She Put a Shoe Rack in Her Kitchen — Now It’s the Cutest, Most Imaginative Play Space
Some people can look at one thing and imagine how it could be used for something entirely unrelated. Bo, who shares a small Barcelona apartment with her 4-year-old son Benjamin, is one of those lucky people. She’s turned a Pringles into a vase, an unused dog pen into a safe spot for her son to play, and what was once a shoe rack into a play kitchen for Benjamin. (That’s only a few of her many projects, BTW.)
Bo spotted a shoe rack in a local store and used it as such — before determining that it could have an arguably more fun life as a play kitchen for Benjamin. “Since I like being creative, I decided to make it myself. I didn’t see anyone else doing it; I just checked online for several new kitchens and what kind of details they have,” she said in her Apartment Therapy House Tour.
Photo Frames Became a Core Element of This Play Kitchen
The key to transforming this shoe rack into a play kitchen? Picture frames. Bo found some unused ones lying around, and painted both the shoe rack and the spare picture frames green. Then she put the backs of some of the frames over the top shelf of the shoe rack’s slats to act as a kitchen countertop, and installed another at the back of the shoe rack as a backsplash. There was no cutting necessary, just pure resourcefulness.
Then Bo grabbed two cork trivets and used one as a base for a clock and cut the other to create the clock’s hands. She attached hooks to the backsplash to display utensils and even installed a pretend gas stovetop. The project only took her a few hours to complete (about an hour to paint one day and two hours to construct the next) and cost less than €15 (equivalent to about $17.30).
The Play Kitchen Sits in the Real Kitchen to Create Connection
Unsurprisingly, both Bo and Benjamin loved the finished product — and Benjamin started playing with it immediately. And its prime location means the pair can spend time together in a fun and educational way.
“It’s so simple, yet detailed and very practical,” Bo explained in her House Tour. “Also, it’s next to the kitchen, so when I’m preparing food, he is also preparing food! He also uses it as a table to just sit at while I’m cooking or sometimes has his breakfast there.”
To read more about several other unexpected projects in Bo’s home, visit the full House Tour on Apartment Therapy.
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