How to find the perfect wall panel design for your home

With so many options to choose from, finding the perfect wall panel design for your home isn’t always easy. To help you with this decision, we’ve put together a list of our favourite styles.

From geometric to shaker style, wall panelling designs have the power to transform rooms with sophistication and personality.

As wall panel specialists, we (unsurprisingly) have heaps of panelling ideas. Here, we’ll be focusing on the key designs to consider, with tips on how to bring your home decor visions to life.

Wall panelling designs for your home

1) Geometric wall panels

For a truly creative wall panel design, make a geometric pattern with MDF strips. You’ll have the freedom to design the pattern from scratch, entirely to your own taste.

Keen to have an arrangement of panelling strips of varying lengths and angles? You absolutely can. Or tempted to create a symmetrical wall panel design? Go for it!

The beauty of this approach is you can tailor the design entirely to your walls. For example, if you’re doing geometric panelling on a feature wall, think about what furniture would likely be placed against it. If, say, the TV will go in front of it, check the overall design looks balanced.

If you like the idea of a geometric wall but would rather not design it yourself, look into 3D effect panels. You can buy these panels in pre-made designs, such as chevrons and tile style, that add an artistic touch to the room with minimal effort.

2) Shaker style panelling

One of the most popular wall panel designs is shaker style. This is where you install panels in square or rectangle formations across a wall.

Shaker style can work as either full- or half-wall panelling. It’s a classic design that suits just about any home.

While it fits well in a traditional home, with its timeless simplicity, shaker style also looks brilliant in contemporary homes, given its sleek symmetry.

Whatever style decor your home has, this design is worth considering.

To get the perfect shaker style panels for your room, try our cut-to-size panelling creator.

3) Wainscoting

Wainscoting panelling covers the bottom third of a wall, offering extra protection from scuffs.

It’s a great option for high-traffic areas like hallways and coatrooms, where shoes and bags are likely to drag along the wall.

However, given its versatility, it suits just about any room.

We have a handy wainscoting wall panelling kit, which includes moisture resistant panels, a skirting board and a dado rail. With this, it’s super easy to achieve this wall panel design at home as part of a DIY project.

4) Slat wall panelling

A popular choice for media walls is slat wall panelling.

This typically involving arranging tall, thin panels side by side, extending to the full height of the wall. It’s a really effective way to add texture to a living space with a minimalist style.

Our slat wall panelling can be bought pre-primed, so it will be ready to paint. Depending on the colour scheme of your room, you can paint the panels to either blend in through colour drenching, or with a contrasting colour if you’d prefer.

The colour will ultimately shape how the panelling’s design fits into the room, so take your time to work out what works best.

5) Beaded profile panelling

For styles like tongue and groove, which consist of vertical or horizontal panels, an important design choice is which profile to choose.

One good option is beaded profile panelling, known as bead and butt. This is where the lines between each plank have beads (convex detailing) that softens the shadows.

So if you’re hoping to add visual interest to walls without heavy shadows, look for bead and butt designs.

6) V-groove

For those that do want to incorporate strong shadows into their wall panel designs, look for ones with v-grooves.

As the name suggests, these have ‘v’ shape indents between each plank. This leads to clearly defined lines appearing between each one.

With its clean lines, this style suits contemporary home decor.

7) Ribbed wall panels

While you might generally picture flat panels when thinking about wall panelling, don’t overlook one excellent design: ribbed panelling.

It may be that you’re looking for an interesting texture to add across a whole wall. Or maybe you’re only looking to panel a small section? Either way, ribbed panelling is worth thinking about.

One clever use of ribbed wall panels is within shelving units in a media wall. This offers a textural contrast, adding subtle detailing with delicate shadows, without going overboard.

8) Fluted wall panels

Fluted panelling is similar to ribbed, just with concave shapes rather than convex. The wall panel design results in a beautiful mix of light and shade, with shadows sitting within the flutes.

We sell MDF fluted wall panels that are moisture-resistant, making them ideal for humid areas like bathrooms.

9) Panels with dado rails

To further enhance your wall panel design, consider adding a dado rail. With lovely, rounded detailing, they add a traditional touch to modern panelling.

We sell dado rail kits to simplify the process for you. For example, you can get a dado rail with mouldings for Edwardian style panelling.

It’s the perfect way to complete your newly panelled walls, creating a durable home decor style you can enjoy for many years to come.

Looking for more interior design tips? See our favourite media wall ideas, or visit our Instagram for more inspiration.