Wall murals in the kitchen, expanding the space: varieties, choice and installation rules
Wall murals, with which you can expand the space, will be a real salvation for not very large kitchens. A correctly selected image will be able to completely change the visual perception of space, giving it spaciousness, height or width, and an unusual pattern will easily reflect the peculiar character and special mood of the room. Images that can expand the boundaries of rooms will save you from the feeling of confined space and allow you to adjust all the disadvantages of the layout.
Advantages and disadvantages
Modern murals designed to increase the size of space have significant advantages, if you compare them with other popular wall coverings:
- they are very easy to care for;
- almost do not fade (the color of the photo wallpaper retains its saturation and brightness for a long time);
- murals can enrich visual perception;
- allow you to simulate materials that are different in structure or texture;
- prints do not absorb sound very well, but it is quite possible to isolate them from quiet sounds from the next room;
- ease of pasting (no need to level the surface);
- their production uses environmentally friendly materials.
The main disadvantage of such wallpapers is their high price. The high cost of this kind of linen will not allow you to change the design of the kitchen as often as you would like. The problem can be solved by choosing the most neutral colors for small kitchens.
Image Options
Among the options for images on murals that expand the space, The following are most in demand today.
- Big city. It can be night or day, rainy or even predawn. The ancient city with interesting houses made of stone can most often be seen in the interiors of the classical or Gothic plan. The wallpaper will look original with a perspective - for example, a street that goes into the distance, with small figures of people depicted in the background.
- Beautiful landscapes. You can choose almost any option: it may well be the pre-setting sun over the waves or a boat that floats on a calm surface of the water. Very popular forest green edge and flowering fields of poppies or lavender. Many inhabitants choose winding mysterious paths that go into the depths of the forest, or a drawing of a bridge that is partially hidden by dense fog.
- Flora and fauna. In this category, the most popular are widescreen images of various animals. Often you can meet representatives of the aquarium world or the deep sea with unusual fish, coral reefs, as well as species that open from under the crowns of tall trees when looking up. It can be sakura in bloom, pictures with large fruits, vegetables or wildflowers.
- Abstraction. For such modern interiors as hi-tech and industrial style, 3D-increasing geometric abstractions, which are most often performed in silver, gray tones or have a clear imitation of a pencil sketch, are perfectly suitable.
- Culinary theme. Pictures with delicious buns and croissants, various cakes or lush loaves will increase your appetite, which, however, is not always welcomed by those ordinary people who have problems with overeating.
Most of all, the size of the kitchen is expanded by the wallpaper with photos in cool colors, because the designers advise for small kitchens to choose products in greenish or bluish-blue colors. When selecting photographs for the kitchen, one must take into account the degree of its natural lighting. The weaker it is, the brighter it will be necessary to choose coatings.
Materials of manufacture
Wallpaper, significantly expanding the space, can be made from a variety of materials.
- Vinyl Products not afraid of even significant humidity - for this reason they are considered the most ideal option for the kitchen when choosing. These wallpapers differ in their texture - they are almost completely able to imitate wood, natural stone, rough looking textiles. They can even be washed using modern household chemicals without fear that this material will be spoiled. Under the influence of the sun, these wallpapers will not fade.
- Non-woven photo wallpaper are “breathable”, they are also not afraid of high humidity. To increase the service life of the material, a special layer is applied to it. The service life of the products is 6-8 years, and all without losing a magnificent appearance. Dirt can easily be removed from the surface of the wallpaper with a damp sponge.
- Textile wallpaper always look stylish in the interiors of any rooms, but caring for them will be too complicated and sometimes time-consuming. They are made of linen or jute, felt or silk. The term of operation with careful use is almost 10 years. However, choosing them for places that are most prone to contamination or abrasion is not recommended. Without additional coating, textiles quickly accumulate dust on themselves.
- Paper mural - far from the best option for wall covering for the kitchen, as they quickly lose their presentable appearance due to increased humidity, frequent contact with fat, particles of food, and splashes of drinks. This material should be used only in the recreation area, away from the place of cooking.
The texture of the photo wallpaper is selected depending on the planned style of interior decoration. The most common options are.
- Glossy product more often produced with embossing, which is excellent for very detailed drawings. The most common subjects are various flowers, large photographs of animals. The original material is paper.
- Plaster option best suited to products if they have images of architectural objects - both historical and modern. The material is vinyl on a non-woven basis, rather rough to the touch, textured, because the image is as bright as possible.
