Almost everyone, having started a kitchen renovation, thinks about how to decorate the walls in the kitchen in the apartment. The dilemma is related to the characteristics of the kitchen space: the walls are exposed to humidity, temperature changes, and there are microparticles of dust and grease in the air. And despite the presence of a hood, the operating conditions are still worse than in other rooms. Good news for those who have decided to update their kitchen interior - today the choice of durable and at the same time stylish coatings is quite large. Let's talk about each in more detail.
Requirements for the bases used
Coatings selected for repair work must meet a number of requirements:
- Sufficient strength.
- Universal coatings that will be resistant to moisture, high temperatures, and synthetic detergents. And the best option is the resistance of the base to the action of abrasive particles, because the kitchen area requires the presence of greasy deposits, which means constant cleaning of surfaces.
- Absolute safety for humans. All modern interior styles assume the use of exclusively natural materials that do not contain toxic impurities or resins.
A separate aspect for evaluating the purchased finishing composition is the design of the kitchen finishing. In this case, you should focus on the size of the room, the presence and location of window openings, the shape of the kitchen and the intended type of layout.
Drywall
It is used infrequently - mainly when you need to mask uneven walls. When covering with plasterboard, the usable area is reduced, so it is not recommended to use it for small rooms.
But plasterboard panels for walls in the kitchen are becoming the best option for many. The material is easy to clean, eliminates imperfections in the wall topography, is fire resistant, and is safe for the health of residents.
Fire resistance is achieved by impregnating the material with an anti-flammable composition. In addition, drywall can be glued with wallpaper, covered with paint, applied with decorative plaster or ceramic tiles laid on it.
Self-leveling floor
Self-leveling floor using cement mortar, epoxy resin, and other hardeners. Each of the presented materials has a number of pros and cons, but the specific choice depends on the preferences of the owners, experience in handling such compositions, and the presence or absence of underfloor heating.
The advantages of using epoxy resin include ease of installation, beautiful decor with a pleasant glossy shine, and the ability to design a plot composition with a 3D effect.
Ceramic tile
Features of using tiles include the special strength of ceramics and resistance to a number of mechanical and chemical factors. Tile manufacturers offer their customers a wide selection of different models that differ in size, shape, pattern, thickness and degree of strength. An interesting idea for interior decoration of the kitchen is the use of XXL format tiles.
Stages of painting walls
It is not difficult to paint the kitchen walls with your own hands without involving specialists. Let's look at the stages that make up the work:
- prepare the room - if it is not possible to remove all the furniture, then cover the remaining furniture with construction film and cover the baseboards with masking tape;
- create the necessary climate for working with paint (read the instructions and safety precautions on the label);
- remove the old coating from the walls, fill the defects with putty, and level them with plaster if necessary;
- coat with two layers of primer - this will ensure adhesion of the paint to the base;
- start painting from the window;
- apply paint in two layers, pressing with the roller with equal force;
- for narrow places use a brush.
Kitchen decoration requires a thoughtful and serious approach. The microclimate in your family and the quality of digestion in your household will depend on high-quality materials and colors.
Finishing the kitchen floor with stone
Stonework allows you to give your kitchen a special style and decor. For this purpose, both natural sheet stone and hardeners with stone chips (slate, mica) can be used. Marble slabs and granite inserts give the flooring an interesting appearance.
Sometimes parquet, laminate, and linoleum are used to furnish a room. However, these foundations are not sufficiently durable, difficult to care for, and are quickly damaged by high temperatures.
Furniture placement
In a large kitchen there is no need to save space, but it is also not recommended to force it too much. It is recommended to choose a spacious kitchen set, perhaps even with a small built-in bar.
The dining group should be located at a short distance; it can consist of a couple of sofas and a small table, or several chairs and a table.
- The main shade should also be calm, but bright decor can be used to slightly dilute the atmosphere.
- In a kitchen with high ceilings, you can install voluminous chandeliers and lamps; you just need to choose them correctly according to the style.
- For window decoration, you can choose blinds or translucent curtains.
- They, in turn, should not reach the floor in length, or barely touch the window sill.
- The second option is much more convenient, but choosing the right type of curtains will be much more difficult.
Tiles for wall decoration
Today, thanks to the ingenuity of manufacturers of finishing materials, you can find a wide variety of types of tiles: ceramic, glass, mosaic tiles, tiles with a stencil image.
