Tuesday, May 24, 2011

The Kitchen Nook

The house I grew up in holds a huge place in my memory...
my bedroom was probably a sewing room for the previous owners, but I still found room to dance to the radio and make funny faces in the mirror..
You had to cross through my mother's bedroom to get to the only bathroom in the house.
We didn't have a dining room, but we did have a gigantic kitchen. It took up more than half of our first floor.
It was a great space; light and airy,well travelled and used.
It's where we ate dinner. Where I sat and struggled to figure out my math homework. Where I sat on a chair when I was naughty.


My mother, the fantastic natural chef, made delicious meals in that space..it always smelled amazing.
The house I call our family home today has a large kitchen where we spend most of our time...
I wanted this important space to be laid out in a manner which welcomes imaginative play and a sense of togetherness.


Our children's kitchen area is one of the most loved spaces in our home. The playschool children enjoy "preparing snacks" and W is just starting to imitate some of my actions while cooking. His favorites seem to be the sink and shaking spices from a jar...




I try to keep the playfood and accessories to a minimum. A few wooden plates, a cutting board, some wooden fruits and veggies for slicing, and some handmade felt food are what I have chosen for the time being. The children also have access to four of my bottom cupboards where they will find measuring cups, utensils, and containers.
I searched for a long while to find a handmade wooden kitchen that suited both our needs and budget. The best value I have found has been Willow Toys.


Ironing has become a favorite past time in our house for the children. They enjoy ironing silks, handkercheifs, and all of my kitchen linens. It is one of our most used playthings! I found our set on ebay for $15. The brooms and featherdusters always come out after lunch when it's time to clean up the crumbs. The canvas bag holds aprons and smocks:)



We enjoy our snacks together while at the table in the "sunny part" of the kitchen.
The wooden bowls were a steal at a thrift store outlet (yes, outlet! amazing!) for 0.15 each!


Unfortunately, the ants still love our kitchen as much as we do...!
I'm looking forward to sharing more photos of our playspaces as I finish a few projects.
Happy Homemaking:)




14 comments:

  1. Just lovely Rebecca! I can see why the kids love spending time there. I love how you have used the space.

    We set up the breakfast nook in our new apartment as a play space too! I love having W right there near me while I work in the kitchen.

    Blessings!

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  2. Lovely, Rebecca. Thank you for sharing.
    We don't actually have a space in our kitchen for O's wooden kitchen. So, it is in the dining room right next to the entrance to the kitchen instead. We're house-hunting right now and space for O's kitchen within the big kitchen is among our requirements ;) Ours is also from Willow Toys (Liam's Kitchen)! Love it!♥
    ~Carrie

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  3. Those bowls were an amazing find! Love them! I love our kitchen floorplan too. It invites so much sharing and activity. My littles tend to do art at the kitchen table unless they are helping me. I enjoy having them right nearby. Love your little kitchen setup. <3

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  4. I love seeing your layout of your home and play areas. I always get a sense of warmth and it's what I want to portray in my home as well. I love getting ideas from your photos.

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  5. How cozy! I want to come and eat a snack at your house. What a great find on those bowls! I love coming across treasures like that. How old is W now? I plan on buying Eoghan a play kitchen too, but wasn't sure at what age he would begin to enjoy it.

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  6. Those wooden bowls are fantastic! As is the rest of your kitchen, play and otherwise. We have a large kitchen as well, and it is the heart of our home.

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  7. It all looks lovely!
    Greetings from Severine

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  8. I LOVE this space. The colors are beautiful, the lighting is beautiful and the play kitchen is beautiful. We bought ours from Willow Toys as well.

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  9. it all looks so beautiful and inviting, Rebecca. and i love those wooden bowls - what a great find :)

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  10. I highly recommend putting empty (unwashed) herb and spice bottles in the kids kitchen. Cinnamon, mace, rosemary, curry, oregano, even an old vanilla extract bottle--Rowan loves to sniff them before deciding which he'll use in his imaginary stew!

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  11. amanda, that's a great idea!!

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  12. Such beautiful spaces! Our play kitchen is from the same place (person? Family?) and we love it. My daughter uses it all day every day, lol.

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  13. very nice. I am planning on making a kitchen set, a lot like this one!

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  14. Newcomer to your enchanted space, I want to grow up at your house!! Oh, wait I'll be 32 on Wednesday, darn. We recently moved & inherited an ant problem. "They" say that ants won't cross a line of cinnamon and that if you set out a dish of cornmeal they will take it home and it swells up their bellies and well ya know..... I don't know how you feel about ants so maybe that's too aggressive for you ;) Our rule is bugs outside ok, bugs in the house, no thanks! Have a blessed day!

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