KidKraft Little Cook's Work Station Play Kitchen

I looked all over for a kitchen that would be fitting for our tall 3yo. I wanted to have it ready for her birthday and it was a delight to see the joy on her face. It would be great if there was a fridge to accompany it... hopefully a generic one will be made available in the future that could accompany any of the kitchenettes. I actually enjoyed the assembly of the unit. However, after opening the box, I noticed that a few of the screws were missing. Some parts that were supposed to have 5 only had 4. In fact, I actually think that its impacting the stability of this unit. The main piece that we need is the one that we were shorted. The unit is very wobbly and basically spins on the middle leg on an uncarpeted floor. On the carpet, its great. But we don't have carpet in our kitchen, which is where its going. I hope that I can figure out the issue. It does look like one of the legs may be shorter than the others. Not sure. I'm not happy about it, but as long as our daughter likes it- its a win for her!

If you have high expectations (or any, really) then you will be disappointed. I was looking for a kitchen that was in expensive and simple for my twins. I had low expectations and got what I paid for. The cabinet construction is flimsy - not sure how long it will last. It also arrived with a missing stove grate and was pretty time consuming to put together. Certainly requires two people to assemble to make sure things line up. The other reviewers that complain the holes don’t line up probably just didn’t figure out the precise orientation for the pieces. It is a puzzle because there’s a few permutations to orient and combine pieces. My husband and I are both engineers and still found it a bit challenging but managed to get things to align without having to drill or force new holes. Given my requirements I think I would have gone with another sturdier product. I have demoted it to a toy that will stay at the grandparents’ house so it’s not exposed to the harsh, everyday play like the toys we have at home.

Some pre-drilled holes weren’t lined up with where some of the screws had to be screwed in to. And one of the boards didn’t have any holes at all so I needed to drill them in myself and ended up splitting the wood a tiny bit. Otherwise the size is perfect for a small space and the tiny modern kitchen look is adorable as well as gender neutral, which I found great.

It’s very clean looking and stable. Looks very much like an authentic kitchen set. The all whiteness fits in with any home decor so we. Just leave it out in the living room. I didn’t want to get my kid another plastic one and just have him easily disassemble/move it around. And I wanted him to be able to enjoy it for a couple years so the wooden quality and sturdiness is a plus. It’s got 4 stoves and the turning knobs that make actual turning noise just like a real stove. He loves the oven too(got him a toy pizza for it). The kitchen set is only the set so we got him extra plastic food and cooking utensils. Put a stool there for him he can stay there playing for at least a couple hours. Will get him new sets of complimentary food/cooking tools for Christmas so its simpleness is great For future add-ons. The only thing was assembly wasn’t a 5 star for me. Everything else was simple enough(they label all the pieces, no confusion there) except the two side cardboards didn’t have a front or back label to clarify. So we were toward the end and had to detach/reattach them flipped around to fit everything in. I wish there was a label to specify which side is inner and which is outer. But that could just be us being not pro-furniture-assembly enough! Anyways this set is def a recommend!!!!

Following the step-by-step instructions for install, the legs/corners of the piece are attached by a single screw at the bottom (I believe that’s step 5 or 6 of the 24 step process). This gives you the general frame from which to construct. I fastened these as firmly as I could, but they remained easily movable and would twist slightly or fall over, which increases the difficulty level of sliding in the panel walls into the grooves of the legs (to which the internal shelves are attached). Even after these are put in place, and even after the front knob board is fastened, everything is still loose and movable until the full countertop is installed. But once that is in places it’s stable and feels durable. I really like the product. The children play and play with it, and they seem to enjoy pretending to make full meals and suddenly remember they left something in the oven and run over in a panic to grab it out. I cannot tell you how many imaginary steaks and cakes I’ve eaten. Just know that you WILL BE TEMPTED, out of frustration, to over tighten the screws that hold the legs in place. I resisted this temptation, because I knew if I stripped the hole, it simply wouldn’t stay together. I did read the reviews beforehand, including that some people stated definitively that they found construction challenging. I now agree with them. However, it is a lovely piece, and I’m a little jealous of the kids. The coloring and style of the kitchen are very nice, and it is not an eyesore like some of the louder, more obnoxious play kitchens I’ve seen. This can sit perfectly in our living room, regardless of who may come to visit. We make the kids keep all of their toys put away when not in use, so as to avoid clutter and looking messy. This is welcome to stay put.

I took a chance on this, despite all the reviews saying it was impossible to assemble. Took me about an hour, and I had zero issues! The people who are saying the holes don’t line up just needed to adjust the way they inserted the side panel, and flip it a different way to make it work (I think). When I first put the side panels in, found the same thing, but just some quick critical thinking will fix the problem. The doors stay on just fine and all of that, sounds like just assembly issues for people. I love this because it’s simple and actually has counter space if you don’t attach all the parts! I put little white stickers over the holes that weren’t filled since I left the cutting board and two burners off. Buy a bin from Dollar Tree, and it will fill the bottom open space perfectly for storage!!