Cornered Cooktop? How To Treat the Side Wall

Regina Yunghans
Regina Yunghans
Regina is an architect who lives with her husband and children in Lawrence, KS. As a LEED Accredited Professional and longtime contributor to Apartment Therapy and The Kitchn, her focus is on healthy, sustainable living through design.
published Oct 17, 2013
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If your kitchen is pressed for space (or even if it’s not), you just might find yourself with a range or cooktop in a corner. That leaves you with not only a backsplash to think about, but the side wall, which is just as susceptible to splatters as the back wall. How to protect that side wall? Some ideas from Apartment Therapy house tours:

  • In Sara & Becky’s Collaborative Abode, the range is right next to the refrigerator. This gives you the plastic side of the refrigerator as your side wall, which is easy to wipe down!
  • In Patrick’s Rural Agrarian Roots, the side wall has been covered with the same wood as the cabinetry. This gives you a wipeable surface and some cohesiveness with the rest of the kitchen.
  • In Darla & Andrew’s Playful Pad in Greenpoint, the side wall is tiled, ending by some bull-nosed trim before it reaches the corner of the wall.
  • The range in Allison & Luke’s Comfortable Eclectic Apartment has a window at its side. The glass would be easy to clean and the window could be opened in the case of needing extra ventilation or a breath of fresh air while cooking.
  • In Tracy’s Vintage Modern in Manhattan, the side wall is simply painted. But it’s in a color (not white), which would mask some splattering. Using a scrubbable paint finish is a great solution here.

(Images: 1. Alexis Buryk; 2. Bethany Nauert; 3. Andrea Sparacio; 4. Kim Lucian; 5. Andrea Sparacio)