Extending the IKEA DUKTIG Play Kitchen

I recently hacked an IKEA DUKTIG play kitchen for our little girl, Maya, and it’s been a huge hit! We gave it to her for Christmas and she hasn’t left it voluntarily ever since. Now, her beautiful play kitchen has a prominent placement in our kitchen/dining area, where she spends hours on end cooking–especially when we’re also cooking in the grown-up’s kitchen. Baking is her favorite pastime, proving that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree!

I chose to hack the IKEA play kitchen because I knew it would be a focal point in our dining room, and I wanted it to look stunning since we will be looking at it every single day. I wanted it to blend more into our decor than the standard IKEA DUKTIG play kitchen does. Although the IKEA DUKTIG kitchen is quite neutral, I felt it needed a paint job and a little extra charm to truly shine.

Additionally, I wanted to address the challenge of storing all the play food! I have noticed at friends’ houses how quickly toy food collections can grow and the out-of-the-box IKEA DUKTIG kitchen just doesn’t have enough storage space. To solve this, I decided to add extra storage to the play kitchen. After a lot of exploration into IKEA’s products, I realized that the IKEA GNEDBY shelf unit would match the sizes I needed to build extra shelves and still fit the space next to our pattio door. So this led to a creative combination of the IKEA DUKTIG play kitchen and the IKEA GNEDBY shelf.

I’m absolutely delighted with the final result—and also a little envious! Maya now has the most beautiful kitchen in our house, and I can’t help but wonder when I’ll get the chance to hack our real kitchen… ?

Introducing the IKEA Hack Play Kitchen

Welcome to Maya’s kitchen! Step inside to see soft dusty green hues meet an elegant “marble” countertop and luxurious “brass” details, including the faucet and handles! This Scandinavian style play kitchen offers plenty of counter space and additional storage from all sides.

The IKEA DUKTIG oven typically comes with a shelf, but I swapped it for a rack, since that seemed more real. I also added knobs for the oven because those are just fun! Plus, I installed lights in both the oven and microwave that turn on when the doors are opened. Maya has already spent countless hours just opening and closing the doors!

On one side of the play kitchen, there’s an old wall-hanging phone that I removed the cord from. This recycled phone was a freebie donated by one of our nabours, and Maya loves to call her grandma several times a day!

Most of Maya’s toy food is wooden. I like the look and feel of those since they match the kitchen well. It’s more expensive than plastic toy food but she has been really lucky to have been spoiled by grandparents and family, and also I have bought some of them used. The wooden plates, bowls, cups, and cutlery I purchased in natural form and hand-painted myself.

Materials and Tools

Maya’s play kitchen is a double hack, combining two IKEA pieces: the IKEA DUKTIG play kitchen and the IKEA GNEDBY shelf. The kitchen itself has been upgraded with various fixtures and received a visual makeover. The GNEDBY shelf has been cut into several pieces to create extra storage across the kitchen.

There are undoubtedly many clever ways to assemble a play kitchen like this, but below I’ll share how I did it and the materials I used. Some things I had in the house already, so they were free for me. Note that the items were purchased in Denmark.

Materials (in DKK and USD)

• 1 x IKEA DUKTIG play kitchen, 489 DKK (about $73)
• 1 x IKEA GNEDBY shelf, 199 DKK (about $30)
• Extra screws, 0 DKK
• Light green and white paint, 0 DKK
• White and gold spray paint, 100 DKK (about $15)
• Plastic primer spray, 90 DKK (about $14)
• Painter’s tape, 0 DKK
• Extra piece of countertop (e.g. MDF), 10 DKK (about $1.50)
• Self-adhesive foil for the countertop, 48 DKK (about $7)
• 2 x gold hooks, 50 DKK (about $7.50)
• 2 x oven knobs (Ø37 mm), 130 DKK for 6 pcs (about $20)
• Oven rack, 150 DKK (about $22)
• Small blocks to hold oven rack, 0 DKK
• Double-sided tape, 0 DKK
• 3 x gold handles (128 mm), 200 DKK (about $30)
• 2 x magnetic cabinet lights, 49 DKK (about $7)

Total approx. 1500 DKK (approx. $220).

Tools

• Fine-toothed saw
• Fine sandpaper
• Hacksaw
• Measuring tape/ruler
• Screwdriver and drill
• Paint roller and brush

IKEA GNEDBY shelf is discontinued by IKEA!

Unfortunately, the IKEA GNEDBY shelf was discontinued in 2021, but I encourage you to look for it second-hand.

Planning the Project

I started by sketching out my vision for how I wanted the IKEA hack play kitchen to look. I decided to build the shelf on the right side of the kitchen since that side faces into the room, but you can also build it on the left side if you prefer.

