Rodessa Villaneva-Reyes’ daughter loves to follow her mom around in the kitchen. But grown-up space can be unsafe for a young child. Rodessa decided her little girl needed a kitchen fit for her size. Rather than go out and spend hundreds of dollars on a plastic kitchenette from the toy store, Rodessa used her limitless imagination and items she already had, to create the perfect play area for her daughter.
First, Rodessa collected all the cardboard boxes she could find. She needed enough to design a kitchen with all of the essentials, including a sink, stove, refrigerator and cabinets with counter space. She positioned the boxes in the pattern that best suited her daughter’s height, creating an L-shaped work area.
Next, Rodessa very carefully cut out doors with a box cutter to create a refrigerator, cabinet doors, a stove and microwave. Now that she had her initial placement set up, the real fun began.
With the use of colored paper and stickers, the brown box kitchen was transformed into a lovely blue and white kitchenette with a pink accent color, fit for any little girl. Picket fence planters held beautiful greenery, and beige countertops were now ready for meal preparation.
Rodessa cut out pictures of actual appliances to complete the look of the stove, refrigerator and microwave. She added handles to the doors to resemble cabinets and inserted a bowl into the cardboard countertop to create a sink. A pink and white dish towel hangs over a door. She even recycled an empty soap dispenser to make a faucet. Finally, Rodessa framed a piece of cardboard to look like a four-pane window with outdoor scenery and doilies for curtains, giving the illusion of a beautiful landscape.
Her daughter was now ready to stock her new kitchenette. Plastic food had a place to be stored in the refrigerator. Pots and pans could simmer pretend meals on the stove while dishes were cleaned in the sink and neatly stack away in the cabinets.
To really personalize her amazing creation, Rodessa added a sign to one side of the boxes inviting family and friends into the newest café in town. A black chalk board attached next to it lists the specials of day.
The personal touches Rodessa added only made it that much more special and one-of-a-kind. This was definitely a project that took some time and plenty of imagination. The hours of playtime Rodessa and her daughter will enjoy in her new kitchenette have made it all worth it.