The kitchen is the heart of the home; it’s where families come together to cook, eat, catch up after work and school, do homework, and drink endless cups of tea. Your kitchen should be a space that feels homely and is somewhere you want to spend your time in, so finding the right aesthetic for you is important.
When it comes to decorating a kitchen, paint and tiles may be the most popular options, but you shouldn’t rule out wallpaper. There are some gorgeous kitchen wallpaper designs out there – you just need to make sure you’re using it in the right place to help it to stay in good condition.
Read on to find out everything you need to know about wallpapering a kitchen and discover our favourite kitchen wallpaper ideas.
Can You Put Wallpaper In A Kitchen?
Yes, you can put wallpaper in a kitchen, but not every type of wallpaper will be suitable for this room. Kitchen wallpaper is inevitably more likely to get splashed, whether that’s from washing up or cooking spills, so bear this in mind when you’re choosing a design for your home. As a result, you might prefer to opt for tiles or paint close to your sink and hob, using wallpaper elsewhere in the room to reduce the risk of splashes.
Other factors you should consider when choosing wallpaper for kitchens include:
- Look for splashproof wallpaper options, such as vinyl or washable wallpaper – these can be wiped down, so they’re easier to keep clean in a messy room
- Avoid fabric-based wallpapers, such as crushed velvet or linen-effect designs, as these are more likely to experience a build-up of dirt
- Opt for a busy patterned or coloured wallpaper that’s less likely to show stains and dirt
- Keep your kitchen well-ventilated to prevent wallpaper from curling, as cooking can naturally make the room feel more humid
9 Of Our Favourite Kitchen Wallpaper Ideas
From vinyl wallpapers to rustic kitchen wallpapers and even designs inspired by food and drink, we’ve collated nine of our favourite kitchen wallpapers to provide you with some inspiration. You might need to be prepared to eat takeaways or cold picnic snacks for a day or two while the decorating is carried out, but the results will be more than worth it.
1. Vinyl Wallpaper
Vinyl wallpaper can be wiped down, which means you can easily clean off any splashes from cooking, washing up, or arts and crafts. This makes vinyl wallpaper a great choice for a kitchen, and it’s available in so many different designs, including:
- Opt for a neutral vinyl wallpaper with the Arthouse Concrete Textured Plain Taupe Wallpaper (priced at £23 per roll), which would provide a good neutral background to make your mark on, whether you have coloured kitchen cupboards, or lots of art prints on your wall
- Choose a vinyl wallpaper with a little more of a pattern, such as the Grandeco Concrete Vinyl Wallpaper in Stone (£16 per roll), which features a brushstroke effect in different colours, including greys and creams. The busy pattern means splashes will be less likely to show on this wallpaper anyway, but the vinyl finish means it can be wiped clean too
2. Washable Wallpaper
Washable wallpaper is another fantastic option for kitchen wallpaper, as it can be cleaned gently when needed using soap, water, and a soft sponge. This type of wallpaper is the perfect choice in a kitchen if you have kids or are a particularly messy cook.
Our collection of washable wallpaper includes:
- Rasch Plain Pattern Suede Effect Textured Blue Washable Wallpaper (£12 per roll), which is a popular choice for children’s bedrooms and playrooms, but would also work well in a kitchen thanks to its washable finish
- Go for something a little bit different with the P&S International High-Quality Washable Bird Footprint Trail White and Green Wallpaper (£9 per roll), which features a delicate pattern of small bird footprints and tiny triangles in green and black on a neutral white background – there’s no reason to worry about white wallpaper looking dirty when it can easily be washed
3. Tiled Effect Wallpaper
Tiled walls are a popular choice for kitchens, particularly for the splashback behind the hob, as they can be easily wiped clean. However, it can be expensive to decorate a whole room with tiles, so a tiled effect wallpaper may be a more suitable option for the rest of the room if you like this style.
If you are opting for a tiled wallpaper, avoid a tiled floor, as this could be a little overwhelming on the eye. Instead, go for a wooden floor or lino, as these will still be relatively easy to clean, which needs to be a priority in the kitchen.
Our collection of tiled effect wallpapers includes:
- Muriva Tile Pattern Retro Floral Motif Kitchen Bathroom Vinyl Wallpaper (£18 per roll), which features different shades of brown, orange, and yellow on a rustic white background to create an almost Moroccan feel. This wallpaper is also available in black and white if you prefer the monochrome aesthetic
- If you host a lot of dinner parties and want to make sure your kitchen looks super stylish, a black tiled wallpaper with a hint of glitter could be the perfect choice, and that’s exactly what you get with the Holden Decor Granite Tile Kitchen Bathroom Embossed Glitter Wallpaper (£13 per roll)
4. Wallpaper Designs Inspired By Food And Drink
Choosing a kitchen wallpaper design inspired by food and drink is a fun way to decorate a kitchen. Opt for a design featuring something you love to add a little personality to the room. Whether you’re a coffee lover or like to relax with a cocktail in the evenings, there’s something for everyone in our collection.
