Like many apartment dwellers I have a small kitchen with a minimal amount of wall space and ugly cupboards. Because I rent my landlord doesn’t want me to paint the cupboards, even though I have assured him that white cabinetry would look much better then the currently burgundy brown stain that graces the front of the cabinet doors. So with painting out of the question, I decided to look at wallpaper to provide a splash of colour so loud it distracts the eye from the cupboards.

I visited several websites looking for just the right wallpaper, but I found it hard to commit to any as it’s difficult to determine the size of a pattern from my computer screen. So I sought out companies that would mail samples allowing me to test what wallpaper would be worthy of my kitchen walls.

After receiving various samples -- some gorgeous and some that looked like an old kindergarten class project -- I was glad that I had requested samples before purchasing any paper. What you see on your computer screen can be vastly different than what arrives at your door step. After all my hunting was done, there were three sites whose designs appealed to me the most:

          
     Farrow and Ball                                    Ferm Living                         Graham & Brown

All of the companies were willing to provide samples, some for a small charge, but in the end paying a small price was worth it. I’ve narrowed down my options to two choices, both of which are currently stuck to my kitchen wall so I can get a better sense of which one belongs. I thought deciding on paint colours was tough, but committing to a wallpaper has taken decision making to another level!  Below are my two choices - which one do you prefer?

Wilderness (Ferm Living)         Vermicelli (Farrow & Ball)