A Creative Guide For Kitchen Wall Décor
The kitchen is more than just a functional area of the home where meals are prepared & the washing up is done.
The kitchen is often the heart of the home where the family gathers together in the morning (often getting in each other way!) before heading out for the day.
Depending on the style & size of kitchen, it's often a space to share a glass of wine, have a good natter & through some inexplicable law of physics, it's always where you end up at a party!
So is hanging art in the kitchen a good idea? Absolutely! It shouldn't be overlooked as a space to create wonderful wall décor. It can have it's challenges such as steam, grease & food odours, but there are ways to display, as well as styles of art, that can be hung in a kitchen & look fabulous.
There's no shortage of kitchen specific wall art, but many other styles of art can also be suitable.
Wall art can be made from a variety of materials & so too, kitchens come in a variety of shapes, sizes & layouts.
Larger kitchens can have more wall space as well as better ventilation.
Older kitchens can be smaller & kitchenettes will offer their own challenges.
Finding the most practical, as well as aesthetically pleasing spot on the wall, will help you in creating beautiful kitchen décor.
Looking for some kitchen related art?
Where's The Best Place To Hang Art In A Kitchen?
From a practical standpoint, it's simple to find a place where the art won't get damaged by grease or build up of food odours.
Simply feel the walls & surfaces for signs of grease build-up. Often this can be in areas that aren't even near the stove, depending on how the air circulates & carries the steam & odours.
If you've got your eye on a certain wall space, but it can collect a bit of grime over time, then choose artworks that are easy to clean.
Acrylic & metal prints are extremely durable & easy to maintain.
You can explore these articles to learn more about acrylic prints.
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So too are metal signs & basically anything that can be cleaned without causing damage.
As with anywhere in the home, you don't want artwork to be exposed to direct sun over prolonged periods.
So if you have lots of natural light bathing your kitchen walls, framed prints often use a UV protective glass.
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Most acrylic & metal prints will also have a UV protective coating applied & most often UV safe inks are used for many prints these days.
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Should You Hang Art Over a Stove?
It may not appear as a good idea, as obviously the stove is where the cooking is done & grease & odours are created.
But it can be a good choice to hang art over the stove, but it will depend on the type of artwork, as well as the amount of available wall space.
It can depend on how much wall space is available near the stove.
Obviously the higher an artwork is hung, it won't be as affected by steam & odours etc.
You wouldn't want a canvas print for example, being exposed to any heat or food splatter.
Certain wall art is more robust, such as metal & acrylic prints, but grease could still be an issue as scourers & harsher cleaners will damage them.
Framed prints under glass will protect the photograph itself & the frame & glass can always be cleaned when necessary.
Another option for above the stove is to use decorative splash-backs.
These are specifically designed for this purpose & are easily cleaned.
They're available in many colours & designs & some companies even offer the choice of using your own design or photograph.
There's some wonderful decorative mirrors available & the advantage with these is that glass is easy to clean & doesn't absorb stains or cooking odours.
How About Art Above The Kitchen Sink?
Although it's an area that's not as prone to grease & odours, it can still get the occasion splash from washing up & exposure to steam & humidity when hot water is used.
Hanging art above the kitchen sink can be a wonderful idea, as it's an area that's not as prone to grease or other food odours.
So again, more durable artworks would be better, similar to the type of art you'd display over the stove.
Again, the amount of available wall space will determine which style wall art is going to be best.
Provided it's out of splash range, canvas prints are fine, so too any other type of print.
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It's nice when you have a lovely view when doing the washing up, but if you don't have a window over your sink, you can create the next best thing.
Metal & acrylic prints offer amazing depth & colour saturation & a quality high definition photo has an almost 3D effect.
A beautiful landscape image printed to these mediums would be like having a wonderful view outside.
9 Kitchen Friendly Wall Art Ideas
Often when we think of displaying wall art in the kitchen, signs & prints of food images come to mind.
Although these are fantastic ideas, there's plenty of other unusual, quirky & wonderful ways to adorn your kitchen walls.
1. Canvas Prints
Although they don't seem like a unique style of wall art, they do look wonderful & can be used in an original way.
Canvas prints usually come as a wrap, meaning they don't require framing.
But canvas prints can also be mounted & framed, depending on the look you're after.
Check out these cool & fun kitchen art prints at Canvas Cultures!
