Reader Deb and her husband are in the final stages of their DIY vintage style kitchen remodel. It’s coming together just beautifully — but now, they are stuck on a final design decision: Shoudld they add adorable 1940s style Bradbury & Bradbury wallpaper to the backsplash? Or will it be too much? They want to hear from the ever-helpful tribe of Retro Renovation readers. To wallpaper or not to wallpaper, that is the question. Read on to hear Deb’s story and to weigh in. Pam and I will hold back and post our photoshopped ideas at noon.
Deb writes:
Hi Pam,
We’re in the final stages of our kitchen redo (having done all the work ourselves except for the sheetrocking) and we can’t agree on whether to use this wallpaper from Bradbury as our backsplash or not.
I love it but my husband thinks it is too busy and takes away from the nickel outlet covers (which he has some strange attachment to lol). Behind the stove will be new/old fan with a sunburst stainless steel panel. Is this all too much? The wallpaper would be vinyl coated for protection and used only under the cabinets.
Also, I want to let you know that your explanation and pics of doing the metal edging on your counter tops helped immensely when it came time to do ours.
The floor is Armstrong Linoleum Tidal Wave and the counter top is Forbo Bleeker Street Lino.
The original kitchen had the washer and dryer under the counter and a “Diana” Youngstown sink unit. It was too far gone to save but I did manage to pry off the the Diana emblem and will be putting it on my new sink cabinet. I know I said that we did it all by ourselves but that isn’t entirely true. We had the floor installed and we bought the RTA cabinets from Barker Cabinets in Oregon. Barker also has slab front cabinets and they are a joy to do business with. Shipping took seven days from Oregon to upstate New York.
The walls are a very light blue. We have a Big Chill fridge in Buttercup yellow (ebay) that hasn’t been put in yet. The woman I bought it from in New Jersey, had won it in a raffle and could not fit it in her kitchen.
If anyone wants to know the particulars of putting in linoleum counter tops and stainless steel edging, my husband is willing to share what he did. It’s taken 1 year and 3 months of no vacations, working every single weekend and a lot of evenings to get to this point. And best of all my DH and I are still talking to each other.
Pam asks: What are you doing over the stove?
A Nutone exhaust fan (new old stock) and a stainless steel panel with a sunburst design.
So readers — now we need your thoughtful opinions — what should Deb do with her kitchen back splash?
Through the magic of Photoshop, Kate made some mock-ups of Deb’s kitchen to help her visualize how it would look with the three variations wallpaper and the sunburst stainless steel backsplash:
1. Sunny Day Combo:
For the first mock-up, we put the stainless steel sunburst backsplash over the stove and Bradbury & Bradbury Apple Betty wallpaper between the cabinets and counter top. This looks pretty nice… but we feel like the drama of the stainless steel backsplash might be overwhelming the rest of the kitchen design, which is so lovely. Hmmmm….
2. All wallpaper:
For the second mock-up, we extended the wallpaper all the way behind the stove and up to the ceiling. Deb wasn’t planning on having the wallpaper extend this far up, but if the stainless steel backsplash is not used, it would be a more finished look to have the wallpaper extend all the way to the ceiling, instead of being cut off at under cabinet height. We’re kind of digging the vintage charm starting to come together once this wallpaper is added…
3. Add a shelf to the combo:
Deb could also add a shelf for knick knacks — made using the same red linoleum and metal edging from the countertops — an idea that is similar to the shelf in Pam’s kitchen:
4. Shelf plus stainless steel backsplash
If Deb’s husband still isn’t sold on the wallpaper, this option is for him. Combining the sunburst stainless steel backsplash with the shelf provides a more toned down look, while still allowing space for Deb to display vintage knick-knacks. Maybe paint the backsplash the same yellow as the refrigerator coming in… or tone the yellow paint down a bit… or, a shade similar to that of the floor might work, too.
Pam and I both agree on this one — the Bradbury & Bradbury wallpaper that Deb chose is just perfect for the space. The pattern picks up the red from the counter tops, the blue from the floor and the buttery yellow from her Big Chill refrigerator. The space above the stove and fan is just calling out for a shelf to fill it — one that Deb could use to display some cute vintage knick-knacks. If it were our kitchen, Kate and I both are loving mood board number three.
Stephanie Wheeler says
I’m going to vote with your husband on this one.
I agree with the other commenters who’ve said that you might want to wait a little while before you put up such a bold pattern. Not only that, but having such a busy background may prevent you from being able to accessorize as much as you want to. You’ll always have to try to “match” it to the wallpaper.
Looking forward to seeing the opinions of everyone else.
Sherree says
I LOVE the wallpaper. Since you seem to be going for a more 40’s vibe, I think this one fits the bill. It matches the counter tops and looks like they would have been used together. I do not see why it would be an issue using it as a backsplash as long as you routinely wipe it down as mentioned above. I had a wallpaper backsplash for 15 years, cooked every day, had hard well water and 2 rambunctious boys. I never had a problem. I would however use something else behind the stove because of grease splatters. I love your stove and your choice for the exhaust hood!
Patty says
Lots of folks don’t have problems with grease cause they don’t have much of it in their cooking — or their take out, restaurant leftovers, etc.
