Finding the right wallpaper for your kitchen

Going through extensive kitchen renovations can take up a lot of time and money, so if you’re looking to update your kitchen, why not try wallpaper? Patterned wallpaper can give your space some much needed color and help to transform your kitchen. The tricky part is finding a wallpaper that works with the current style and color scheme you have in your space. Here are a few tips that will help you select the right one:

Collect pictures
Start looking through interior design magazines and websites and put together a group of photos containing wallpaper that you love. Once you’ve gathered all of the images you enjoy, look through them and try to identify a common theme. Maybe you love floral patterns, or you tend to choose wallpaper with geometric patterns. Figuring out the type of wallpaper you like can help you narrow down your search.

Consider room size
Would you like your kitchen to appear more spacious? Or do you prefer a cozier room? The wallpaper that you choose can create an illusion of your kitchen either being bigger or smaller. For example, vertical patterns such as stripes help to lengthen walls and add square footage to your kitchen. Horizontal patterns, however, can make narrow rooms feel a bit wider, and the ceiling lower. The design that you choose for your wallpaper can also have an impact on the appearance of your kitchen. A bold, graphic pattern tends to make rooms feel more intimate, while small-scale patterns do the opposite, creating the appearance of a spacious kitchen.

Subtle or bold?
Ask yourself what you hope to accomplish by adding wallpaper to your kitchen. Do you want it to offer a subtle, subdued beauty? Or would you rather have it stand out, adding some drama to the space? Knowing what style you want can help narrow down your options.
Sample wallpaper
You won’t truly know how you feel about a particular design or color of wallpaper until you test it out at home. Tape a sample to a wall in your kitchen and leave it up there for a few days. See how it complements the other items in the room, like your white vessel sink or wall-mounted kitchen faucets. If after a few days you find that you still love it, you may have found the perfect wallpaper. If you’re not totally enthused about it, experiment with new patterns or colors until you find the best fit for your kitchen.

Matte or shimmery?
While most wallpapers offer a matte finish, there are some that come with a shimmery sheen. Metallic wallpapers provide an elegant touch to your kitchen, and the sheen bounces light around the room to help the space feel light and airy.

Think about color
Color is what helps set a mood in every room of your home. Therefore, you should think about what ambiance you would like in your kitchen. An intimate, cozy kitchen should use warm shades like red or orange. If you want to highlight your modern kitchen, opt for cool colors on your wallpaper, such as grays or blues.