I had a wild hair the other day to try wallpaper on my dishwasher and honestly, I’m still a little surprised at how good it turned out. That wild hair almost extended to putting wallpaper on all my appliances (yes, I was eyeing the fridge too 😅), but my husband put a hard stop on that one. Fair. But the dishwasher? Totally fair game and now it’s one of my favorite little DIY upgrades in the kitchen.
A few years ago, I added a cute apron to it, which I loved, but I was ready for something new with a bit more pattern and that soft, cozy cottage feel. And then I found this wallpaper. You know when you find something and immediately start looking around your house like “where can I use this?” That was me. And it turns out, a dishwasher makeover with wallpaper was the perfect little project.
This post contains affiliate links
Okay, so if you’ve been here for long, you know I have a love-hate relationship with my kitchen. I’ve been doing everything I can to avoid painting those cabinets. The wood is beautiful, but the color most times of the day is… not. It leans sooo orange and drives me a little crazy. The black countertops don’t help with the contrast, and neither do my black appliances.
But here’s the thing, the dishwasher still works perfectly, so it’s staying. Which is exactly why I started looking for a budget-friendly kitchen upgrade to help it blend in more. And if you’ve ever wondered, can you put wallpaper on a dishwasher? or even can you put wallpaper on appliances? I’m here to show you that yes, you absolutely can, and it’s such an easy way to soften those dark, bulky finishes.
As you can see, the before is just one big black box… and I was more than ready to change that.
Now for switching it up a bit!
Supplies I used:
Scallop Trim: link (similar)
The first step was to cut the wallpaper to size. Luckily it was just straight lines, so it wasn't too complicated.
I made sure to wrap the wallpaper around the edges as best as it would fit. I had to keep the top black though so I could see the controls. But if you look closely in the after shots, I did manage to make the start button gold :)
I could have left it just like this, but it felt unfinished. I remembered that I had some scalloped trim I bought from Hobby Lobby leftover from a previous project and thought it would be perfect on here! So, I cut it to size with my jigsaw.
I then stained it as best I could to match my cabinets. (see my effort at trying to blend things into those darn cabinets? haha)
The trick to adding this is using magnets! I mean you could totally glue this onto the dishwasher, but I'm all about things less permanent. So, I hot glued some fridge magnets onto the back. I did three, one on each end and one in the middle.
I just lined the scallop trim up, and it was done! This took all about half an hour or so to do. Not bad for a fun little change that brightens up a space!
I did reuse the magnetic curtain rod/towel hanger that hung up the apron to now hang up a dish towel. This helped soften the look a little. I mean, it was still hard lines even with the wallpaper...also, it gave it some layering and cute little cottage look.
Here's the one I used in white, but I have recently purchased the ones in gold and love them!
Here's a good before and after so you don't have to scroll back up. It definitely brightened this area up.
Before:
I wish the trim on these shelves I made a few years ago was still in stock (you can tell by the unfinished shelves I've been waiting for it!), I would definitely had chosen to use it for continuity...but I seriously do love the scallop trim! I want to add it on everything, but I'm holding myself back :)
And can we talk about this backspash? This is peel and stick wallpaper in faux brick I put up about 4 years ago and it is holding up sooo well! (linked here)
And here's a super before of this area...with the cabinets and white walls before any real big changes. Opening up the space and removing the cabinets was such a good decision!
The one thing my mom asked was, "is this going to hold up to the heat of the dishwasher?" And truthfully, I didn't think anything about that so I was worried! But, it's been about 2 months since having it on, and it's been fine! No bubbling or lifting yet!
The real question is this though...would you paint my cabinets if you were me? If so, what color?
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
0 comments