Wall panelling is everywhere. You can't scroll through Instagram for five minutes without seeing a dark green bedroom with skinny wooden slats or a pristine white hallway covered in shaker-style boxes. It’s the "millennial grey" of the 2020s, yet somehow, it feels older than the houses it’s being installed in. Honestly, the design of wall panelling is one of those things that looks deceptively easy on a 60-second TikTok but is incredibly easy to mess up in real life. If you get the proportions wrong by even an inch, your living room starts looking like a poorly themed budget hotel.
Most people think panelling is just about sticking some MDF to a wall and painting it. It's not. It’s actually about shadow gaps, architectural history, and understanding how light hits a flat surface. When we talk about the design of wall panelling, we're talking about a tradition that dates back to the 13th century when people were just trying to keep their stone huts from being freezing cold. Today, we do it for the "vibes," but the rules of geometry haven't changed.
The math of the design of wall panelling that no one tells you
Let’s get real. Most DIY panelling looks "off" because the person didn't account for the skirting boards or the ceiling height. You see it all the time: a beautiful wainscoting that just... stops... two inches before a window frame. It's awkward.
Architectural designers like Ben Pentreath or the team at Studio McGee often talk about the "Rule of Thirds" or the "Golden Ratio," but for the design of wall panelling, it’s simpler than that. You have to look at your "dado height." Historically, the dado rail was there to protect the wall from chair backs. If you place your rail too high—say, exactly halfway up the wall—you’ve effectively bisected your room and made it look shorter. It feels squat. Ideally, you want that lower panelling to sit at about one-third of the total wall height. This anchors the room.
But what if you're doing full-height panels? That’s where things get tricky. You have to decide if you're going for a traditional Georgian look with large, recessed rectangles or something more contemporary like "slat wall" panelling. The contemporary stuff is trendy right now, but here's a hot take: those skinny vertical slats are going to be the "shag carpet" of 2030. They collect dust like crazy and they’re a nightmare to paint. If you’re going to do it, do it because you love the texture, not because you saw it in a sponsored post.
Materials matter more than the color
I’ve seen people try to save money by using thin strips of plywood, and honestly, you can tell. The edges are fuzzy. The paint doesn't take right. If you’re serious about the design of wall panelling, you should probably be looking at Medite Exterior or moisture-resistant (MR) MDF for most interior projects. Why? Because regular MDF fluffs up when it gets damp or when you apply water-based primer.
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- Natural Oak: Expensive but timeless. It adds a warmth you can't fake with paint.
- Reclaimed Wood: Great for "organic modern" styles, but watch out for pests and splinters.
- Polyurethane/Orac Decor: This is the pro secret. It’s lightweight, comes pre-primed, and it’s perfectly straight. Wood warps; plastic doesn't.
There's also the "shiplap" craze. Thanks to shows like Fixer Upper, everyone thought horizontal boards were the peak of design of wall panelling. But in 2026, we're seeing a shift back to more formal "raised" or "fieldeded" panels. These are the ones where the center part of the panel is higher than the frame. It creates deep shadows. Shadows are what make panelling look expensive. Without shadows, you just have a bumpy wall.
Stop ignoring your sockets and switches
This is the biggest mistake in the design of wall panelling. You spend three days measuring out your perfect squares, you glue them to the wall, and then you realize a double plug socket sits right on top of a vertical rail. It looks terrible.
You have two choices here. You either plan your panel widths so that the sockets land dead-center in a panel "well," or you use "spacer boxes" to bring the socket forward so it sits flush on top of the wood. Professional installers will often move the electrical boxes entirely. It’s a pain. It costs more. But if you don't do it, your high-end design will always look like an afterthought.
The "secret" of the shadow gap
In modern design of wall panelling, especially the minimalist styles found in high-end condos in London or New York, they use something called a "shadow gap" or "negative detail." Instead of a piece of wood sticking out from the wall, you leave a deliberate 10mm gap between the panel and the floor or the ceiling.
It makes the wall look like it’s floating. It’s incredibly difficult to pull off because your walls have to be perfectly flat. Most houses aren't flat. They’re wonky. They’ve settled over fifty years. If you try to do a shadow gap on a wonky wall, the gap will vary from 8mm to 14mm, and it’ll look like a mistake rather than a feature.
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Color drenching and the finish
We need to talk about paint. The current trend in the design of wall panelling is "color drenching." This is where you paint the walls, the panels, the skirting boards, and even the radiators the exact same color. Usually something moody like Farrow & Ball's "Railings" or "Hague Blue."
It works because it hides the seams. If you paint your panelling white and the wall behind it a different color, every tiny gap where the wood meets the plaster is going to show up like a sore thumb. Using a matte or eggshell finish is generally safer. High-gloss panelling looks incredible—very Regency-era—but it shows every single brush stroke and imperfection in the wood. Unless you're using a professional spray rig, stick to lower sheens.
Why scale is the silent killer
I once saw a gorgeous Victorian villa where the owners had installed giant, 4-foot wide panels in a tiny cloakroom. It felt like the walls were closing in. Scale is everything.
In a small room, smaller panels (or "beading") make the space feel more detailed and expansive. In a large room with high ceilings, you need "hero" panels. If the panels are too small in a big room, it looks busy and nervous. Think about the architecture of the building. If you live in a 1970s suburban home, maybe don't try to install 18th-century French boiserie. It’ll look like a movie set. Go for something simpler, like a shaker-style grid or a simple chair rail.
Practical steps for your project
If you're ready to start, don't reach for the hammer yet.
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First, get some blue painter's tape. Tape out the entire design of wall panelling on your wall. Every single rail. Every single stile. Leave it there for two days. See how the light hits it at noon and at 8 PM. Walk past it. Do you hit your elbow on where the rail would be? Does it cut off your favorite piece of art?
Second, check your "plumb." Take a spirit level and see how vertical your walls actually are. If the wall leans out by half an inch, your "flat" panels are going to have huge gaps behind them that you'll have to fill with caulk. Caulk is a decorator's best friend, but it can't perform miracles.
Third, consider the "top-down" approach. Start your measurements from the ceiling if you're doing full-height panels. Our eyes notice if the gap between the top panel and the ceiling is uneven much faster than they notice an uneven gap at the floor level, where furniture usually hides the base.
Fourth, decide on your "rebate." A traditional panel sits inside a frame. A modern "applied" panel is just a molding stuck to the wall. The latter is much cheaper and easier for beginners, but it lacks the depth of a true "inset" panel.
Finally, don't forget the sanding. You should spend as much time sanding the joints as you did cutting the wood. Use a 120-grit sandpaper followed by a 220-grit for a smooth finish. If you can feel the joint with your fingernail, you'll definitely see it through the paint.
The design of wall panelling shouldn't be a rushed weekend job. It's a permanent architectural change to your home. Take the extra day to measure three times. Buy the better quality MDF. Move that annoying light switch. You’ll be living with those lines for a long time, so you might as well make sure they’re straight.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Measure your wall height and divide by three to find your ideal "dado" line for wainscoting.
- Purchase a laser level. It is impossible to get a long run of panelling straight across a room with a handheld bubble level.
- Test your adhesive. Some "No Nails" style glues can grab too fast, leaving you no room to wiggle the boards into a perfectly level position. Look for a "slow-set" grab adhesive if you're a beginner.
- Prime the back. If you're using real wood, prime the back of the boards before putting them on the wall. This prevents the wood from warping when the moisture levels in the room change.