You and your family probably spend more time in the kitchen than any other room in the house; it’s the heart of any home, where meals are prepared and shared, new tastes are sampled, stories are exchanged and relationships are strengthened. Not to mention the cleaning and dishwashing. One way you can make this room look more inspiring and feel light-hearted is by adding artwork to your kitchen walls.
If you’re not sure what to buy and you need some ideas, www.follio.com is a great place to start. You might want to add a splash of color, or something funky to liven the space up. You could even go with a foodie theme. Here are just a few ideas to whet your artistic appetite.
• Use the space above your cabinets. Even in a small kitchen there’s plenty of room above the upper cabinets. This is a great space to put artwork because it will be away from hot surfaces and it won’t get splashed with water. You could even extend the surface area by adding a ledge above the cabinets.
• Hang a painting just outside the kitchen. If you have an open-plan kitchen but there’s not enough wall space to hang a canvass inside, hang something just outside the cooking area, where it can still be seen from inside the kitchen.
• Prop art under cabinets. If wall space is limited, you could prop smaller prints beneath the upper cabinets. You can also layer them for an extra effect.
• Use cabinet space. If your upper cabinets are open or have glass doors, you can display art on their shelves. If your cabinets have solid doors, you can be daring and hang a picture or two on them.
• Make an arty backsplash. Instead of a traditional tile backsplash, encase a piece of art in plastic and put it behind the sink. It will give you something beautiful to look at while you’re washing dishes.
• Pick a foodie theme. There are lots of options to run with here, you could have pictures that actually include food, images of famous restaurants, photographs of top chefs, or even a collection of old restaurant menus.
• Get framed. Of course you don’t have to have your pictures framed, but it is a good way to tie the paintings in with the style and color themes of your kitchen.
• Keep a country cottage kitchen. If you have a traditional country cottage style kitchen, vintage photographs make a great way to compliment your wall space. You can find them in antique stores or online.
Whatever theme or style of art you choose for your kitchen, remember to cover it with glass or plastic if it’s going to be placed near steam or water, so that the surface won’t get damaged. Avoid putting art close to coffee makers or above the stove. Choose vibrant, eye-catching colors to make your kitchen feel warm and friendly.
Jennifer Hunt is an abstract artist who, as well as creating art, likes to write about it. Many of her weekends are spent at arts and craft fairs and she uses slow times at these for her article writing time.
I like most the idea of making a backsplash with a painting These are all good ideas to add art work to a kitchen, not counting the artwork of the kids which gets displayed on the refrigerator
I wish I had more space in my kitchen to display artwork. It is difficult to do the way my current kitchen is set up but in my previous house I was able to display some art right above the cabinets which I really liked doing.
I also have a small kitchen. In fact, I have no wall space except for the space above the stove. I placed two shelves there for knick knacks. Hopefully my next kitchen will be a little larger but these are great ideas.
I have a very small kitchen. In fact, I think originally the kitchen is where the dining room is now, and moved. Our kitchen is actually an addition, along with the back porch. I have some things on the walls, but not a whole lot. I have a wonderful collection of kitchen sayings from the 30s and 40s I would love to display in there, but they are moved to the dining area (its not a room it is actually open space) Our house is 100+ years old, it is unusual 🙂