The owner’s choice depends only on his personal preferences and the chosen interior style. The surface of the tile is highly durable; it is resistant to moisture, cleaning and detergent compounds.
Due to its absolute resistance to high temperatures, this option is often used for finishing a kitchen apron. The original idea is to lay tiles on one of the walls, for example, near the dining table.
Mosaic
This ceramic material will cost slightly more than regular tiles on the market. In addition, many people are stopped by the long installation process.
This is painstaking and complex work that must be performed by specialists. However, the high aesthetic properties of the mosaic are worth the time and effort.
Masonry for walls
Natural and artificial stone are used in several cases:
- Laying a kitchen apron.
- Interior finishing of wall panels.
Original stone masonry is used for decorative arches in combined rooms, for lining bar counters between the loggia and the kitchen area. The stone is distinguished by its universal strength, pleasant design, and surface that is resistant to moisture and detergents. The difficulty of practical repairs is the need for preliminary alignment of the walls, as well as a certain level of experience and dexterity from the master.
Custom solutions for the kitchen
There are several design techniques for using space effectively.
Niche
Kitchen furniture placed in a niche saves space, does not clutter up and allows you to properly zone the room.
With fireplace
A kitchen where a family hearth or its imitation is located will create an atmosphere of comfort and well-being in the home.
Working kitchen wall
In modern kitchens, the surface above the work area is often left open and wall cabinets are not used. The decor can be just a hood or open shelves.
Dinner Zone
The wall on which the table or bar counter is located can be decorated in different ways, from the simplest and most neutral finish with painting or wallpaper, to the original one using decorative plaster, wooden or MDF panels, and brickwork. The main thing is that the surface near the table is practical and easy to clean.
Decoration near the sink
The apron is sewn up with any waterproof material, such as ceramic tiles. You can also cover the surface from splashes with tempered glass or a continuation of the tabletop material.
The photo shows a work area covered with an apron made of tempered glass.
Decorative plaster
Another universal way of interior decoration of kitchen premises is to cover the walls with decorative plaster. The composition used has a soft consistency, is easily applied to the underlying surface, and allows you to form a beautiful corrugated fabric in the interior.
However, in practice, apartment owners have to face a number of significant disadvantages:
- High cost per can of plaster, especially if all surfaces are to be finished and there is a large area of the room.
- The need for preliminary preparation of wall panels: leveling, applying a primer and often using antiseptic and antifungal compounds.
Such a composition, after hardening, requires careful care during operation, and its mechanical strength is significantly inferior to most known finishing materials.
Kitchen wall finishing options
There are a number of interchangeable design solutions used in renovation, depending on the chosen style and budget.
For painting
A universal option for the kitchen. The painted surface is usually easy to clean and can be easily repaired. The color scheme allows you to choose both neutral shades and accent shades.
The use of wallpaper for painting allows you to create relief and hide defects as much as possible. Plastered and puttied walls made of brick, concrete or plasterboard are also suitable for this finishing method.
The photo shows a brightly painted wall in the dining area.
Decorative plaster
This is a finishing coating that allows you to achieve the necessary visual effect and high quality of the surface layer. You can find out more about the types and methods of application, as well as see examples with photos, in the article.
Decorative stone finishing
Wall cladding with this material as an accent solution will decorate any interior. You can also design an open doorway or arch. The practicality of the stone allows it to be used in the kitchen. Interior solutions with photos are given in the article.
Brick wall
It is a popular solution in kitchen interiors and will fit into any style from loft to classic. As a rule, such a surface is coated with a special varnish or paint.
Wallpaper
Photo wallpaper with 3D effect
Kitchen and dining areas can always be made brighter, more stylish, and with a memorable print. In modern design trends, floral motifs, images in a geometric style, and plot compositions with significant volume and depth are especially popular.
In addition to a pleasant external decor, such wallpapers are distinguished by a durable outer layer that is resistant to moisture. Such coatings are easy to clean even with the use of synthetic detergents without the possibility of damage.
Most designers recommend decorating small areas or one of the walls with photo wallpaper to focus attention on it.
Decorating the dining table area
How nice it is to sit at the table and admire the natural landscape and the view of the city. A budget option for decorating the dining area would be to use photo wallpaper. Using wall lighting you can create the illusion of additional space and visually enlarge the room.
