October 5, 2026, 10:18 am | Read time: 5 minutes
The kitchen has long evolved from a mere workspace to the heart of the home. It’s where cooking, eating, talking, working, and sometimes even celebrating happen. Yet, when it comes to incorporating art, the kitchen is surprisingly often overlooked. While a large painting above the sofa in the living room is a given, and a carefully curated gallery wall in the hallway is common, kitchen walls often remain bare. myHOMEBOOK editor Mareike Wegener explains why art also has a rightful place in the kitchen.
The kitchen offers exciting possibilities for art. A single picture can give a functional kitchen unit personality, make open shelves feel more homely, or visually break up a minimalist kitchen. However, different conditions apply here compared to living or sleeping areas. In the kitchen, art and everyday life meet directly–and with them, steam, heat, grease, and occasional splashes.
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Why the Kitchen Is Often Forgotten When It Comes to Art
The fact that art is less commonly used in the kitchen has a practical reason: Kitchens are primarily planned for functionality. Work surfaces, storage, appliances, and lighting take precedence in the design. A spot for a picture is often only considered once everything else is in place.
Additionally, the long-standing image of the kitchen as a workspace persists. Where cutting, frying, and washing take place, decoration seems out of place. But this perception has changed. Modern kitchens are often open, flowing directly into the living area, and are furnished with materials and furniture that could just as easily be found in other living spaces.
So why should art stop at the kitchen door? A picture can set an important design contrast right there. Among kitchen fronts, countertops, and appliances, it creates a personal touch. The kitchen feels less like a perfectly planned functional space and more like a part of the individual home.
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The Right Picture for the Right Place
Choosing art for the kitchen is not just about personal taste. It’s also crucial to consider where the picture will hang.
Next to the stove is a different spot than a free wall in the dining area. The closer a picture is to the stove, sink, or work surface, the more it is exposed to the kitchen’s unique conditions. Heat, steam, and especially greasy cooking fumes can accumulate on surfaces over time. Even when draining pasta or mixing, a splash can easily land where it shouldn’t.
Therefore, art should not be placed directly above the stove or next to areas prone to splattering. A free wall opposite the kitchen unit, a niche next to the dining area, or the transition between the kitchen and living area are often better locations.
A wall that isn’t typically considered a classic spot for a picture can also be particularly appealing: for example, above a small dresser, next to an open shelf, or on a free wall space between two tall cabinets.
What Art Must Endure in the Kitchen
A kitchen is not a museum. This should be considered when selecting pictures. Especially delicate originals on paper or unprotected photographs can react sensitively to a consistently humid or warm environment. Frequent cooking produces steam that can settle not only on windows and fronts but also on other surfaces. Additionally, greasy particles from frying can enter the air and settle on surfaces over time.
This doesn’t mean that art in the kitchen is inherently problematic. It’s more about the material, distance, and position. Those who cook frequently and intensely should not place particularly sensitive works directly by the stove. Strong temperature fluctuations or consistently high humidity are also not ideal for many artworks. A well-ventilated room and a position with some distance from cooking fumes already create significantly better conditions.
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Glass or Acrylic? The Frame Makes the Difference
Not only the motif but also the presentation form plays a role in the kitchen. A picture behind glass, for example, is easier to clean from dust and occasional dirt than an unprotected print. At the same time, care should be taken not to use aggressive cleaning agents directly on the frame or picture.
For photographs, prints, or works on paper, framing with protective glazing can be a practical solution. When choosing the glass, it’s also worth considering UV protection, especially if the picture receives a lot of daylight.
The frame itself can also be a bit more robust. Wood, metal, or well-crafted coated frames can be excellently used in a kitchen. The key is that the construction is not unnecessarily sensitive to the environment.
Art Doesn’t Have to Match the Kitchen Theme
One of the most beautiful possibilities is not to stage the kitchen too obviously as a kitchen. Choosing art that consists solely of motifs like lemons, coffee cups, and herbs quickly follows a very obvious design concept.
It can be more interesting to choose a picture that creates a deliberate contrast. A minimalist black-and-white photo in a colorful kitchen. An expressive painting against simple white fronts. A delicate drawing combined with a kitchen made of dark wood.
After all, art can be just that: art. It doesn’t have to explain which room it hangs in.