The play kitchen is the heart of our home. Our children play with it daily. My husband and I love our unlimited supply of pretend meals, which we eat enthusiastically each and every time.

A few years back, we customized a play kitchen for our oldest daughter. Then, this year as our younger daughter’s birthday approached (she was turning 3), I knew there was no way I could find a better gift for her than a play kitchen. Our play kitchen had been sitting in our garage for about six months, so we decided to refurbish it again as her birthday gift! So really this is an update on a previous DIY. Laura also did her own mid-century version, which you really need to see if you haven’t yet. So, this is our third play kitchen post—but they are SO CUTE … hopefully you don’t mind.

Now, I know some of you are wondering whether our kids responded to this re-gift as a brand new toy or like, “umm, this isn’t new.” The answer is both … they knew it was the same toy, just repainted and some new stuff was added. But, they play with it SO MUCH as if it’s brand new. It gets more playtime than any other toy!

Here’s a link to the original IKEA play kitchen we started with.

Since we’ve already shared this DIY several times before, I will just share the changes we made to give it a new look! First of all, we painted the whole thing pink. We decided to make it match our new dining room so it would blend in seamlessly. The color we used is Sand Dance by Behr.

Next, we added cane webbing as a backsplash. I used this exact pre-woven cane (I ordered four for the entire backsplash). We cut a piece of plywood to cover the backsplash, and sprayed adhesive to attach the cane webbing to the drywall. Then, we used screws to attach the plywood to the back of the play kitchen.

In addition to the mini makeover, we decided to add a few more toys. We added this pop-up toaster (a BIG hit!), this magnetic wooden cutting fruit and veggie basket, this mixer bowl (strangely I never found the pink bowl—either I misplaced it or it was missing, but I ended up subbing in a woven basket I already had and it’s so cute!). Also, here’s the wooden pan set we have.

Here are some more photos of the finished project!

I also hand-painted some play food. I used chalk paint and wax finish as the sealer. It was fun. Below, you can see the tomato soup that our older daughter painted … so sweet. She wanted to help.

The wicker espresso machine is from Poppy’s Little Treasures. It’s a true heirloom. I was telling my sister that no matter how old my kids get, no one can ever take that wicker espresso machine away from me. It’s staying here forever.

Let me know if you have any questions in the comments! And don’t forget to check out the other two play kitchens we created here and here. I had so much fun working on these. I highly recommend it if you have a little person in your life. XX! Elsie

Credits//Author: Elsie Larson. Photography: Amber Kelly. Project Assistant: Collin DuPree. Photos edited with A Color Story Desktop.