Play Kitchens Suitable for a Boy

It doesn’t matter if I’m cooking or not, my son loves to play with all of my pots and pans in the kitchen.  He also runs up to any play kitchen that he can find at his friends’ houses and plays there for minutes at a time (we are not to hours yet).  Although he is not even a year and a half, I feel like he is subliminally begging me for a play kitchen.  The only issue is that kitchens suitable for a boy, aka not in pink, are hard to come by. But after quite a bit of searching I have narrowed down the search to my top five kitchen sets (non-plastic) suitable for a boy (in no particular order):

This kitchen is by Camden Rose.  It is made of 100% real hard wood, no plywood, particle board, paint, or fancy colors here.  My friend Chelsea likes to call this the ultimate kitchen for the hippie parent.  Honestly I really like the old fashioned simplicity which will help a child use their imagination a little more.

I’m sure most of you have seen this kitchen from Ikea.  It is swedish and simple with clean lines and no fuss.  At the base price of $99 you really can’t go wrong. The size is small enough to fit in a child’s room and the bright colors of fake food will help brighten up the piece.

Now if you like red this is a great set from Pottery Barn Kids with a retro twist.  The pieces can be purchased individually but are expensive ranging from $500-$700. What I like about this set is that it actually looks nice and is very sturdy. Every Pottery Barn Kids store has a few of these pieces on the floor and they are played with by thousands of kids everyday and still look good. Expensive but built to last.

I’m not sure about the quality of this one by Guidecraft because I have not seen it in person, but it looks pretty darn cute to me.  I personally love the unisex turquoise color and like the fact that you don’t have to purchase multiple pieces to have the whole kitchen. It looks like there is quite a bit of assembly required with this one so parents beware, but if you have the space for a large kitchen like this in your room or playroom this is a wonderful choice.

My personal pick (mainly because I am partial to the look of stainless steel) is this one by Kidcraft. I like that it has a low profile so that it can fit under a window and that it does not have a microwave since I don’t like them (I’m hoping to teach my son how to really cook instead of just heat up). The finish is a high gloss which will help avoid chipping and the size is just big enough so that more than one child can play at time.

Which set is your favorite?  Or do you have a particular one at home that you love?

Andrika King Design

Andrika King Design

Andrika lives in Manhattan Beach, CA. Mom of two, Andrika is a California girl at heart with a clean design style showcased in her blog, Nursery Notations, and exemplified in her biz, Andrika King Design.

Comments

  1. Little Apple Design LA

    June 23, 2010

    These are all super! I am so glad you mentioned boy kitchens or something gender-neutral. It was such a struggle for me to find the perfect play kitchen for my sons. I currently own this one: http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=red+play+kitchen&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=8064429346132721627&ei=Y_YiTLmlBY2gnQealHk&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=image&resnum=3&ved=0CDoQ8gIwAg#

    I love the red and it’s held up so exceptionally well despite the constant use.

  2. Jessica

    June 23, 2010

    What a timely post! We are looking for a kitchen for my son snd daughter to share, although my guess is my son will do most of the “cooking.” Can’t beat the Ikea price, but the Guidecraft one is cute too!

  3. Emily

    June 24, 2010

    Thanks for this post! We’re also looking for a play kitchen for my soon to be 2 year old son (although his father is pushing for a train table instead). I’m thinking about this one:http://www.amazon.com/Educo-My-Creative-Cookery-Club/dp/B000A6L6WK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1277388239&sr=8-1

    a friend has it and it’s super cute, price is great, and has a small footprint…

  4. Aaron Greenwood

    June 24, 2010

    we have the kidcraft retro kitchen in the pink for our girls! Its so cute but I have to warn everyone the screws it is built with are very tiny & like to come loose literally every other day. Its become such a chore to keep em tight. My husband is working on doing something different. But other than that its a cute little kitchen for the price.

  5. MalinaStwrt

    June 24, 2010

    Aaron, thanks for your advice about the kidcraft retro kitchen. The kitchen kiddie tables are so adorable.

  6. Jessica

    June 24, 2010

    We also have the KidKraft red retro kitchen and my 2 year old son LOVES it. I’m so happy to see this article because we agonized over whether to buy our son a kitchen (my husband was anti before he saw how much our son loves it) and then which kitchen was appropriate for a little boy. Been very happy with our choice!

  7. Andrika King

    June 24, 2010

    Emily I love the one you posted with the small footprint and it is one of the only ones I have seen with green!! Wonderful!

  8. Rebecca

    June 24, 2010

    Great post!! I love all of them!! Wish I had an extra room in my house! ):

  9. Bibzees

    June 28, 2010

    I love these gender neutral kitchens. Very relevant too b/c I would have to say both my son and daughter have enjoyed their play kitchen equally.

  10. toy kitchen

    September 28, 2011

    It?s really a cool and helpful piece of information. I?m happy that you just shared this useful info with us. Please stay us up to date like this. Thank you for sharing.

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