Classic Black & White DIY Playhouse Makeover

Updated: Aug 13, 2022

At our house, we love KidKraft products, from our play kitchen to the playhouse and backyard swing set. My son has enjoyed his Greystone Cottage for several years. We’ve decorated it for holidays, potted flowers all around, and of course, experienced endless hours of play.

My son is now on to bigger things like the Lookout Extreme Wooden Swing Set, so I decided to give our rustic cottage a makeover for my daughter’s first birthday. I decided to go with a classic look, and what’s more classic than black and white?

For the house, I chose Sherwin Williams SuperPaint Exterior in Extra White Satin. This product is a paint-and-primer in one, which made things easy. I first attempted the paint job with a roller and brush, but quickly realized there were just too many nooks and crannies for that to work. I switched to the Wagner FLEXiO 3000 Paint Sprayer, which did the trick.

Prior to painting, we removed all the windows, and accessories. My mom helped me spray paint the windows black with Krylon Fusion All-in-One Satin Black Spray Paint from Lowe’s, which is also a paint-and-primer. I spray painted the doorbell with this as well.

For the door, I wanted to keep a natural wood look, just in a deeper cooler. Minwax Jacobean is a go-to stain color for me, and it turned out perfectly.

The mailbox got a facelift with Krylon Foil Metallic in Copper. It impressively looks like real metal!

Once the painting was complete, the fun commenced! I worked on all the little details that gives the playhouse real character. These solar powered lanterns from Amazon are not only the perfect size, but give off a lot of light!

While we removed the little sink and stovetop that originally came with the playhouse because of wear-and-tear, and because it had a tendency to hold rainwater and breed mosquitos (gotta love Houston!), I wanted to keep an element of food play. I created this little café window with a few things from Hobby Lobby and these almost-too-real muffins from Amazon.

How amazing is this rattan bench Homegoods find?! I couldn't believe my luck (and the price)! It’s just too cute and the perfect playhouse accent.

Now for the greenery! The topiaries are from Overstock, the lavender wreath from Hobby Lobby, and the ivy is from Amazon. The ivy is where I got accused of being too extra by my husband, but I just couldn’t help myself! I soaked the vines in some water to eliminate any run-off dye and hung them up to dry. I applied it to the house with hot glue. It would have been easier to use staples, but I didn’t want to put holes into the wood in the event that the ivy didn't work out.