KidKraft Vintage Wooden Play Kitchen with Pretend Ice Maker and Play Phone, Blue

UPDATE 5/22/2013: MY 4 YR OLD DAUGHTER LOVES IT!After looking at all the plastic junk at the big box stores I decided to do some research online for a better quality kitchen and found Kidkraft. Their website showed a number of good quality wood products, and after looking at the prices I decided to go with the PVK (Pink Vintage Kitchen). Although still a few weeks away from her birthday, I am positive my daughter will love this kitchen. The style, color, features and quality should ensure this will get a lot of use. My wife thinks its a bit short for a 4 year old and wishes we had gotten this for her 2nd or 3rd ...but I think raising it on a platform or getting some cool vintage retro sofa legs would help raise it 3" or 4 when/if required, but not yet.I purchased this via Amazon from DiscountgiantUSA. Total price was $132 shipped! For what I got I am very happy with the value. The 50lb. box took about a week to arrive. Be sure to go through the entire contents of the box first, and double check with the parts list before starting assembly to make sure you have all the parts and in good condition. There are a lot of pieces and its advisable to have everything you need before starting. As luck would have it one of the larger pieces (part #1) had a small chip at a corner in a noticeable spot. I called up Kidkraft and without hesitation they sent me a replacement panel. Although it took a few days to ship the replacement panel, the customer service was really good ...just call them and they will send you whatever you need.Assembly Notes: My part #1 was damaged at the corner out of the box, but Kidkraft replaced it asap via fedex that week. I also experienced a slight de-lamination damage on top edge of the fridge backing (that I had not noticed on initial inspection), and had to trim a bit off with a box knife so that top panel slot would fit over the backing. Not an issue if you're handy with tools, but a pain for beginners. Hardware "C" nuts require a slot screwdriver as a philips cannot grip the shallow screw head. You will need a stubby slot screwdriver (or penny) to screw the two "C" nuts from inside the microwave area. The feet build feels a bit thin and delicate, so be very careful not to over-tighten as they look like they could crack if turned more than an 1/8th of a turn tight. The instructions are very basic, and some steps take a bit of thought (ie. which way do the vertical panels align, how to slide the backing panels in), but overall the steps work.Build Time: (more if you need a part from KidKraft)0.5 hr part checklist & inspection2.5 ht assembly3.0 hr total timeDesign: Overall pretty good, a few minor rubbing marks but nothing really that noticeable. I'm a bit disappointed that the oven door does not swing down, but that's being picky. It would be really nice to trick out the PVK with SS (stainless steel) door handles, adjustable feet, SS sink, and SS faucet (ie to match the right hand dowel shelf supports), and a real clock too. I would be happy to pay more $$'s for the above, or an "upgrade kit", but that may be overkill ;-)Summary: At $132 delivered, the PVK is a really great kitchen, and much nicer than the plastic junk from the big box stores that you pay $100+ for. This is more like furniture, a nice heirloom or hand-down, and likely to have a good resale once outgrown. Part inspection and check-listing is critical ..so don't skip this step. The 2.5 hr assembly is pretty intense and non-stop, very ikea'esq. If you have no problems with furniture assembly then this is not too difficult a project, but beginners may need an extra pair of hands and a weekend ;-)Design: 9/10 (cute-cool-retro, functional, stainless steel hardware/adjustable legs would be nice)Quality: 8/10 (pretty good, a few of the plastics seem cheap, but inline with price)Service: 10/10 (Kidkraft are awesome!)Value: 9/10 (good price, wood build is always better than plastic)Overall: 9/10 (highly recommended)

This is so cute and my girls have so much fun with it. It took 2 people and about one hour to assemble it. Instructions are clear. The material is very sturdy, we love it !