Next, I chose the colors for the different parts of the kitchen. I decided to leave some parts white, so they didn’t need to be painted.

Cutting the Pieces

I cut the GNEDBY shelf (the sides and the back panel) into four parts before assembling it. Two of these parts are used under the extra piece of countertop, and another is used on top of it. The last small part was discarded.

I made sure to measure and cut very carefully to avoid too much sanding work, and thankfully, it went smoothly. I laid the two long sides and the back panel of the shelf flat on the floor alongside the sides of the play kitchen to ensure the shelf parts were the same height as the kitchen. I drew lines to mark exactly where I needed to cut.

Below is a diagram showing the cut points measured from the top of the shelf.

 

I placed painter’s tape over my cutting lines and sawed through it. This is always a good practice when cutting fiberboard, as it results in a cleaner finish. After cutting, I smoothed the edges with sandpaper.

The top panel of the kitchen, the shelf’s top plate, has a small edge that sticks out. To ensure the extension fit snugly, I carefully sawed off 0.7 cm (0.27 inches) from each end of the panel.

Sanding and Painting

All the wooden parts that needed painting were lightly sanded with sandpaper to help the paint adhere better. I applied the paint with a roller and then brushed over it to achieve a thin, even coat with a nice brushed finish. Each piece received three coats in total.

For the plastic parts, I started with a thorough layer of spray primer. It’s crucial to use a primer specifically designed for this type of hard plastic. After priming, I spray-painted the sink, the stove edge, and the rod white, and the hooks and faucet gold. The control knobs I found for the oven were silver, so I spray-painted those white as well.

When spray-painting items that need to be painted on all sides, it’s important to secure them on or in something so they don’t rest on the surfaces you’ve just painted. Otherwise, they will stick and peel, even if they feel dry. For instance, I attached the faucet to a cardboard box and the control knobs to straws. It’s also essential to spray very thin layers to avoid drips. It’s better to apply multiple thin coats!

Assembling the Kitchen

I assembled and built the play kitchen in stages.

First, I put together the lower part of the kitchen following the IKEA assembly instructions. Then, I placed the play kitchen’s countertop loosely on top, without screwing it down, just to align the other parts properly.

Next, I assembled the two parts of the shelf that would be added to the base of the kitchen and positioned them against the kitchen. I secured the front part to the kitchen with a screw at the top and another screw at the bottom near the leg.

I then measured an extra piece of countertop from my additional board, which is the same thickness as the play kitchen’s countertop. I had simply bought a leftover MDF board at a hardware store. I cut it to size and rounded the corners with sandpaper to match the play kitchen’s countertop.

I carefully checked that the extra countertop was level when placed on the two shelf parts. I made slight adjustments with sandpaper until it was perfect.

I rolled out a large piece of self-adhesive marble-patterned foil on the floor and placed the play kitchen’s countertop and the extra piece of countertop on it, sticking them to the foil side by side. I cut out holes for the sink and stove and neatly folded all the edges underneath. The foil I used wasn’t very sticky, so I added some duct tape in a few spots to ensure it would hold. This way, the countertop was extended and got a new look, and the foil helped to keep the two pieces together.

Next, I assembled the upper part of the kitchen according to the IKEA instructions, except for attaching the countertop.

I then screwed the now longer countertop to the play kitchen as shown in the IKEA instructions. After that, I attached the top part of the kitchen and screwed it to the countertop. I placed the top and side of the last part of the GNEDBY shelf on the countertop and secured it to the top of the play kitchen, as well as to the countertop below. Then, I attached the right side of the shelf and screwed it to the countertop from underneath. Finally, I inserted the lower back part of the GNEDBY shelf and screwed it to the other parts.

Kitchen Details

I took quite some time to find a rack that would fit in the oven. Finally, I found one that was just the right width, but I needed to trim it down in length, so I used a jigsaw. After cutting, I sanded it down to remove any sharp edges and tucked the cut end in the back of the oven for a clean look.

Next, I painted some small blocks (leftover pieces from a board we had) to match the kitchen color and used double-sided tape (nano tape) to secure them on the sides of the oven. The sides are pretty thin, so screwing wasn’t really an option. I also taped the rack to these blocks to keep it in place—believe me, Maya has tried to pull it out without success!

I drilled holes above the oven to attach the control knobs with nuts and bolts so they can turn smoothly.

To add a fun touch, I installed magnetic lights inside the oven and microwave. The lights run on batteries and are positioned just inside the door, with the magnet attached to the door itself. When the magnet touches the light, it turns off.

I also screwed two small hooks onto the side of the kitchen to hang a dish towel and pot holder. And for a little extra fun, I secured the toy phone with double-sided tape!

Thanks for reading! We’re absolutely loving Maya’s new kitchen!