6 IKEA DUKTIG hacks that are NOT play kitchens

ikea duktig play kitchen ideas

The IKEA DUKTIG. Undoubtedly the king of play kitchens.

Chances are, if you’ve bought the toy kitchen, you would have searched Pinterest for hack ideas and found thousands of IKEA play kitchen hacks.

The easiest IKEA play kitchen makeover usually involve:

1. Spray painting the handles or swapping it out for different ones
2. Adding a peel-and-stick tile backsplash
3. Covering the countertop with contact paper
4. Changing the color of the oven and door
5. Adding stick-on dials to the oven

Some more advanced DUKTIG hacks include:

1. Turning the basin into a working sink and faucet with running water
2. Making a matching fridge for the DUKTIG
3. Adding a digital timer to the oven.

ikea duktig play kitchen
DUKTIG play kitchen | IKEA.com

But what if the kiddo gets bored of cooking?

Luckily, the IKEA toy kitchen is quite the blank canvas and you can easily DIY it into a myriad of dramatic play experiences.

(If you want a quick and easy swap, there are many Etsy vendors who sell peel and stick decals that can change the DUKTIG into a lemonade stand, cafe and more.)

But for the more adventurous, here are a few IKEA play kitchen hacks to inspire you to transform it into something much more than a play kitchen.

IKEA play kitchen hack alternatives

1. A movable coffee cart

Brent and Courtney did a superb job transforming the mini kitchen into a coffee cart on wheels. Can you spot the donut holders? The addition of wheels on one end of the DUKTIG and handles on the other is brilliant. Cart it away when the day’s work (or play) is over.

Give me a donut and an espresso, Connor, while I watch the video of the build process:

2. A pop-up kids grocery store

Anja’s pop-up store is the coolest — it has RIMFORSA baskets to hold “produce” and a pretty canopy that can be folded away.

In fact, all parts are either removable or foldable. She can push the pop-up store back against the wall in a jiffy and it becomes the old DUKTIG kitchen again. Win!

Here’s a version, more extensive than a pop-up store. It’s more of a play supermarket. Nothing much hacked on the IKEA play kitchen itself but the set-up is fabulous.

Shop replacement sticker decals for DUKTIG oven and microwave

3. IKEA ice-cream stand hack

Over at our FB group, Tessa shares her IKEA DUKTIG hack, turning it into an ice-cream stand for her toddler. She accessorised it with such cute toys and says her son can now “sell you ice cream, fresh fruits, milkshake, coffee and maybe even a Frappuccino.”

To inspire you, here’s another version of a delicious looking ice-cream stand.

And yet another, complete with a cute striped awning and chalkboard front. Because we need to know the flavor of the day before we can make any sales. See the tutorial here.

Related: A DUKTIG puppet theatre

4. IKEA play kitchen cafe hack

This is Yoshibo‘s hack on the DUKTIG, turning it into a cafe. I like the small frosted “window” that hides the “backend” of the cafe and the small wooden shade. Classy little thing.

IKEA play kitchen hacks - kids market stand
Photo: Yoshibo2002

Tiffanie’s version leans towards the natural. It definitely captures the organic vibe with fresh plants, shiplap wallpaper and a handwritten signboard. A letterboard completes it.

Watch her tutorial here.

Or go all the way and make the IKEA DUKTIG kitchen a full-fledged diner. I dig the accompanying checkered table cloth. Can’t go wrong with this one.

5. A flower stand

A departure from food. This IKEA hack showcases the DUKTIG as a flower stand. How pretty!

6. Can’t decide? Keep it flexible

Why stick to one when you can have a cafe, ice-cream parlour and lemonade stand all in one? Chalkboard paint, decor and a different set of of toy accessories will help you turn the toy kitchen into anything you want it to be.

duktig bakery
As a bakery … | Photo: Hue Me Happy
duktig restaurant
… and Italian ristorante | Photo: Hue Me Happy

Take a leaf from Hue Me Happy and paint the back of the kitchen in black chalkboard paint. Your kids can then write signs, menus and draw up their store logos too. Kids will come up with their own favourite versions of the DUKTIG.

Have you hacked an IKEA DUKTIG play kitchen into something else lately? Share it with us.

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