When you think of decorating a kitchen, you probably picture expensive cabinets or counter tops but making a big change doesn’t have to include a major overhaul. One simple and inexpensive way to change the look in your kitchen is to change or add to what you have on the kitchen walls. Making changes this way gives you great flexibility as if you don’t like what you see you can always move it around or reverse the look all together.

What is the first thing you notice when you walk into someone's home? The walls, right? Walls enclose the home, giving a thematic impression. So, if your walls are empty you've got to get to work to populate them. Wall hangings can be expensive, but that's only if you purchase something by a famous dead artist. You can create your own artwork without any art instruction whatsoever. First, you have to consider your theme. If you have a country kitchen theme then you will want country style artwork. A modern kitchen theme will look best with prints in sleek frames. A retro look? Then get some vintage style prints of old signs or baking products.

Do you have hundreds of pictures and just don't know what to do with them? If the idea of a personalized kitchen picture wall appeals to you, you could arrange the photos into a huge wall photo collage. Examples include pictures of exotic places, weddings, and children growing up. Although you will have more fun creating your collage yourself, there are companies that will take care of this for you. The cost ranges from about $50 for an 8x10 to $150 for a 20x24 wall collage.

If your kitchen has an outdoorsy, café or nature feel, you might want to consider pressing leaves or flowers and framing your work; the best of these are flat. You basically place the leaves or flowers in a book to allow them to dry flat. They are ready for your wall hanging when they become crisp. This shouldn't take longer than a week or two. After the items are pressed, you will just need to mount the artwork and hang it on your wall.

When you decorate your kitchen with artwork you are only limited by your imagination. Don't be afraid to experiment. As mentioned previously, artwork is easily reversible. So, be imaginative and creative and design your artwork.

Lee Dobbins writes for A Kitchen Decorating Idea Guide where you can find hundreds of articles on frugal kitchen decorating.

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