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37 ideas for wall panelling to inspire a change (that you can do yourself)
Wooden wall panelling is an excellent way to add personality to a room. The origins of panelling are - as is often the case with many historical features of our interiors - functional. As early as the 13th Century, wooden panels were used to add insulation to a room, but quickly became a decorative feature in their own right. It can be used to add Georgian-style grandeur to a room, lend a feeling of cosy cabin chic, or simply add some character and intrigue to an otherwise blank wall. Some of the most ingenious examples of wall panelling include a concealed cupboard or wardrobe, cleverly hidden behind decorative panels.
It does not have to cost the earth - depending what style you want, you can even do it yourself at home: there are plenty of tutorial videos out there, and hardware shops such as B&Q sell an array of panelling kits, while cutmy.co.uk and the aptly named diywallpanelling.co.uk offer bespoke sizes in a range of styles. The English Panelling Company sells British-made panelling in traditional styles, and Plaank specialises in reclaimed and weathered wooden boards.
If you're struggling to decide what kind of panelling you want in your house, we've rounded up some of the most inspirational examples from the House & Garden archive.
Paul Whitbread1/37Opting for a sophisticated feel in the drawing room of this Victorian house in Oxford, Charlotte Boundy has clad the walls in the drawing room with uniform, square panels painted in Edward Bulmer's ‘Milk White’.
2/37A Cotswold house designed by Isabella Worsley features a boot and utility room, with walls clad in v-groove panelling to discreetly conceal cupboard space. Everything is painted in Paint and Paper Library's ‘Muga’ in a durable eggshell finish. The blind is made up in Soane's ‘Paisley Stripe’.
Dean Hearne3/37In the antique dealer Dana Jennings' New England house, panelling in Benjamin Moore hue called ‘Jamesboro Gold’ provides a backdrop for a still life inspired by the 17th-century Spanish painter Francisco de Zurbarán and Italian paintings of the Madonna and child tease the gold tones out of the room.
Tom Griffiths4/37In travel editor Melinda Stevens' richly colourful London house, gloss blue panelling conceals wardrobes in the main bedroom. ‘Our turquoise panelled bedroom was meticulously designed by my friend Tom Bartlett at Waldo Works. The drawings that line it are by Edward Le Bas, my husband’s great uncle, who was part of the Bloomsbury crew. They are his costume designs for a production of The Duchess of Malfi, given to me by my mother-in-law’, she says.
ELLEN CHRISTINA HANCOCK5/37Simple wall panelling in this deeply sophisticated townhouse in London, decorated by interior designer Emma Shone-Sanders, is characterised by clean lines and muted tones. In the sitting room, panelled walls in warm neutral tones contributes to the cocooning, elegant feel.
Dean Hearne6/37The knitwear designer Anna Hambro has installed tongue and groove panelling on the walls and ceiling of her Sussex cottage. Painted in Atelier Ellis's ‘Double Bone, Shell & Quill’ and ‘Bitter Chocolate', the cladding adds character to the modern extension.
Alicia Taylor7/37Wall panelling painted in bright white makes for a serene, sophisticated lounge area in this bright Arts and Crafts house rejuvenated by Todhunter Earle.
Ruth Ribeaucourt8/37In their coastal house in France, Jean-Baptiste Martin and Vincent Farelly of paper company Antoinette Poisson have kept - or restored- the 18th-century houses' original panelling. In the Chambre de l'Amour, it acts as a quiet backdrop for vibrant textiles.
9/37The bathrooms in this grand Northern estate designed by Emma Sims-Hilditch are simply decorated with wainscoting panels, which help to add subtle colour differences in the room without overshadowing other, bolder decorative elements, such as the traditional claw-foot tub previously found in the home given another life, thanks to a coat or two of bright yellow paint.
Paul Massey10/37In the Wiltshire home of Sarah and Renshaw Hiscox, panelling in Little Greene’s ‘Normandy Grey’ sets off a painting by Endellion Lycett Green.