Our favourite food and drink-inspired designs include:
- If you love your coffees, the Superfresco Easy Coffee Shop Black and White Menu Wallpaper (£15 per roll) is the ideal wallpaper to use on the wall behind your coffee machine to bring that coffee shop feel to your home
- Erismann Instawalls Cocktail Bar Recipes Faux Chalkboard Non-Woven Wallpaper (£15 per roll) – perfect if you love to entertain and mix up cocktails for your friends. With its black chalkboard-like background and pops of colour from illustrations of martinis, cherries, and fruity cocktails, this wallpaper is a lot of fun and even features recipes to add to your repertoire
- Arthouse Copacabana Pineapple Pattern Black and White Tropical Metallic Motif Wallpaper (£14 per roll), which teams a neutral background with a repeating black pineapple motif – a really fun addition to a family kitchen or for foodies. Accessorise with pineapple ornaments to really lean into the theme
5. Cottagecore Kitchen Wallpaper
If you’re looking for something on-trend yet timeless at the same time when researching wallpaper ideas for the kitchen, look to cottagecore. The cottagecore trend is a homely style influenced by the aesthetic of a country cottage, where the kitchen is the centre of the home. Cosy vibes and a rustic feel are at the heart of cottagecore, with gingham and floral patterns a big part of this aesthetic – both of which are ideal for using in a kitchen.
Bring the feel of a country cottage to your kitchen with checked wallpaper designs, such as:
- Holden Decor Linen Check Fabric Motif Smooth Traditional Linen Wallpaper (£12 per roll), which features a traditional tartan pattern in shades of cream and brown. As this is a linen wallpaper, it may show any dirt a little more, so be careful about where you place it in your kitchen – it may be better suited to a dining area
- Arthouse County Check Stripe Tartan Faux Fabric Geometric Pastel Wallpaper (£11 per roll), a design combining pastel blue, pink, cream, and soft browns in a gorgeous tartan pattern that would bring a farmhouse or country cottage feel to any kitchen
6. Stone Effect Wallpaper
Using stone effect wallpaper in your kitchen creates the vibe of a crumbling cottage, which can feel incredibly rustic, traditional, and homely – everything you want a family kitchen to be. If your exterior walls are built from stone, this type of wallpaper can look incredibly effective indoors too, and it’s a good blank canvas to accessorise.
Bring the style of a farmhouse kitchen to your home with:
- A.S. Creation Sand Stone Wall Pattern Rustic Brick Sand Beige Textured Wallpaper (£11 per roll), a classic neutral-coloured rustic stone wallpaper that feels quite light and bright
- Grandeco Chalet Stone 3D Effect Realistic Stone Slate Smooth Wallpaper (£14 per roll), which is a grey-coloured stone effect design that gives the illusion of lots of texture, and would compliment a traditional or rustic-style kitchen perfectly
7. Brick Effect Wallpaper
Brick effect wallpaper is another great option for bringing a traditional, farmhouse feel to your kitchen – it’s a perfect choice if you have lots of rustic pots and pans or mismatched crockery on display.
Our favourite brick wallpaper designs include:
- Muriva Bluff Embossed Brick Effect Red Wallpaper (£15 per roll), a classic red brick design
- Erismann Embossed Brick Textured Realistic Blown Vinyl Pattern Off White Wallpaper (£15 per roll), a brick effect vinyl wallpaper in a neutral off-white colour for a more modern take on this style. This wallpaper would make a kitchen look and feel brighter
8. Floral Kitchen Wallpaper
Floral wallpaper is a traditional choice for a kitchen, and opting for delicate floral or vintage-inspired designs means your wallpaper won’t date or go out of style – think damask patterns in pastel colours or delicate ditsy floral prints, such as:
- Holden Decor Harlen Woodland Leaf Flower Butterflies Vintage Style Sage Wallpaper (£12 per roll), a gorgeous sage green and white damask design, featuring delicate illustrations of flowers and butterflies
- For a similar kitchen wallpaper but with a sunny yellow background instead, opt for the Holden Decor Harlen Damask Woodland Hand Painted Style Animals Flowers Leaves Yellow Wallpaper (£13 per roll)
- Choose a delicate floral pattern with the Arthouse Opera Chinoise Floral Pattern Songbird Flower Motif Wallpaper (£11 per roll), which features a pastel lemon background adorned with illustrations of black and white flowers
9. Feature Wall Wallpaper
Creating a feature wall in your kitchen or dining room is a great way to make an impact and to separate food preparation and dining areas. The wall with the kitchen window can be a good spot for a feature wall to create a focal point, while if you have an open plan kitchen/dining room, papering one wall in a different design can help to create a clear marker of where one space ends and the other begins.
Good options for a feature wall in your kitchen include:
- Arthouse Glitterati Stripe Pattern Platinum Modern Embossed Glitter Textured Wallpaper (£18 per roll). Mark the boundary between an open plan kitchen and dining room with bold glitter stripes – place on opposite walls for maximum impact. As the stripes are silver-coloured, decorate the walls around this striped wallpaper with grey paint or grey wallpaper
- Make a statement with the Rasch Wine Glass Pattern Realistic Shelf Embossed Kitchen Wallpaper (£14 per roll), which is a great choice if you love to entertain. The design features a repeating pattern that looks like wine glasses displayed on shelves – if you regularly have people over for drinks, this is the ideal feature wallpaper for your kitchen
Shop Wallpaper For Every Room In Your Home
Find wallpaper for every room in your home at I Want Wallpaper. As well as kitchen wallpaper, we also stock wallpaper for your living room, dining room, bedrooms, playroom, nursery, and even your bathroom.
Browse our full collection of wallpaper today, or contact us here if you have a question about any of our designs.