said...

Oh wow, that is absolutely incredible. There is no limit to your powers of transformation. You have a very lucky little popppet indeed. My Pa made me a little stove when I was a wee girl and it was my favouritest thing ever!

Snooze said...

i would so have loved that when i was her age ... it's totally gorgeous.
My Creative Space

Tina said...

A wonderful creation, Steph!!! Bijou is so lucky to have this gorgeous kitchen!! Hope she creates lots more yummy meals in years to come! :)

bron @ baby space said...

This is so cute - I love it! And the Baby Space toddler would love it too :)

Unknown said...

This has me swooning. I wish my big kitchen looked like this!

Teek said...

Oh WOW that is just amazing!! I am loving all the kitchen accessories too. Well done, you clever thing :-)
Tanya

Kylie said...

It looks great and can say that my two have also enjoyed a chicken and spaghetti from Miss B's kitchen of love:)

Leonie said...

that is the most amazing kids kitchen I have ever seen - I love it!! you are very creative.

Kelly said...

that looks fantastic, you are very clever.

Rosalind said...

oh that is clever! well done Stephanie

Cathie said...

oh my goodness Steph!!! how did I miss this amazing creation.
LOVE it! well done, happy baking sweet Bijou!!

My Handmadehappiness said...

wow wow wow.... so lovely x

Sarah said...

Just found your lovely little blog and this kitchen is very very sweet...you must enjoy some lovely cups of tea made by your daughter i am sure!

Jacinta said...

I want to do this now! You've made it look so easy. I suppose a handsome hubby is helpful... thankfully I have one too. ;)
I've got a long list of projects to do/finish at the moment so I will take my time and look for an old drawer someone is throwing out. I've passed this onto my blog friend who is planning on making one too.
xo MODELmumma

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