- Sand wallpaper very difficult to care for, but at the same time they are best able to mask the unevenness of the walls, will allow to give the picture the desired volume. Best suited for paintings that depict luxurious beaches, ancient architectural structures, the wallpaper itself is made of vinyl based on non-woven fabric.
- Canvas It looks special if the interior of the room is decorated “antique”, but for the kitchen this solution is called the most impractical and easily soiled. Color reproduction is natural, the material itself is vinyl wallpaper.
- Linen option perfectly mimics the fabric base. It allows you to create a natural design that is perfect for interiors in environmental or ethnic styles, but to clean from stains, this wallpaper is very difficult.
Also in demand are such textures as “stone” and “velveteen”, “frost” and “mosaic”, as well as “bark”.
How to choose?
Many inhabitants believe that the most important criterion for selecting photo wallpaper is their aesthetic features, although in reality the most important question can be considered their practicality within a particular room and level of security. In the kitchen, during cooking, the temperature and humidity levels will change all the time, therefore, all decoration materials and photo wallpaper here will not be an exception, they must be resistant to such an environment and in no case emit any harmful components.
It is best to immediately pick up the photo wallpapers with excellent light fastness, since they will not lose their maximum flashy appearance for a long time under the influence of the sun's rays. It is best that those wallpapers with photos on which you finally stop your choice, you can safely wash. Leading companies offer consumers this type of wallpaper that they will not be afraid of water. To obtain this effect, a layer of special varnish is simply applied to their surface, and a special layer of protection against moisture can also be applied. And some wallpapers just laminate. Of course, various splashes of water or grease on the photo wallpaper are best avoided.
A huge amount of research has been conducted on how color affects the mental and emotional state of modern man. No wonder the designers, relying on the data obtained by psychologists, are advised to select a certain color for the kitchen. The behavior of the average person and his appetite can be significantly affected by the coloring of any object: the colors of the finish, furniture or curtains, as well as the color of the photo wallpaper.
Psychologists believe that cool colors in kitchen interiors will reduce appetite, while warm colors only increase it.
Basic placement rules
Wallpaper with the effect of visual expansion of the space of the room, although they can significantly affect the perception of a holistic space, but they should still be chosen and applied correctly. Products with this effect can become a real “highlight” for any residential interior; their coloring can stand out from the main tone of the room with contrasting colors or in harmony with them. If your kitchen has standard or low ceilings, then you should opt for the white tone of the photo wallpaper for their subsequent decoration. If the height of the kitchen allows, you can transfer such a picture to the ceiling itself, thereby combining 2 planes.
A heap of drawings or ornaments of different meanings can play a bad joke and create an unpleasant feeling of pressure and crowding in the room. The best solution is to finish 1-2 adjacent walls of the kitchen with wallpaper with a photo image, and the remaining space can be pasted with ordinary neutral-colored wallpaper. Another popular way is wall mural pasting and the walls and doors of the room. The door is masked in a similar way, a common picture is created in the room, which is also able to give the space the effect of its expansion.
Kitchen wallpaper can often be seen above the dining table or on a completely unoccupied wall. This element of decor can easily distinguish the dining area. Typically, the image at the table is not very large. It can imitate an open window, a door, part of another room, an arch, a staircase that goes up, and even a picture in a frame. Reproductions of landscapes perfectly look in the door and window openings.
In an oversized kitchen, the reception of the so-called false window will work perfectly. Through it, you can have a view of the night city or the water surface of the bay with small yachts, as well as a view of the green hills in the early autumn morning. The view from such a “window” to the endless distances will help to forget about the real parameters of the kitchen. Expands a small room and a bright image with a perspective effect. This may be an autumn alley in the park during the fall, a dark forest path, a narrow lane in the city, a wide terrace with views of the surrounding surroundings. Such murals will allow you to create the illusion of a gradually receding and open space, this kind of decoration can only be done on one or several walls at once. Create a photo wallpaper with a perspective on the ceiling or on the walls, and this effect will be significantly enhanced.
Beautiful examples
Antique buildings with columns extending upwards will visually raise the ceiling.
3D images will help create a visual illusion of volume. This kind of wallpaper will look great on one of the walls of the kitchen or only on part of the kitchen wall.
A long road, a darkened tunnel or a light staircase extending into the distance will act on the principle of perspective images and will help to “lengthen” the space of the room.
The video talks about how to create a unique interior using photo wallpaper.