Kid's Kitchen Makeover ⋆ Growing Up Kemper

When Jackson turned one, Santa got him an adorable navy blue play kitchen with silver accents. *And Santa shared all the details – He snagged it at KidKraft.com where they still have so many cool colors to choose from* Since then, that play kitchen has sat alongside our real kitchen in two different houses, three different kitchens (pre- and post-remodeled kitchen) and has accumulated a solid selection of play food that I could have never even dreamed of having as a little girl.

As toys come and go in our house, that play kitchen just doesn’t ever seem to lose its luster. It’s always a staple. Always a go-to for independent play for my kids.

But something about that navy blue and silver just didn’t fit Mya when she started to really get into cooking alongside her mama. It looked so off next to her consistent rotation of pink outfits that she demands she wears every single day.

So what do I always say?

There’s absolutely nothing that paint can’t fix!

It was time to make it a little bit more “Mya,” and paint was all I needed.

I was able to quickly take apart the doors, hardware, and “fixtures” of the kitchen using a drill and kept those pieces separated on a piece of cardboard to be painted later. My biggest tip is to take pictures as you go along to ensure you remember where everything goes AND to lightly screw the screws back into the pieces once they’re off the kitchen so you can keep the correct screw with the matching piece. Many times, there were so many different sizes that you don’t want to confuse which screw goes where when you’re trying to put it all back together.

Next, I chose the colors I wanted for the kitchen. I went to Michael’s for pieces for my newest DIY fall wreath recently, and I snagged these two spray paint cans while I was shopping.

I tried to use the Chalky Finish spray paint, but I ended up disliking the cream against so much white in the kitchen area of our home. It clashed and made the play kitchen seem dingy against the crispness of our walls and cabinets.

Lucky for me, I have multiple leftover cans of Sherwin Williams Snowbound lying around my garage that we’ve used for our trimwork, ceilings, fireplace, exterior, garage…you get the picture…

My paint always is a paint + primer mix so two coats of Snowbound rolled on later, and this kitchen was ready to be reassembled!

As for the “fixtures,” I loved the Krylon Matte Wild Rose I picked up at Michaels. It’s dark enough to make a contrast and stand out while still being subtle enough to not look too bright and wild. Plus the matte makes a classier pink tone that isn’t too girly or childish.

A few coats of spray paint on the fixtures, ample dry time to allow for me to handle them, and I was ready to reinstall the pieces, decorate and surprise one sweet little girl!

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it fifty more times…some of my favorite projects that I’ve done are ones that don’t cost much and don’t take much time, yet are showstoppers with the outcome. This is one of those projects. An afternoon, a few cans of paint, and a much prettier piece that matches my house AND my little girl.

I hope this inspires you to pull out a can of spray paint or a paint roller in your home today, too!