This is a guest blog from our interior design friends at The Living House, who offer affordable and friendly interior design help to busy families. Collectively they have over 35 years of interior design experience and have helped hundreds of customers transform their homes with their straight forward design packages.
Here at 'The Living House' we love panelling! It can instantly transform a room from bare and mundane to stylish and engaging. It is so versatile and can add character and definition to your space. It can even help to change the feel of the room, increasing the sense of height or drawing your attention to (or away from) a certain feature. But knowing where to start can be tricky. When you are staring at a blank wall it can feel daunting to know what style to go for, or even what wall to panel. Read on for some tips to help get you started, so you can confidently update your room.
Shaker Style Wall Panels
Square Shaker Wall Panels
First up is square Shaker style panelling. It works really well in a period home where you want to enhance the traditional features and looks beautiful behind a bed. We would recommend using this style on just one wall to create a feature otherwise it could become overpowering.
Top interior tip
This style panelling looks great when used from floor to ceiling behind the bed and painted the same colour as the other walls. This adds subtle interest without feeling dominant or overwhelming.
Rectangle Shaker Wall Panels
Rectangle panelling in a shaker style looks beautiful in a bedroom and works really well when you mix traditional and contemporary pieces for that eclectic feel. This style is often used in a half or three quarter height creating an interesting backdrop behind the bed and providing an opportunity to add colour or wallpaper. Painting the panelling a darker shade to the wall lowers your eye in the room and makes the spaces feel cosy, whilst adding a bold wallpaper above, would lift your eye up making the room feel taller and spacious.
We love this bedroom as the colour of the panelling adds real warmth and pops against the neutral bed and mango wood bedside table.
Top interior tip
Consider the height of your ceiling before you add panelling to part of the wall. Is the ceiling high enough to make the most of this type of panelling? If you are going to panel three quarters of the way up the wall, consider the height of the door, especially if it is on the same wall. You either want the panelling in line with the door architrave or at least 15 cm below it or it will look disjointed.
Shiplap Wall Panels
We are big fans of shiplap panelling, it is simple yet so effective. Whether it's the full wall or half height we think it looks fabulous. When installed vertically it can really draw your eye up and give the illusion of more height in the room. We love seeing shiplap panelling used as a backdrop to more modern pieces. These could be your bedside tables or some contemporary wall lights. Combining the period look of shiplap with more modern shapes creates an interesting and eclectic interior that you will love for many years to come.
Top interior tip
If you’re in a new build home where your ceilings aren’t very tall, this is a great panelling style to use. The vertical lines will draw your eye up adding height to the room.
Traditional Wall Panels
This traditional panelling, also known as moulding, can give your bedroom an elegant and timeless feel. There is something about this style that says classy. It can be a great way to help frame the bed and to create a subtle feature. We love how it's been used in this gorgeous neutral bedroom, with a panel over the bed and panels at the side adding height to the room. With this type of panelling you could look to panel all of the walls, and keep the paint colour warm and neutral for an elegant but cosy feel.
Top interior tip
As this style of panelling leans more towards the traditional, we recommend thinking about the other woodwork elements in the room such as the architrave and skirting boards. Does the skirting board have a similar period feel to the panelling? This will help to give the room a cohesive feel.
With most panelling the tricky part is marking out where all of the different pieces need to go on the wall. But with Roomix kits and their simple step by step guide, it couldn’t be easier! You no longer need to hire trades people to do it for you, which lets face it, saves you so much money. And their DIY kits have everything that you need and are delivered directly to your door, so no more endless trips to B&Q required. Perfect!
Now that you’ve seen some of our favourite panelling options, what are you waiting for? Which style are you going to choose for your bedroom?
If you’re struggling to decide the best way forward, and it all feels a bit overwhelming, take a look at The Living House. We can help you with all aspects of your interior, offering easy, friendly, and personal interior design help so you can move forward with confidence. And you might be surprised at just how affordable our design packages are - starting at only £595! Check out our website www.thelivinghouse.co.uk for more information, and instagram @the_living_house for more inspiration and tips. We’d love to chat to you soon!
