How to visually expand the space in a small kitchen with wallpaper
If you choose wallpaper for a small kitchen wisely, you can create not just a beautiful design, but also visually increase the space. This can be achieved in the following ways:
- Finish in light colors. Dark colors on wallpaper are only allowed as patterns on a light background. However, you shouldn’t opt for white either, because it’s not only uncomfortable, but also impractical.
- Choose wallpaper in pastel colors with small, possibly geometric patterns. Large vertical stripes can somewhat expand the space of other rooms in the apartment, but in a small area they, like large drawings, will look bulky.
- Use canvases with small horizontal or vertical stripes to visually increase the space in width or length, respectively. This approach can be used if the kitchen looks disproportionate. A good option is to cover the upper part of the wall with such wallpaper, paint or plaster the lower part to match.
- Play on contrasts. To do this, a pair of long walls are covered with wallpaper in a dark color scheme, and a pair of end walls are covered in a light color scheme. This is a relatively new design idea, but it is starting to gain popularity.
- Use glossy or mirror wallpaper. They noticeably expand the space due to their reflective abilities.
- Cover one wall with photo wallpaper with deep drawings or landscapes. However, it is important that they are of good quality, otherwise the effect will be blurred.
- Choose soft patterns. This will make the space airier and, therefore, larger.
- Order wallpaper with a kitchen print. The drawing will visually continue the room, which, if done well, looks very good. However, it must exactly match the actual kitchen environment, and therefore the production of such canvases will be very expensive.
Note! When choosing, you should take into account how often and severely the coatings will become dirty, and choose them in accordance with your wishes.
Strip
Interior design for a small and bright kitchen
Fractional or large transverse stripes are a popular motif in kitchen decoration. But in a small kitchen space neither a transverse nor a longitudinal strip will work. It will only narrow the room or flatten it visually. Fans of stripes can use them only on one accent wall across or opposite the workplace. You can also use striped wallpaper, just to top it off, dividing the space into upper and lower parts. If you want to stick striped wallpaper in a small kitchen, no matter what, then use a material with a subtle, subtle pattern.
Small kitchen design with dark wallpaper
Tip: Wallpaper is often matched to existing furniture and curtains. At the very least, try to combine only warm or only cold tones with each other.
Fans of stripes can use them only on one accent wall across or opposite the workplace
See alsoWhich wallpaper design is suitable for the kitchen
Zoning the kitchen using ornaments
A rather interesting way to visually change a room is to separate zones using a pattern on the wallpaper. The simplest option is to combine a striped pattern, when one part of the kitchen increases in height and the other in width.
An important rule: the fewer shades involved in the design of a small kitchen, the more harmonious its interior.
You can separate zones for work and rest using:
- coverings with bright large prints;
- using several solid colors;
- a combination of a dark work area (which increases its practicality) and a light recreation area.
In a kitchen of normal size (minimum 8 square meters or more), you can still afford bold experiments with color contrasts.
Note! Lively and spectacular wallpaper with catchy designs should be used only to create an accent, but not as the main one.
How to choose wallpaper for a small kitchen: designer tips
When choosing, you should rely on the following points:
- style decision;
- the degree of illumination of the room, mostly natural; if the windows face the south, then a cold and restrained palette is better suited, and if the windows face the north, a warm and cozy one;
- a harmonious combination of design, that is, the selection of wallpaper based on the style and brightness of other elements: the facade of the kitchen unit, apron, furniture, curtains;
- In the case of white interior design, the color and pattern of the coating can be almost arbitrary.
In a small room it is more profitable to rely on light shades
Choosing a color and pattern - expanding the space
For small kitchens, it does not make sense to use dark-colored wallpaper with a matte texture, as it visually reduces the space. The right choice would be light, pastel colors or bright, but neatly balanced colors.
If you want a predictable result, choose wallpaper in light colors with a soft pearlescent sheen.
However, decorating the kitchen exclusively in white is also not worth it, since this, in addition to creating an uncomfortable atmosphere, contributes to the visual reduction of the room. It is better to dilute white elements with bright accents, which will provide the impression of light and space.
Thanks to the light gloss, the surface of the wallpaper reflects maximum light, so it will visually enhance even a cramped, poorly lit kitchen.
Note! If you want to decorate the interior in one color, you should choose more saturated tones like ivory, light beige or baked milk.
The use of dark shades is permissible only in secondary roles: as a subtle and unobtrusive pattern on tiles or wallpaper. They are able to emphasize the depth of pastel shades, making the room more elegant.
Dark matte wallpaper reduces space. But sometimes they give it depth.
In small rooms you should not combine more than two or three shades, as this will create the impression of excessive variegation and clumsiness. Combinations of several self-sufficient shades look good only in large rooms. The best option for limited space is monochrome design.
Take a closer look at pastel colors with cool undertones: cream, beige, light gray, cappuccino, ivory.