Elaine says
I agree with your husband for now. Let that beautiful counter and the nickel and stainless accents rule for awhile. It looks awesome, fresh and maybe a little MCM futuristic. I too remember my father installing lots of stainless steel edging on the counters, a four shelf room divider he built, and our table. He was so proud of that!
There will be time a little later to put up wall paper or some other kind of backsplash once the new has worn off a little. I also agree that it would be a very good idea to wait until the beautiful yellow refrigerator takes its place.
Meantime, if you have enough wallpaper, why not cover a tray that you can put up against the wall on the counter? You can enjoy it, use it and see how it lives in your kitchen.
Mary Elizabeth says
Hi, Deb,
First let me say that the countertop is awesome. Congratulations to DH for getting it so right. I still remember when I was about 10 years old watching my father putting a lino top with chrome trim on a worn kitchen table. I helped, or at least he made me feel I was helping. Still remember the smell of the adhesive, which I probably should not have been breathing. From your photos, it appears to be the same exact color, too. I know why your DH loves the nickel outlet plates–they really pop with the chrome edging on the counter. And I do love your stove.
Although I understand why you fell in love the wallpaper, It won’t be any problem keeping it clean if it’s scrubbable vinyl. I put up that kind of paper in my kitchen after my kitchen fire ruined the old stuff, and it lasted 20 years over the sink in a house that had hard water. You just need to wipe off the water with a dry cloth after you do the dishes and wash it will mild detergent about twice a year to get the grease off.
The nicest thing about today’s wallpaper is that, provided you do use wallpaper sizing, you can strip it right off if it does get dingy in ten years. Or if you think to yourself, “What the heck was I thinking?” you can take it down and replace it with much less expense and trouble than taking down tile.
That being said, I think once you have the yellow refrigerator in there you’ll wish you’d picked something that picks up the yellow as well as the red and blue. Otherwise the fridge will stick out like a sore thumb. I have three inexpensive suggestions. First, you could paint the backsplash white, then put up decals or stencil a fruit or flower pattern in red, blue, and yellow around the countertop. Second, I see you have a little window above the sink. If you’re mad for a little pattern in the kitchen, you could find a retro or vintage fabric and make a little valance for that and any other windows in the room that will feature red, yellow and blue. Then you could make placemats from the same fabric, with napkins in a variety of solid colors to “pull” the colors to the table as well. Third, look on retroplanet.com and other sources for some interesting tablecloths, dishcloths, etc.
Hope this helps! In the end, both you and DH have to live there, right? So you both have to be happy with the total result. Maybe he is just not seeing the awesomeness of the wallpaper right now. In the meantime, promise us you won’t do anything until the new fridge is in.
Beth says
Excellent suggestions! I think you’re right about picking up the yellow in the fridge.
Patty says
What would your husband think of yellow walls? I know some men h*&@ (edited) yellow.
Patty says
I think the wallpaper is adorable. You could frame some it or and scatter those frames around the backsplash. Experiment with different framing options and maybe turn on side diamond shape? Maybe paint wall a pale blue. Easier to change later.
Jennifer Kepesh says
I second the idea of framing some pieces of the wallpaper. I suggest simple square white plastic frames placed with plenty of space between. Think of them as square decorative dishes. The pattern works perfectly with your kitchen but it pops so much that a little less will give it even greater impact.
Miya says
I agree about using plexiglass over the wallpaper. The wallpaper is
cute, but it looks like you have a mix of color on the floor, countertops and fridge. I would stick to using color with vintage accessories, making
it less busy. Since you have 4″ countertop going up the wall, sometimes that is enough. If you want more, I am all for tile.
deb says
I love it, but I suppose it could look “busy”. Seems that you’d have the cleaning issue covered with the vinyl coating protection you mentioned. Maybe you could just somehow temporarily put it up and see if you guys like it visually??
Sarah g (roundhouse) says
If you do pick the wallpaper as a backsplash I would consider having plexiglass cut to fit and screwed over it for easy cleaning. I really think it could be done in a way thats not too intrusive to the design. Or you’re better off with tile in the long run…
Chutti says
Yes- this is a great solution.
We had an area like this before we took out one of our kitchen cabinets to put in my beloved Hoosier.
It really looked fine, but gave the security of being able to just wipe and clean. That would be my solution too!
Carolyn says
Thirded — we inherited that in one house and I thought it was *genius*. You can put anything you want behind the plexi and it will stay clean *and* be easily changeable.
Toni says
Yes, by all means, cover it with Plexiglass! That paper is too expensive to ruin by trying to wash it. I know. I priced it! AND the pattern is much smaller than shown in the mock up. It won’t be nearly as eye catching in real life. But I still want it or one of its partner papers. I still go and look at them. Why do I torture myself!
Toni says
PAM! They link to you on this page http://bradbury.com/blog/ left hand side toward the bottom.
I was looking for the actual size of the circles but didn’t find it. I’m old. I remember that paper. Seems to me the actual size of those circles with flowers were more like 2 inches. You had better get a real sample before you go any farther.
Sarah says
I’m not a fan of anything but tile/something that can be easily cleaned for backsplashes (especially if the wallpaper will go above the sink and if you have hard water).
ChrisH says
I think it looks good. If you decide to use it please do yourself a favor and use something like Shieldz wallpaper size before you install the paper. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Zinsser-Shieldz-1-Gal-Clear-Wall-Size-203263/202454561#.Ud5-y210Zb8