Decorating above Cupboards in the Kitchen

kitchen

The kitchen has become one of the most important rooms in the house—the very hub of the home. But to make a kitchen work efficiently takes a lot of careful thought and planning, whether it is brand new or you are working on an existing kitchen to make it suit your needs.

Once you are happy with the general plan, including fitted cupboards, shelves, and so on, and the kitchen is up and working, you can add decorative finishes that will give it character and create the kind of ambiance you prefer.

Decorating Above Your Kitchen Cabinets

There are usually three main work or activity areas in the kitchen: one for cooking, one for washing up dirty dishes or rinsing fresh foodstuffs, and the other for food storage, specifically cold food storage. If you are planning a kitchen from scratch, you will need to ensure that these three areas work together. They need to be reasonably self-contained (in that everything you need should be in that particular space) but also logically related to one another, so that whoever is doing the cooking can move from one area to the other easily. These three work areas primarily relate to appliances, namely:

  1. stoves, hobs, and ovens,
  2. refrigerators and deep freezers, and
  3. sinks, which might incorporate a dishwasher and/or a waste disposal unit.

Apart from this, while some kitchens feature freestanding furniture, including tables, chairs, and dressers, the rest of the room is more commonly fitted with various cupboards and cabinets. These are designed for storing just about everything from pots and pans, crockery and cutlery, to foodstuffs that don’t need to be stored in a refrigerator.

Because we also need work surfaces, particularly for food preparation, kitchen cupboards commonly come in both floor-standing (tall or counter-height) and wall-hung designs. Of course, this means that the upper surface of counter-height kitchen units instantly becomes a work surface. But it also means that there will be a section of wall space between counter-height, floor-standing, and wall-hung cupboards, and more often than not, an awkward bit of wall between the top of the wall-hung cupboards and the ceiling. So, when it comes to decorating, you’ll have to decide how to finish both the top and middle sections of exposed wall.

When it comes to decorating above cupboards in the kitchen, you won’t necessarily follow the same process as the area between wall-hung and floor-standing cupboard units. This is because many people choose to tile between units to make the backing behind the work surface easy to clean. However, tiling above wall-hung cupboards is usually unnecessary. Apart from anything else, this area is too difficult to access daily for cleaning.

So, what are your options?

Painting this area is probably the most obvious choice. Choose a color that will match the rest of the room or tone with it. Then, if you want to add some decoration, consider stenciling a pretty border pattern just under the ceiling or the cornice, if there is one.

Wallpaper is another option, but it’s only suitable if there are other larger wall areas that are wallpapered. Otherwise, this touch may seem out of place. You could, however, paste a wallpaper border under the cornice, which can look quite attractive. Just choose a color and pattern that complements other colors and patterns in the room, such as for blinds, curtains, or even tablecloths and other table dressings.

Otherwise, you could hang plates above the units to add color and interest. However, this space is usually not suitable for pictures.

Another possibility for decorating above cupboards in the kitchen is to use the upper surface of wall-hung cupboards to display interesting or decorative items. These could range from baskets to attractive pots of pickles, preserves, and jams. If you enjoy making pickles and jams, this approach can be both functional and decorative, as these foodstuffs often need to sit for a while before they can be consumed.

You could also use the tops of wall-hung cupboards to double as a more conventional storage space—provided what you store looks attractive, such as shining copper or stainless steel pots, teapots, or jugs. However, there is an obvious downside to this: anything stored out of cupboards will accumulate dust and grime fairly quickly. This means you’ll need to be diligent about dusting and cleaning.

If you prefer a clean, streamlined kitchen, you should avoid drawing attention to the space above wall-hung or tall floor-standing kitchen cupboards. Instead, stick to the basics and paint the wall the same color as the rest of the painted walls. If all other exposed wall areas are tiled, then paint it the same color as the ceiling or the cupboards themselves.

Remember that when decorating above cupboards in the kitchen, you should not think of this area as a separate entity. Ultimately, you should aim for a look that works for the whole room in terms of style, theme, and colors. It doesn’t matter which approach you take, as long as it works for you and your family.

Finally, you’ll also need to think about spaces above your appliances, depending on their height. You may be able to mount cupboards or shelves above a refrigerator, and you can often install a microwave oven within special units. But sinks and other cooking appliances can be trickier to deal with. Look at photographs of kitchens in magazines, books, and online for inspiration, and don’t be afraid to use your own creativity.

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