We've talked about wallpaper in the kitchen before, showing vibrant, pretty kitchens decked out in paper; as well as smaller installations, like above the cabinets and in a storage niche. And now we're curious: Would you ever put wallpaper in the kitchen? Or does the idea make you shudder? If the latter, you might have your mind changed by something unusual about the wallpaper in the photo above.
This lovely kitchen is from a home in Colorado, where the owner knew she didn't want an all-white kitchen. So there are serious splashes of color in the island and wallpaper backsplash. The wallpaper is actually custom and hand-painted (hello, spendy!!) and the designer protected the paper with a ProSeal coating. Supposedly this protects the paper and makes it completely impermeable to stains and splashes — almost as good as a tile backsplash.
I'm not familiar with this coating, but if it's as good as it sounds, it does make wallpaper a slightly more practical option. Heck, it could even be cheaper than tile or stone.
→ More about the kitchen pictured above: "Home of the Year" Kitchen at Houzz
Do you have wallpaper in your kitchen? Or does the very thought make your skin crawl?
More Wallpaper in the Kitchen
• 10 Examples of Wallpaper in the Kitchen: Just a Splash, Used Well
• Lots (!) More Wallpaper in Kitchens
• Look! Wallpaper in the Kitchen
• Before & After: Wallpapered Kitchen Niche
• Glow In The Dark Kitchen Wallpaper
• Design Inspiration: Josef Frank Wallpaper in the Kitchen
• Pretty Kitchen Idea: Hang Wallpaper In the Wasted Space Above Kitchen Cabinets
(Image: Emily Minton Redfield for Andrea Monath Schumacher & OInterior Design)
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If you like the pattern, and can get it with a durable/washable surface, why not?
Our pantry is lined and it's a nightmare to clean. Little tears hold in bacteria - I think paint for us is easier to clean. Especially if you're like me and get splatter everywhere.
The proseal coating is a good idea but I wonder how much more that costs. Also I prefer solids to patterns anyway. I might like the look in other homes, though.
Does the proseal coating also make the wallpaper harder to remove? A lot of wallpaper removal techniques depend on liquid permeating the paper and dissolving the glue underneath.
that kitchen is super cute though!
Why would it make your skin crawl?
I love patterns, but wallpaper in general makes my skin crawl (removing it is just that awful; nothing against it in the kitchen in particular). I'd rather take the time to do a cool paint job directly on the wall.
I love the look of that kitchen, especially with that green painted island - it's perfect!
You could just as easily have a muralist come in and paint a similar design. Or DIY it with a stencil. I, too, wonder how a sealed wallpaper would behave at removal time. Because wallpaper is such a personal choice you know it's going to be removed by someone sometime down the road.
the previous owners of my home had wallpaper all over the kitchen. I didn't care for the pattern (country kitsch with geese all over it) but I especially didn't like the steam from boiling pots causing it to peel off the walls. done properly wallpaper may be ok in a kitchen but it's impractical and unsanitary by the stove
Wallpaper is too fussy for my tastes, but I think it looks great in small spaces.
Its super cute but... instead of painting she hired someone to paint wallpaper then applied that? Doesnt that seem a little redundant?
But yes, wallpaper in kitchen could totally work!
My mom had wallpaper in all her kitchens apart from the current one and it always looked good, plus she had a knack for applying it well (no peeling, even by the sink). Seriously. The people who bought her house ten years ago still have her paper up in the kitchen because they like it so much. Mum thinks that's a bit strange: she replaced the stuff every few years before it got dated.
I dont think I would ever put wallpaper on the walls, but I am an artist and I have painted all over my living room and my bathroom, which is much easier to paint over. When I see houses and they have wallpaper, I always think $$$$ to remove it... and in the kitchen the peeling at the corners would be a complete let down. This kitchen looks stunning. love the bold colors.
and I just noticed, drawers, drawers on both sides of the corner in the kitchen. That is so much valuable real estate space in NYC - that corner is completely lost, but not in Colorado obviously, and not in this project which doesn't seem short of funds....
I think that in the right space, with the right paper it can be great! Personally, I love stuff that I can sanitize, wipe down and that won't corrode or peel away with repeated steam exposure or something. But on a less heavy duty area of the kitchen, it seems almost as practical as washable wall paint. It's fun to have some color and pattern.
I grew up with wallpaper in pretty much all the kitchens of the houses we lived in. The main problem with wallpaper is that it's a pain in the neck to remove, and you tire of the patterns fast. I have nightmarish memories of spending days and days and days removing old wallpaper and then putting a new one when my Mom decided she wanted to change them. But then I think we had wallpaper in all the rooms of the house, not just the kitchen.
OMG please never put wallpaper in your kitchen!!! We are now 5 weeks into getting the hideous wallpaper choice of the previous owner out of ours. It ruins the walls! Seriously, we have scrubbed for hours, with and without chemicals, to remove the glue.
If you want a pattern, stencil it or paint it on. Then later if you change your mind, all you need is a can of primer. Don't have bad owner karma by sticking someone else with difficult-to-change choices.