However, simple plain surfaces are not to everyone's liking. In this case, careful and thoughtful use of drawings and prints is allowed.
The pattern on the wallpaper must be proportionate to the proportions of your small kitchen.
When it comes to patterns, you should adhere to a minimalist approach, giving preference not to large-scale and bright paintings, but to thin, elegant lines and small patterns. In general, the size of the drawings should be proportional to the scale of the room. Also, patterns should not be used to decorate the entire kitchen. It is better to use them to create an accent, for example, above the dining table or on an apron.
Give preference to wallpaper with a dim, small pattern: flowers, checkered patterns, narrow stripes, geometric patterns, including glossy ones on a matte background.
It is not necessary to use abstract images. Floral, fruit, coffee and other food-related motifs are completely acceptable. Of course, they must be of high quality and clear. However, the main thing is to know the limits in such decoration and not to fill the entire space with it, otherwise it will create a feeling of overload.
For eye-catching wallpaper with an active pattern, choose the color of the facades as neutral as possible (white, beige, gray are ideal).
Striped or checkered wallpaper will look appropriate in almost any interior. They should have a suitable, not very bright and contrasting color, as well as miniature elements. They should also be used sparingly, without covering all the walls with them.
Any vertically elongated ornament (it is not necessary to glue strips) can visually “raise” the ceiling a little.
A rather unusual option is wallpaper with imitation brickwork. They look good when properly sized and in combination with white walls. To better imagine the appearance of such wallpaper for the kitchen, you should look at the photo.
To avoid unpleasant surprises in the future when purchasing, carefully study the symbols on the roll label.
Key points in choosing materials
Good wallpaper for the kitchen should have the following characteristics:
- water resistance;
- dirt-repellent surface;
- dense structure, resistant to ultraviolet radiation and abrasion;
- fire-resistant properties for areas located near the stove.
For a kitchen of any size, choose only thick, washable wallpaper (vinyl, non-woven, fiberglass).
At the same time, the choice of paper sheets is extremely impractical, especially for a small room. It is better to use non-woven, vinyl wallpaper or fiberglass coating, which is environmentally friendly.
Vinyl wallpaper on a non-woven basis is the most practical to use, wear-resistant and easy to hang.
Small floral pattern
Floral ornaments and fantasy patterns are a steady trend in recent years in fashion in general and in kitchen design in particular. A small floral pattern in pastel colors is something that will fit perfectly into the decor of a small kitchen in a Khrushchev-era building. The drawing should be small and fractional.
Small kitchen decorated with wallpaper in a warm sand tone
Tip: When evaluating wallpaper, expand it a few meters. A wide picture from a distance may look very different than from an arm's length away.
Floral ornaments and fantasy patterns are a steady trend in recent years in fashion in general and in kitchen design in particular.
See alsoWhat should be the combination of wallpaper in the living room
Combination of wallpaper with furniture in a small kitchen
Wallpaper, which is the background for furniture, should form a single composition with it. So, if the furniture is unusual, bright in color and intricate in shape, then the wallpaper should be neutral and almost invisible. If the furniture has simple shapes and is made in neutral colors, then the wallpaper may well become a bright accent.
If you are not a designer, it is easier to use ready-made companion pairs that complement each other perfectly.
Note! The covering and furniture of the same color, but with different textures, go well together.
What kind of photo wallpaper for a small kitchen is in fashion now?
According to the latest trends, the following are in fashion now:
- decoration in a light palette following the Scandinavian style and minimalism;
- wallpaper with patterns and bright colors;
- coverings with themed prints on a kitchen theme, especially with images of coffee beans;
- vintage style;
- imitation coatings, that is, designed in the form of brickwork or stone;
- Photo wallpaper with city images, landscapes and animals.
Properly selected wallpaper can not only visually expand, but also make a small kitchen cozy. The main thing is to create an interior that evokes calm and warm feelings.
Expert advice
Thanks to the protective layer of polyvinyl chloride, vinyl wallpaper is not afraid of sunlight, moisture, mechanical stress and dirt.
Based on the experience of professionals, you can borrow from them an idea regarding the colors of wallpaper for the kitchen. Moreover, it is worth noting that in a room for this purpose, regardless of its size, bright drawings and patterns will look vulgar, significantly simplifying the room. If you think logically, then there are plenty of items in the kitchen to take up empty space and reduce its area.
The design of the ceiling should be combined with the choice of wallpaper, but have a slightly different, different shade. The room should be decorated in several colors.
For a small kitchen, there is currently a large selection of wallpaper, and the decision takes into account both the practical and decorative side of the issue. It is no secret to every housewife that the functional features of the kitchen require an unusual approach. The room is constantly exposed to moisture, and a layer of fat accumulates on the walls, mixed with contaminants that cannot be avoided during the cooking process.
It should be borne in mind that the walls will need to be looked after and brought into proper shape from time to time. Today there are several types of wallpaper created taking into account such features.
