Tablecloth Playhouse with fun, adorable details kids love

Rebecca wanted to make an amazing, foldable tablecloth playhouse for her children using her ordinary dining room table. 

IKEA items used: 
melltorp table

Photo: IKEA.com

Other materials and tools: 

Optional

Tablecloth playhouse for IKEA table

The Table Tent sewing pattern to fit over the IKEA MELLTORP 4-seater table. You can also make it for any sized table.

On the outside, it has windows, a door and a garage on one side.

tablecloth playhouse ikea melltorp

Related: 20 fabulous kids room decorating ideas from Instagram


The win for this tent are the details inside. It features a kitchen with a 2-door fridge, bathroom with a bathtub, bedroom with twin beds and a dining area. All these are sewn into the interior of the tent.

pattern preview
tablecloth playhouse

But hands down the cutest thing has to be the fridge!

It has doors that open up to reveal food, glorious play food. Velcro behind the food items means they can be removed and used in other parts of the playhouse. If you want to bake a cake, you can remove it from the fridge and stick it in the oven. (We know that’s not exactly how it works, but it’s still lots of fun!)

Better yet, you get to decide the level of customization you want to have for your Table Tent playhouse. You can go all out like Rebecca, adding fun little details tailored to your child’s interest or sew a plain table tent with four walls and a door.

How long and how much did it cost? 

The Tablecloth Playhouse can be made as quickly as you can sew. If you are proficient in sewing and making a more simple table tent,  the Table Tent may only take you a couple of days to make.

If you are not as proficient at sewing then the Tablecloth Playhouse may take you up to a week to make with many breaks in between. The MELLTORP Table from IKEA can be assembled in 30 minutes. The price of the hack is dependent on the cost of fabric but, ballpark, it cost around $125 including the MELLTORP table. 

exterior view
What do you like most about the hack? 

The Table Tent Playhouse can remain on the MELLTORP Table indefinitely as a permanent playhouse, or you can easily remove it from the table, fold it up and use your MELLTORP Table to eat dinner. The Table Tent is the perfect children’s playhouse for small spaces!

What was the hardest part about this hack? 

Deciding what details you want to include in your Table Tent. You can embellish the Table Tent with any details that you want to include, inside and out. Rebecca’s Table tent has a bathroom, kitchen, bedrooms and tons of details inside. Others might opt to make a simple table tent with a fun exterior and a plain interior. 

What to pay special attention to? 

All of the amazing ways you can customize the Table Tent Playhouse for the child in your life. 

Looking back, would you have done it differently? 

Nothing. Rebecca loves this Tablecloth Playhouse and so do her children! They haven’t stopped playing in it!

See more of the table tent. Buy the pattern here. (Not sponsored, love the hack.~ Jules)

~ by Rebecca Page