Paul Massey11/37In the sitting room, trompe l’oeil panelling painted by muralist Alan Dodd sets the tone for an elegant, artful scheme. The abstract design of the rug – based on a Joan Miró painting – is echoed by Pierre Frey’s ‘Rocky-Boy’ fabric on a second-hand armchair bought on Ebay.
The Ingalls12/37‘I used wood panelling throughout the space to add a subtle and effortless texture, creating visual interest with the sleek geometric lines of the wood while introducing an element of contrast with rustic soft furnishings,’ says Kelly Weastler of this house in Malibu.
Helen Cathcart13/37For this cottage by the sea, the interior designer Isabella Worsley built a banquette in the dining area, upholstered in Lee Jofa's ‘Gridlock’ in Indigo. A pendant light from Pinch hangs overhead. The curtains were made up in Zoffany's ‘Jayshree’ pattern. The tongue & groove panelling speaks to the house's coastal location.
Martin Morrell14/37Panelled walls painted in a specially mixed blue set off the Indian block-print bedcover from Faro Home in Mark and Georgie Rowse’s home in Oxfordshire.
Michael Sinclair15/37In Martin Brudnizki’s Oxfordshire home, panelling is painted in Edward Bulmer’s ‘Naples Yellow’, and helps to create the ‘arcadian fantasy’ that he had planned for the room. He also knew he wanted it to be yellow – ‘like sunshine even on a dark winter’s day’. As daylight fades, it takes on a golden hue and the room simply glows, thanks in no small part to the dimmed lights and candles – there are no fewer than 20 of the former and 20 of the latter.
Alicia Taylor16/37A hallway is the perfect place for panelling to add character to an otherwise blank space. In a Norwegian family’s light-filled Arts and Crafts villa, which country-house specialist Todhunter Earle Interiors has imbued with a touch of magic, simple square panelling adds interest to the clean white walls.
Paul Massey17/37Elaborate three-quarter height panelling in ‘Glass V’ by Paint & Paper Library tones with cabinets from Lorfords Antiques in this 19th-century house meticulously restored by Sophie Ashby with its Edwardian heyday in mind.
Paul Massey18/37Warm-toned teak panelling, with a sleek inset cupboard, lines the walls of this light-filled area in an Arts & Crafts house brought back to life by Brandon Schubert, giving a pleasing mid-century feel.
Simon Bevan19/37In this bedroom, designer Ben Pentreath has clad the walls, ceiling and window casement with painted tongue-and-groove panelling. It is a fairly traditional way to use panelling, especially in an attic bedroom, but the different angles give it an almost modern and geometric quality. benpentreath.com
Rachel Whiting20/37Rather than using parquet for the floor, designer Maria Speake of Retrouvius decided to clad a sliding door with it in this Barbican flat. It gives the door an almost sculptural quality and the polished wooden blocks each refract the light slightly differently.
Paul Massey21/37On the edge of a Gloucestershire meadow sits a tiny barn filled with varied treasures collected by the antique dealer and designer Christopher Howe, providing its owners with an idyllic country bolt-hole.
The interior is a mishmash of furniture from across the centuries, timber-clad walls, oak floors and hefty stone slabs in the kitchen. In the kitchen, antique church pews mark out the tiny dining area, while Plain English cabinets contribute to the distinctly cottagey feel and an eighteenth-century Norwegian dresser fits so perfectly it might have been made for the space.
Paul Massey22/37Architect Jonathan Tuckey found this timber panelled chalet in the Swiss Alps on a family ski holiday in 2008. At the same time, Jonathan was able to super-insulate the house from within and add a wood-burning stove for warmth from Austroflamm and as a focal point for the sitting room. 'Everything within the chalet is new and then we designed other things to complement the spirit of the original house.'
23/37‘I wanted to differentiate between panelling on the ceiling and the walls, so we used reclaimed random-width boards on the walls,’ explains architect Gil Schafer, who masterminded this sitting area with designer Rita Konig. For the ceiling, he opted for uniform, thin boards that are less distracting.
