Before & After: How Jewel Marlowe Turned Her Basic Kitchen Pantry Into a Pattern-Filled Showstopper

A full room of pattern is always a showstopper. But that doesn't mean that pattern in small spaces can't also steal the show. And in interior design blogger Jewel Marlowe's case, we're talking really small—just one wallpapered pantry was enough to completely transform her already gorgeous kitchen.

"The difference this time is that I also wanted to wallpaper the inside of the pantry doors," says Jewel. "I was inspired by the secret jib doors I've seen hidden in gorgeous chinoiserie wallpapered dining rooms. But here, I wanted to do the reverse and make the surprise on the inside."

Jewel's inspiration was translated into a subtle nod to the theme. On the outside of the pantry, brass bird hardware gives a wink to chinoiserie style, while also hinting at the gold metallic of the wallpaper just inside the doors. And even though Palma was installed inside the closet, the way it plays with other patterns in Jewel's home was a major consideration.

"I picked this pattern because I have been eyeing it for years and I knew the green would play well with all other sight lines in the area," Jewel says. "I like to mix pattern, and one trick is to mix scale and type. It may seem crazy to some people that on one level of our home we have six different wallpapers. The bathroom is a large-scale organic heron pattern, the little hallway is a tiny black-and-white polka dot, and the dining room is large-scale organic that reads as an oversized stripe. I knew that a medium-sized geometric, like Palma, was something that wouldn't compete with the other areas."

Inspired to create a pattern-filled pantry of your own? Here's how Jewel transformed hers:

Before she began, she nailed 1/4-inch plywood to the inside of the paneled doors in order to create a flat surface that would readily accept the wallpaper. She wallpapered the two doors first so that she could line up the repeat there with the back of the shelves. She then used a level line that ran from the back of the pantry down along the top of each shelf. Once the door was shut, Jewel was able to gauge where the pattern needed to hit and then eyeballed it.

"It would have been impossible to match the pattern in one continuous roll," explains Jewel, "so I worked one shelf area at a time. I stopped the pattern where the eye can't see, on the top of the tall shelves and the bottom of the shorter ones."

Jewel still plans to line the shelves with clear contact paper to add longevity and durability to this dramatic but still highly functional space. In addition to door prep, the whole project took between seven and eight hours to complete—a small time investment for major payoff. Looking for a similar look with a little less effort? Jewel suggests wallpapering just the pantry doors and back wall. 

We can't wait to see what the talented Jewel does next!