The kitchen is where most of us spend the bulk of our time at home, yet its walls are often the last to get any attention. A couple of well-chosen prints can make it feel finished, warmer and far more like your own. These kitchen wall art ideas come from our family print studio in the North East, along with the practical bits people ask us about most: where to hang art in a kitchen, what size to choose and whether to go framed or canvas. If you'd rather jump straight in, browse our kitchen wall art collection.
What kind of art looks good in a kitchen?
The short answer is anything you're happy to look at while the kettle boils. In practice, a few themes work especially well, because they suit the room's purpose and sit comfortably alongside tiles, wood and open shelving.
1. Café and bakery scenes
Food and drink prints are the classic choice for a reason: they belong in the room. Our Café & Pantry set of 3 pairs coffee and a croissant, a rustic loaf and a bottle of wine with cheese, all in warm cream, brown and terracotta. It's calm rather than busy, so it suits a breakfast nook or the wall above a dining table.
If you like the idea of a little street scene instead, the Quiet Streets set of 3 shows a corner café, a bicycle by a shuttered window and a bakery shopfront in soft, neutral tones. For a single print with a bit more colour, The Corner Bakery has a pink striped awning, bread in the window and a pink bicycle parked outside.
2. Fruit prints for a pop of colour
Fruit prints are an easy way to bring colour into a white or grey kitchen without painting a thing. The Market Fruits set of 3 repeats bright oranges, lemons and green apples across soft cream backgrounds, which gives a bold but tidy look. For something more playful, the Citrus Pop set of 2 is a smiling lemon and a sleepy lime on sunny yellow and lime green.
Prefer a more grown-up take? The Painted Fruit set of 2 shows golden pears and dark plums with rich, expressive brushwork on teal and blue, which looks lovely against dark cabinets or a wooden worktop.
3. Botanicals for a fresh, calm kitchen
Green leaves suit kitchens with plants on the windowsill, wooden worktops or a Scandi feel. The Botanical Studies set of 3 shows fern, olive and monstera as simple labelled studies on white, and the olive print works nicely on its own too. For a softer, painterly look, the Eucalyptus & Wildflower set of 3 mixes grey-green leaves with little golden flowers. You'll find plenty more in our botanical wall art prints.
4. Mediterranean warmth
Terracotta, olive green and sunny yellows bring a holiday feel to a kitchen, and they're a natural match for wooden tables and earthy tiles. The Mediterranea set of 3 is pared back and abstract, with suns, olive leaves and simple vessel shapes. The Mediterranean Days set of 2 is more of a scene: a shuttered window above a little table of lemons, and a stone villa framed by lemon trees. On its own, Summer Market shows a market stall piled with fruit and flowers.
5. Something a bit quirky
A kitchen is a good place to have some fun. The Retro Social set of 2 pairs bold "Good Times" lettering with a fan of playing cards, perfect near a home bar or the drinks shelf. For a very British joke, the Seaside Opportunists set of 2 shows a gull in full flight and a crowd of gulls eyeing up a pile of chips. And if the cat runs the house anyway, the City Companions set of 2 brings two characterful cats in bold pinks, oranges and teal.
Where to hang art in a kitchen
Kitchens have less free wall than most rooms, so it helps to think about the spots that work before choosing prints.
- Above a dining table or breakfast nook. Usually the best wall in the room. A set of 3 or a pair works well here, centred on the table rather than the wall.
- The end wall of a galley kitchen. One larger print or a pair draws the eye down the room and makes a narrow kitchen feel deliberate.
- Above a sideboard, dresser or open shelving. Leave a gap of roughly 15 to 25cm between the top of the furniture and the bottom of the frame so the two read as one arrangement.
- A short stretch of wall between units. A single Small or Medium print is often all a gap like this needs.
Wherever you hang it, keep art away from the hob, the kettle and right above the sink. Steam, heat and splashes aren't kind to any print, framed or canvas.
What size wall art for a kitchen?
A good rule of thumb is that a print, or a group of prints, should span roughly two-thirds of the width of the furniture beneath it. Hang it so the centre sits around eye level, about 145 to 150cm from the floor, unless it's above furniture, in which case use the gap above.
Here's how our framed sizes tend to work in a kitchen:
- Small (A4 print, about 23.5 x 32.2cm framed): narrow gaps between units, or a row of three above a small bistro table.
- Medium (A3 print, about 34.7 x 47cm framed): the most useful kitchen size. A pair sits nicely above a breakfast nook or a small table.
- Large (40.6 x 50.8cm print, about 45.5 x 56cm framed): a set of 3 above a dining table for four to six.
- Extra Large (50 x 70cm print, about 55 x 75cm framed): a single statement print on the end wall of a galley or in a big open-plan kitchen diner.
When hanging a set, leave about 5 to 8cm between frames so they read as one piece. Our size guide has the full measurements for framed, unframed and canvas prints.
Framed, unframed or canvas in a kitchen?
Every print in this guide comes framed in black, oak or white, unframed, or as a wrapped canvas, so you can match the finish to your kitchen:
- Black frames pick up black handles, taps and light fittings and give a crisp, graphic look.
- Oak frames sit well with wooden worktops, open shelves and butcher's block, and warm up a white kitchen.
- White frames keep things light and fresh in a pale or Scandi-style kitchen.
- Wrapped canvas gives an edge-to-edge image with a softer, more relaxed feel.
- Unframed prints are ideal if you already have frames you love, in sizes from A4 to A1.
Make it a set
If you're unsure where to start, a matching set takes the guesswork out of it. Every print in a set is designed to sit together in colour and style, and comes in the size and finish you choose. Browse all our gallery wall sets for sets of 2 and 3, or see every food, fruit and café print together in our kitchen wall art collection.
Kitchen wall art FAQs
What artwork looks good in a kitchen?
Food and drink scenes, fruit prints, botanicals and Mediterranean-inspired art all suit kitchens well, because they fit the room and pair easily with wood, tiles and plants. Pick colours that pick up something already in the room, such as your splashback, cabinets or worktop.
What should I put on an empty kitchen wall?
A set of 2 or 3 prints is the simplest way to fill a blank kitchen wall without it looking cluttered. Measure the wall or the furniture below it, aim to fill about two-thirds of the width, and choose a set in Medium or Large.
Can you hang prints near a cooker?
It's best not to. Keep art away from the hob, kettle and sink, where steam, heat and splashes can damage it over time. A dining wall, breakfast nook or end wall is a much safer spot.
What size picture should go above a kitchen table?
Aim for a print or group that spans about two-thirds of the table's length. For a small table, a pair of A3 prints works well. For a table seating four to six, try a set of 3 in Large.
All our prints are printed with archival giclée inks and handmade in our family studio. Delivery is free to UK mainland addresses, and orders placed before 2pm, Monday to Friday, are dispatched the same day.