The media could not be loaded. *If you have a question I didn't address here, please comment. I can usually reply within 24 hours!*I will try to keep this review short, however, I want to be sure I cover everything. First, I have to say that any "negative" is SO WORTH IT for his product. That's why I gave it 5 stars. But I WILL be covering what some of the struggles are with it along with some things I think could have taken it to the next level.COLORThe color on my screen matched the color of the product I received. Of course, screen settings may vary, but you are going to get an aqua/robin's egg blue shade. It's not a "simple light blue". There is a nuance to this color that gives it a distinct retro feel, like there is a SLIGHT hint of mint mixed in with your light blue. It's really just the most charming color. Ever.QUALITYThese are solid-wood pieces. This was probably better quality than some of the adult furniture in my house. The paining is clean and there were only 2 small chips that are not visible when assembled that were around screw holes. The shipping packaging is well thought out to keep the item from being damaged. Have a garbage bag on hand to deal with the pesky Styrofoam, though!WHAT'S INCLUDEDJUST the kitchen. No pots, pans, utensils, or play food.RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ACCESSORIESIf you want some recommendations, they are as follows:Pots, Pans, Utensils: Melissa & Doug Let's Play House! Pots Pans SetFood: Hape, Playfully Delicious Garden Salad set, Hape Playfully Delicious Hamburger and Hot Dogs, Learning Resources New Sprouts sets (we did Health Dinner, Healthy Lunch, and Healthy Breakfast), Learning Resources New Sprouts Waffle Time, Plan Toys Breakfast Menu.Dress Up: KidKraft Tasty Treats Chef Accessory SetASSEMBLYThis is a time-consuming task. I really doubt it can be assembled in an hour, but hey, maybe you are faster than me. This took me 2 hours, maybe 3? At first I was thinking, this is pretty easy, but as you go on, you start to be like... what the heck? Suddenly you need different kind of pieces, and it's jarring. But those pieces are absolutely needed and could not have been replaced with anything else that I can think of. Keep in mind, there are NO written directions. Pictures only.I did encounter a few problems with assembly. Some were my fault.Problem 1) Although I started at image 1 for about 10 minutes, trying to be sure I had the board facing the right direction and the was putting the plastic piece on correctly, it wasn't until near the end when I was attaching that piece to another bigger piece that I realized I actually put the plastic piece on the wrong side of the wood! Not only that, but when I was first assembling, I wasn't sure if they wanted me to screw from both sides, as there were what looks like more than one set of screw holes on the plastic. So I tried screwing from both sides, couldn't, and as a result, when it ended up being on the "wrong" side, and I moved it to the correct side, you could see two spots where I ruined the wood. So, here's what you need to know: At no point do you need to screw a hole into the wood. All the holes you need area already there. I've assembled a lot of furniture and sometimes you DO need to screw the wood yourself in certain spots, so this was the cause of my confusion.Problem 2) Getting the "legs" of the kitchen on takes some serious man hands! I have bruises on my hand from the task. It was VERY resistant, an perhaps one of the most frustrating and time consuming tasks in putting this together. I actually had doubts I could even get the back legs on correctly because it seemed impossible for my hand to push that allen wrench while holding the leg still despite the resistance for the screw to go in. But alas, I did it. It sucked, but I did it.Tip 1: At one point, you need to screw these little clip things on. "R" I think. The first time or two, you only need one clip. So I didn't notice as I went on that some of the pieces require this clip on either side. So when I caught on, I had to unscrew and redo.Tip 2: Make sure that when you put the little "nuts" on that you put the wrenchable-side flush against the wood. This will make it easier to hold the nuts still while you screw in the bolts for those pieces. For some reason, I was putting them on upside down at first, which made things more complicated than they needed to be...Tip 3: Have someone help you put on the doors. It makes things a thousand times easier. My 6 year old with autism helped me.Maybe you have more brain cells than I do and my problems never would have been a problem for you. But if, like me, you have "mommy brain" and aren't always working at full capacity, these tips may save you a few troubles.FEATURESThe doors "snap" open and closed; I like that they can be securely shut but without needing too much force to open. Seems they found the sweet spot in this delicate balance.The product comes with an anchoring kit so that you can anchor this safely to your wall, if you so choose."Spinnable" microwave.Removable "baking tray" in the oven.Stove/Oven knobs "click" when you turn them.Phone with "cradle" ... this is my 2 year old's favorite part so far. She keeps picking up the phone and "babbling"... which is pretty amazing since she is speech delayed and doesn't babble normally :)SIZEIt wouldn't hurt if it was a TAD taller to prolong the length of time (age wise) it can be played with standing, however, it's really a great size for a 2-4 year old, and beyond that, kids can either hunch over a little or sit up on their knees to play. This is what my 8 year old has been doing. Our 2 year old is the perfect height for this. It's on par with the height/size of most play kitchens.STORAGEI was hoping I would be able to store more in the fridge and cabinets, but overall, I can store a few things at a time. For example, I keep the salad kit on one shelf, and the waffle kit on another. Then I have room at the bottom that I could probably stack 2 baskets filled of things. There's another cabinet under the sink where I keep utensils, and in the "open cabinet" under that I keep the apron and chef's hat. I would recommend getting some small baskets (measure to see which size would fit best) so that you can store the playfood in the basket inside the fridge. Or get a container to keep all the playfood in. You can also store a small bowl of fake fruit next the microwave, as you see in the stock image. Finally, we keep the Melissa and Doug pots and pan set above the fridge, and then a toaster and mixer above the microwave/shelf.IDEAS FOR IMPROVEMENTI would LOVE to see them upgrade the fridge to have a fake ice dispenser. We almost got a different set that had this feature, and that was really the only thing that almost swayed our decision. I think we like this one more than we would have liked that one, but it was hard to let go of the ice dispenser, which seemed like such a fun idea. It dispensed wooden ice cubes. Anyway, if they DO make this upgrade, PLEASE (please please please) a) make it fit into the current "drink dispenser" location b) offer it for sale separately so people who want to upgrade can do so affordably c) send out an email to those who have purchased this so they know it's available. Seriously, if they added that, this would be BEYOND perfect!OVERALLWe are extremely pleased with our purchase and the kids LOVE it--and that is the most important thing. I think this is one of the best purchases we've ever made. Also, my husband saw it and assumed I must have spent "at least 300 on it" and didn't believe me the price was half that until I showed him the product on Amazon. It's really an impressive toy!