Let’s Ask The Panel

Yesterday I received this comment to one of my posts, and the wheels instantly started turning.  Here’s what Russ had to say:

We followed your transformation from the younghouselove blog. Imagine our delight to see a ranch house that looks just like ours, wood paneling and all! We love all your updates. We are working on ours on a much smaller and slower scale. We were curious, you mentioned that you had considered not painting the paneling… Have you found any inspiration ideas for wood paneled rooms and/or did you have any ideas of your own? We’re trying to find a way to keep the paneling, maybe turning it into a big, formal/English library-ish room, but we’re stuck, especially flooring and colors.  ~ Russ

First and foremost, much love to the fellow ranchers!!  As for Russ’ questions, it’s tough to address his decorating needs specifically without seeing pictures of the space, but these tips and guidelines should give him a great jumping off point for tackling his room.  Now let’s tackle those questions!

1.  What can you do with paneling? Truth be told, you can do pretty much anything with paneling.  If you like the look of it, you can stain it to accentuate its natural beauty, like we did the beam in our den.  We think that it really grounds the space and provides a nice balance to our dark wood floors.  In Russ’ case, staining the paneling a deep wood tone may be the perfect way to achieve that formal, English library look that he is going for by creating rich, warm walls.

However, if paneling just isn’t your thing and it’s not in your budget to remove it and add drywall, you can paint the heck out of it.  With tongue in groove paneling, you can even fill in the grooves between the panels with joint compound for a completely seamless look – people won’t even be able to tell that you have paneling.  Our walls have paneling with decorative molding – while the paneling was in great condition, we chose to paint it because the room was somewhat cave-like.  It’s amazing what some white paint and a few recessed lights can do!

2.  If you paint paneling, what paint colors should you use? The colors that you choose to paint your paneling are as personal as the colors that you would choose to paint any other room in your home.  The color choices are endless, particularly depending upon the type of paneling that you have.  With a traditional tongue in groove paneling, I would treat them just as you would drywall – the end result will look very similar to drywall, particularly if you use a flat paint.  However, you could also choose to accentuate the linear detail of the paneling by painting the paneling in alternating shades of the same color for subtle sophistication – or go bold with graphic stripes.

With decorative molding like the paneling in our den, we chose a bright white to open up the space and unify it with the adjoining kitchen.  However, we could have just as easily painted the paneling a deeper shade while leaving the molding white, emphasizing the architectural details of the space.  While contrasting molding would not provide a traditional English library look, this approach may achieve the formal look that Russ is going for.

And, of course, the paneling could be painted completely, from subdued hues to playful shades like these:

3.  What flooring is best with wood paneling? As with paint colors, the flooring options are endless with wood paneling.  If Russ chooses to leave the paneling in its natural wood tone, these photos can provide Russ with an idea of the look that could be achieved with different types of flooring.

Wood floors.  Wood floors typically look best in a tone that closely matches the wood paneling.

Carpeting and rugs.  A rug or carpet in a natural fiber is always a beautiful compliment to wood paneling, providing a casual yet refined flooring option for what can become an overly formal space.  Traditional wall-to-wall carpeting can be tricky, and you should take care to avoid a 70s vibe by counterbalancing the carpeting with more contemporary furnishings or traditional furnishings in updated fabrics and colors.  And of course, oriental rugs always look beautiful in a paneled room.

4.  How should you accessorize a wood paneled room? As you can see from the pics above, lighting and color play a big part in decorating a paneled room.  These rooms tend to be dark, so amp up the lighting – install recessed lights if you can and use lamps liberally.  We even added extra windows to our den to bring in more natural light.  As for accessorizing, paneled rooms that are left in their natural wood tone tend to be a bit monotonous, even though the wood can be very beautiful.  Go ahead and spice up the room with color, whether through decorative pillows, books with colorful jackets, flowers, or artwork – these accessories will pop against the paneling and make this cozy space feel even more inviting.

Ready to go tackle that paneling??  Got any great ideas of your own for updating paneling?  Go ahead and spill the beans!

[Check out another fun approach to paneling here.]

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