If you are creative about the way you use and install wallpaper borders, your room will be a one of a kind creation.

When decorating the kitchen, wallpaper borders are an essential element in setting the atmosphere of the room. The pattern of wallpaper that you use to complete your room will depend on your personal style. Whether your style is cozy, fun, formal, or luxurious, if you are creative about the way you use and install these wallpapers, your room will be a one of a kind creation.

The first thing you can do to make your wallpaper border unique is to combine your wallpaper borders. You can hang two or three coordinating wallpaper borders together. You might even consider using borders that contrast with each other. For example, you can start with realistic wallpaper that depicts items on a shelf or hanging pots and pans. Directly below that you can put a thin wood trim that would cause one to think there is actually a shelf there, and then below that, you can put up sculpted ivy wallpaper that butts against the faux shelf.

There is no rule that says you have to hang your wallpaper around the top of the room against the ceiling. It is your kitchen. You make the rules! You can use one or more patterns of wallpaper border to create a frame on a large wall which you can hang a collage, a large framed picture, or a grouping of pictures. You can also hang wallpaper at different heights. You may have seen wallpaper used at chair rail height around the room, with or without molding, but you can also use it around the baseboard of the room. The wallpaper does not have to be “kitchen” wallpaper either. You can install a picket fence design, or underwater scene that you would typically see in a child’s bedroom. These children’s room borders may be as wide as three or four feet. Doing such unexpected things with wallpaper border will help to make your room stand out from the crowd.

Do you hate wallpaper borders that repeat the same picture all the way around the room? Have your border tell a story. Use a combination of wallpaper cutouts and hand painted words to create a unique border that welcomes your friends and tells them to make themselves comfortable. Another option is to not have the wallpaper go all around the room. Cut the wallpaper border apart and use it in sections and groupings to decorate over windows and doorways and appliances. You can choose to use the border on an accent wall only. You can also put borders that feature seed packets or fruit in picture frames and hang them on the wall. When you are choosing your wallpaper rolls, remember to think creatively about the different ways you can use them.

Do not forget, room borders do not need to be wallpaper. You can choose to create a stenciled design, or to decoupage pictures onto your wall where you would typically put wallpaper. You can paint directly on the wall, or you can paint on strips of canvas and have that installed with heavy-duty wallpaper paste, which you can take down and save at any time. In addition, stamps and rub on designs may also be used to accent your room. Using any of these ideas alone or together will be sure to make your kitchen design truly unique.

Written by ANDREA HERMITT - © 2002 Pagewise