Internal lining with clapboard
Lining also acts as an excellent finishing material. Premises with a similar coating are distinguished by a bright and extremely comfortable design.
In the production of this finishing material, only environmentally friendly wood species that are safe for humans are used. They allow air to pass through perfectly, allowing the underlying wall to “breathe.”
To prevent the growth of pathogenic fungus under the lining, before carrying out repair work, the wall panels should be treated with an antiseptic and antifungal compound.
Repair in a small kitchen
Renovating a small kitchen is much more difficult. There are several tricks that will help make this task a little easier and create a truly beautiful and functional interior design.
Kitchen renovation ideas in this case are not as multifaceted as compared to a large room.
- Using light shades
- Application of functional interior elements
- Using minimalist trends as a style
These are the basic rules that will allow you to create a truly beautiful and at the same time comfortable interior design. In addition, there will be a small amount of free space that can be equipped for a dining group.
Plastic panels in the interior
Plastic has always been and remains a universal material for wall decoration. The PVC surface is sufficiently durable and resistant to moisture and detergents. The panels are quite easy to install using a minimal set of tools.
In addition, the advantages of practical choice include the availability of plastic models with imitation of various coatings (stone, brickwork, wood, veneer), affordable cost and a wide range of finished products.
Coloring
The simplest finishing option is to use a coloring compound. It is recommended to give preference to acrylic mixtures.
Before painting, the walls are carefully prepared and leveled.
This type of finishing is usually combined with other methods, which allows you to zone the space.
Optimal selection criteria
Construction specialists will help you choose the right finishing material; they will advise you on the specifics of installation and maintenance of a particular coating.
Designers can give valuable advice on the aesthetic component, taking into account all the features of the kitchen space and the optimal combination of interior details.
The criteria for practical selection of finishing material are:
- Dimensions of the kitchen or dining room.
- Presence, quantity and location of window openings. The level of natural light is directly correlated with the selected material (some coatings may fade when exposed to sunlight).
- Frequency of food preparation in the work area.
- Availability of high-quality hood in the room.
- Furniture arrangement.
- Condition of the underlying walls, floor and ceiling.
The experience in carrying out repair work and the skill of the master himself are also taken into account. It should be remembered that most finishing coatings require proper experience and skill.
Dream kitchen design
The kitchen design options from this point should not even be attempted without a large budget and drawing up a design project. But individual chips can be spied.
In many ways, the kitchens in the pictures look beautiful and expensive thanks to luxury materials: stone, stone veneer, parquet on the floor, solid wood on the facades, natural wood on the tables and bar counters.
But there are 2 ideas that can be transferred from a dream kitchen to a real design:
- Designer lamps. Now there are many copies that are simply similar to Italian and other expensive ones, but which are made in China or Poland. Moreover, they are often not inferior in quality - globalization has a positive effect on the “spread” of design.
- Bold, dotted color accents. The last paragraph is entirely devoted to color.
For example, we divide the photo into 2 groups:
- Kitchen design is based on expensive things and cannot be repeated on a budget.
- Interesting kitchens with unusual ideas from ordinary materials
Expensive:
Interesting:
By the way, we are in:
Interesting colors
I usually write: make white kitchens, make them light, don’t use bright colors, and especially dark ones because they are also impractical.
And for good reason: brightness in the interior = risk . But at the same time, this is a simple and free way to create an unusual kitchen design. 2 photo examples where unusual accents made the renovation very interesting:
Let's look at 2 types of colors that I usually do not recommend, but before that I strongly advise you to understand my material about the combination of colors in the interior - without this, the probability of errors will tend to 100%.
There I explained why using pure color in furniture and decoration is a bad idea. But unusual dirty ones and their shades are an interesting solution.
Cold
For a while, pure blue kitchens were all the rage and they were terrible. Although the potential of shades is huge.
Add black and get a dark blue kitchen:
A non-standard kitchen design idea: solid wood facades painted in a non-neutral color while maintaining its texture (veins, knots, etc.).
The blue turns out very fresh:
But my favorites are blue with the addition of gray and green and going into shades of dirty mint and dirty turquoise. Despite its unpopularity and non-obviousness, this design solution for the kitchen is quite safe in terms of the chances of error.
But a very risky solution is green cuisine. This color looks very different in the sun and without it, so I would not recommend using it in a room where there is a lot of natural light - the result will be unpredictable.
