Eco-friendly & affordable DIY play kitchen
July 20, 2009 by Jennifer
Play kitchens rock. This is a toy your child will have fun with and play with for years. However, finding one that’s both eco-friendly and affordable can be tough. I LOVE play kitchens. To me they’re truly one of those must have childhood toys, so I decided to search around for some affordable DIY options.
Doing it yourself is the cheapest route when it comes to play kitchens. You get to choose which eco-friendly materials to use, and often stuff around the house works for this project so costs can be low to free. My absolute favorite DIY play kitchen of all time is Lili’s Play Kitchen via Ohdeedoh shown above. Cost – about $30. Your child’s amazement – priceless! Seriously, how gorgeous right?!
Build An Eco-Friendly Play Kitchen – amazing DIY kitchen with easy $12 instructions!
Totally sweet re-purposed entertainment center! So creative and a great idea for keeping furniture out of the landfill.
The most beautiful blue play kitchen. This looks so pro I can’t believe it. Good instructions given too.
I love Via Toy Box and they have a sweet homemade kitchen that uses their pretty cubes. This one will cost a little more due to the cube purchases, but all cubes are made with beautiful baltic birch plywood that is sustainably grown and harvested and finished with eco-friendly paints; you could do this in any configuration and color scheme you like, and it’s quality that will last.
Hopefully this gave you some summer inspiration. Later maybe I’ll post some places to get less expensive eco-friendly play kitchen accessories to go along with your bright new kitchen!
Which kitchen is your favorite? I still like the first one the most, but that blue one is pretty darn enticing.
Oh man! Your post is making me wish we would have kept that old honker of an entertainment center when we had our baby! I love that one! We don’t exactly have the space for it right now anyways. We were given a handmedown plastic one. It has yet to kick the bucket, not too surprising, but when it does, I will totally remember this! Good idea…
@DramaMama – I KNOW! I can’t believe I never thought of all the stuff you could do with an entertainment center. After I saw this I started thinking about it. I really wish I had some younger kiddos so I had an excuse to make one of these. Maybe I’ll need to get another one someday
When I was a kid, I had a kitchen but nothing like these.
We have an Elves and Angels wooden kitchen set that my girls (8 and 4) STILL play with daily.
We love it’s simplicity.
But I recently came across a recycled material stove that you have to see to believe. The photos – as cute as they are – do not do this toy justice. We saw it at a local greenfest and it was surrounded by kids (girls AND boys) for the entire day!
http://www.eurostyleyourlife.com/index.php/vmchk/Frizzle-Sizzle/View-all-products.html
I actually LOVE the frizzle. BUT sadly it’s neither diy or inexpensive. I wonder though if you hit some vintage shops if you could find the goods to make one yourself. I bet.
I’ll bet you could! My local co-op will give you the big, square cans of olives if you ask them. Everything else should be pretty easy to acquire. Might be a fun, indoor DIY activity for the fall or winter.