24/37The architect Graham Bizley and his interior-designer wife Emily clad their bedroom walls with 1.2-metre-wide plywood sheets. ‘Timber panelling needs to be treated for fire protection with
a special sealant or paint before applying the top coats of paint,’ says Graham.
25/37This pretty trompe l’œil panelling, adorning the walls of a bedroom in a London flat by Charlotte Crosland, is by artist Rosie Mennem. For more traditional trompe l’œil panelling, Henry Van Der Vijver creates a convincing range of panelling with paint.
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‘I was inspired by panelling that I had seen on my travels to historic houses in England and France,’ says Steven Gambrel of the design that he created for this American hallway. The pale painted central border ties in well with the flooring. The slightly weathered finish was achieved by lightly sanding layers of paint to create subtle colour variations. The surface was then waxed to seal and protect the paint.
27/37Consider the age of your building if you are creating panelling from scratch. For this Victorian house, Max Rollitt added Jacobean-style panelling, a design that experienced a revival in the nineteenth century. It is painted in a soft grey, which was mixed to achieve a chalky finish that resembles early lead paint.
28/37Designer Adam Bray applied a blue-green gloss paint to the panelling in the narrow dressing room of this London flat. ‘I love gloss walls – they bounce the light round the room,’ says Adam. ‘It is really important that you get the proportions right with panelling. I looked at Edwardian references.’
29/37The oak panelling in this snug designed by Rabih Hage creates a cosseting feeling. ‘The unstained panelling is original to this Queen Anne house and has darkened over the years,’ says Rabih. The cream-painted shutters prevent the wood from overwhelming the space.
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The clean-lined panelling in this study by Hugh Henry of MHZ design studio gives the otherwise traditional room a modern feel, and the grey shade stops the dark-brown pieces of antique furniture feeling too grand. It is a good way of concealing built-in storage, and here it has been combined with low-level drawers.
Jason Ingram31/37For a contemporary and affordable take on panelling, consider birch plywood. It has been used here to line the walls of this house, which belongs to Adam Sykes, the owner of fabric house Claremont. ‘We used cheap builder’s ply, oiled it and finished it properly,’ says Adam.
Simon Brown32/37Designer Vanessa Macdonald lined the walls of this sitting room at her country house with painted boards. ‘The space lacked charm and had no original features,’ says Vanessa. ‘I’d seen vertical panelling in country houses.’ This horizontal arrangement tricks the eye into thinking the room is wider than it is.
Simon Brown33/37Mixed-width, vertically staggered elm boards line the walls in this relaxed sitting room in Robyn Muir's house, designed by Caroline Holdaway. Each board was coloured with ochre and umber stains to achieve an overall even colour and then the boards were waxed to give them a lustre.
34/37The cabins at Soho Farmhouse are built using reclaimed board cladding and feature indoor relaxing spaces such as this sitting area with a log burner. A variety of textures make the room feel even cosier, and the reclaimed wooden door is appealingly rustic.
Lucas Allen35/37The neat attic bedroom of designer Hugh Leslie's Chelsea studio is partially clad in horizontal tongue-and-groove boarding. This is a good trick to visually widen a small room. Try the Georgian range from The English Panelling Company, which would create a similar effect.
Paul Massey36/37Brushed pine (laid horizontally as is traditional, but 'brushed' for a textural, more modern look) and slate set the tone in the bathroom of interior designer Tino Zervudachi's Gstaad chalet that's designed for deep comfort and relaxed partying. The bathroom can be accessed from the hall through a neatly designed cloakroom, as well as from the bedroom, and is the essence of chic - the beautiful curve of the wood-clad, free-standing bath set off by the straight lines of the room and the black slate floor and surfaces. 'I wanted to be able to lie in my bath and look out at the landscape,' Tino says. The first time he had a bath here, he spotted a deer running across the mountainside.
37/37In the wood-panelled back porch of this Virginia home, antique wooden and upholstered white furniture shines out against against the dark wooden floors. Framed artworks are hung in grids, mirroring the pattern of the windowframes.