Either way, it's a print medium where you're able to create multiple prints of the same image or a series of prints of a similar theme.
This can be a fantastic way to liven up your kitchen.
2. Other Print Mediums
We've already mentioned metal & acrylic prints & as well as being extremely durable, they can look amazing.
But wood & wood block prints are becoming quite popular & are a unique way to print photographs.
There's a number of ways these can be produced.
A photographic print can be mounted directly to a sheet of wood, which is then sealed & finished with a protective top coat.
For something different, there are dye-sublimated wood prints.
This is when inks are infused into the wood via a heat process.
Again, a protective top coat is applied to seal the inks.
Then there's direct printing, which as the name implies, the inks are laid down directly onto the wood surface.
This method is also finished with a protective top coat.
Due to the protective coating applied, either print method creates a very durable & easy to clean product.
Each print method also has it's own appeal, but when a thick piece of wood is used it can be a wonderful piece of art to have on your wall.
3. Clocks
The kitchen is usually a space where there's a wall clock.
But with all the amazing designs available nowadays, clocks have become more than merely functional.
Wall clocks can be art in themselves & there's designs to suit any kitchen décor style.
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4. Mirrors
The kitchen's probably not the first place you'd think of for hanging a mirror, but they can be a really effective style of wall art.
As well as various sizes & designs, mirrors can come in unusual shapes too.
This makes them ideal for filling those awkward nooks & crannies.
They also help to bounce light around, ideal for smaller or darker kitchens.
Mirrors are also effective for creating the illusion of more space & depth.
Great for splashbacks, as not only does the space appear larger, they're also easy to clean.
If you don't have a window above the sink, you can recreate a similar look by mounting mirrors into second-hand & up-cycled window frames.
Definitely something unique to try.
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5. Decals & Stickers
Modern wall decals can look fabulous.
They're available in many designs & most are made of vinyl or polyester, which makes them easy to clean.
They can also be removable, so you can switch them out if you decide to redecorate your kitchen.
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6. Wallpaper
Is wallpaper art? There are some amazing designs & it is a wonderful way to lift a tired old kitchen.
Depending on the layout of your kitchen, wallpaper can be used on a single wall or an area of wall space to introduce some colour & design elements.
There's many wallpapers made from vinyl too, so it can also be a practical decorating choice.
But why just stick to the walls? Drawer & cupboard fronts can look amazing when wallpaper is applied well.
There's also wallpaper murals which can cover an entire wall &, especially with open landscape scenes, will help to make a space appear larger.
7. Chalkboard
How about art that you can not only make yourself, but change as often as your creativity inspires you?
Chalkboard is a wonderful medium as you can either buy boards that you can display on the kitchen walls, or use chalkboard paint.
Chalkboard paint is also available in other colours as well as the traditional black, plus the chalk sticks also come in every colour of the rainbow.
Not only for walls, but cupboards can also be a utilized, whether you paint the fronts or cabinet ends.
You can even paint the fridge!
A really practical application if you have young ones too, as they won't get told off for drawing on the walls!
Chalkboard can be cleaned with mild soapy water, so even if there's a gradual build up of grease, you won't need to repaint.
8. Signage
We've already touched on signs, but they are a great way to introduce wall art that reflects the decorating style of the kitchen.
There's rustic & retro signs, through to modern & contemporary signage.
Signs can also have inspirational as well as humorous quotes & sayings.
Made from materials like metal, ceramic & wood, they're relatively easy to clean if they do collect kitchen grime.
9. Calendars
Calendars are another practical item that are usually found hanging in the kitchen.
But practical doesn't mean they can't be beautiful.
There's many companies that print high quality calendars with beautiful photography & imagery.
You can also print your own photos, whether they're family or holiday pictures, or you're a keen photographer with some amazing shots.
Many photographers will also offer their work in a form of a calendar.
The great thing about calendars is, that once the month is finished, you can frame or mount the photograph & create another piece of wall art.
Final Thoughts
Any room in the home benefits from some type of wall art & kitchens are no different.
Like any home, kitchens can be of a certain era or decorated in a certain style, & there's no shortage of wall art to be be found that will match or compliment that style.
Art always makes a room feel complete & adds to creating a wonderful environment.
So even if you're just in the kitchen by yourself doing the washing up, a beautiful décor will make it much more enjoyable.
I hope this article inspired you to hang some artwork in your kitchen & please feel free to share.
