Love the existing look! I think extending it all the way around to the other wall works well. A would be your better option aesthetically because it matches the existing board and batten layout! Theres no reason to have that extra seperation as showin in B

I agree with A. It looks a little simpler and cleaner to me.

Let me begin by saying the board and batten in the entryway looks great--you did a wonderful job! I'm going to disagree with putting up board and batten on the other wall. There are vents, outlets, and other wall-mounted items (thermostat?) that would be covered by the wood. Or you'd have to cut out openings for them. Why not place a shallow console table there, with some wall decor above it?

I had thought of a narrow console table, but we decided against it as it's in an area that would get too many bumps and is a high traffic area, which makes something on the wall more attractive.

When considering the location of the battens, I was able to find a solution where the battens themselves could be evenly spaced and wouldn't be affected by outlet and vent covers.

The reason I wouldn't do this style is just over concerns it could get to be too much.

It stops at a good place; aligned with the carpet. I'd leave it be. If you continue, then keep it at the same height, not lower.

I don’t personally care for it and wouldn’t add more. But that’s just me.

Is this a farmhouse-type home?

Thanks for the thoughts. Does anyone have some ideas of what else or other ideas I could do for this wall? Like Diana mentioned, a narrow console table would work there looks and decor wise, but for our family, something more flush with the wall would be more appropriate for the stage we are in. Is it "bad" to have such a blank canvas of a wall? Since it's more in the dining area, I had thought of a clock, mirror(s), or pictures of sorts.

I like what you've done in the entry, but would not extend it further. Look for a few large pieces of artwork, or put together a gallery wall combined with a large mirror to keep the dining area a separate space. No clocks though. There is no need for anything on the floor since it's a heavily traveled walkway.

Another idea I just had would be either a fabric wall hanging, like a quilt or a tapestry; or maybe a patterned or textured wallpaper? I just had grasscloth installed in a boring hallway and it brings such richness, color and texture!

I like those ideas. A gallery wall would definitely be doable and is probably the simplest option. I had wondered about wall paper, but I wonder how would I end it so it defines the dining area space? I don't think I'd want the wall paper extending past the mudroom entry because then I would have to take it farther into the kitchen that I want. The mudroom entry seems like an ending space for the dining room, but I just don't know how I would create a visual separation without making it look awkward if that makes sense.

Would some sort of floor to ceiling grid board and batten work? Just throwing out ideas and probably overthinking 🙃

My vote is to extend the wainscoting as in pic A. Keeping it white will make the outlets & vents on that wall less visible. Then add some artwork above wainscoting. Also, remove the clutter you have sitting on the top of hallway coat hook panels. Coats hanging on hooks is a very messy & busy look so try to keep the rest of the space uncluttered. Good job!

You could do framed wall paper to make it look like a large piece of art. Then you wouldn’t have to worry about where to end it!

Continue at the same height. I don't see a reason to drop the height.

There are a lot of vents ... but I think it’ll look fine. But yes, agreed with the above, continue at the same height.

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I also love!!! Wallpaper and initially thought of that!!!!

I like the same height. My folks house had that. It was beautiful.

The same height sounds a little daunting to me for some reason. It wouldn't hurt to sketch it out. Would it close in the space more? Opposite of this wall are sliding glass doors. Would I have to continue the ledge if the height were kept the same? I think my husband would clonk his head on the corner if the ledge continued (it sticks out 3.5").

A few other things that I have had to consider with this project:

- I used 3/4" material (wood) because I wanted something solider to work with and make sure it was super secure to the wall so my hooks would be well supported. The studs were a solid baseline for my spacing (roughly 16" apart, 12.5" between battens).

- The spacing of the studs in the dining area are not 16", though I don't think I'd have to put the battens into studs as I'd never plan to have those battens themselves support a more weighty load. To work around vents, I was thinking of 16" spacing between battens. If I continued the same spacing in the front entry, there would probably be a split batten or two over a vent, which I wouldn't prefer.

- I was thinking of transitioning to 1/2" material where I showed I would extend the b/b in the pictures. This would make it a cleaner look with the door trim.

Note: The bubbles and sunscreen placed out of reach from my little girl have been moved 😅

What is the style you want to achieve in the house?

Most importantly, we want our house to feel comfortable and a little bit cozy. We like some coastal and cottage elements that help the house feel that way. We're definitely more casual than formal (though not opposed to very nice!) and want to have a relaxing, eye pleasing spaces to enjoy our growing family.

I found a few different options for how I could work around any vents or switches with the board and batten. If I keep the spacing similar to what is already in place, some of these options seem like good solutions. Thoughts?

I think continuing it will fit perfectly with the style you want and you already know the solution for switches etc. Hope you share updates when its all done!

Oh and I would jeep it the same height as what you have now with the ledge and you can add some family photos or art up there.

I'll tape it out taller and see how it looks! The idea of it now makes me a little leary, but I get what you all are saying. Fresh eyes!

I just don't want it to get to be too much board and batten! I'm more comfortable at the moment with the idea of keeping the b/b lower and doing art above there.

Of course it's your home and you can do what you want, but since you asked for opinions, I think cutting up the vertical wood pieces to accommodate the outlets and switches looks awkward and distracting. It calls attention to them. I'd do a framed wallpaper or other wall decor to focus the eye away from the vents, etc.

Totally get what you're saying, Diana. I'll tape it out and see how many battens are interfered with before I decide if it's really the right move. I'll look at other pictures online to see how distracting it is. I think making cut outs in the battens themselves would make it more distracting, but I wonder if it would blend more if I put a little more of the batten 1/4" to 1/2" inch around those and painted it white if they wouldn't stand out as much as they currently do. I suppose keeping the height and style of the current board and batten may also draw the eye up and away from vents and outlets.

Diana, I know you're a proponent of no board and batten, but if I did do it, would you say same hight or a lower one like I showed initially?

I do like the idea of being able to display pictures somewhere on that dining room wall and having some sort of mirror there as well. I don't think framed wall paper is exactly my look, but maybe it's just those specific wall papers in the pictures shared that I know won't work in my house.

If nothing else, I really like the idea of framing out that unfinished door frame into the mudroom area.

If you do the b&b, then I'd keep it at the same height as you have in the foyer, for the sake of continuity. However, if you want it at a different height, what about using a different type of wainscoting? Like a beadboard or recessed panel?

Thanks for the advice, Diana! More to think about.

I taped out the b&b today using the same spacing as in the front entry. (I taped/"framed" a couple extra outlets that I didn't need to because I didn't know the exact location of the battens.)

Here is it at at a lower height:

Here it is at a higher height (spacing between horizontal battens seems taller than it would be due to the dimensions of the tape/battens):

I like the continuity of the b&b at a higher height, but feel like the lower height would allow me to display pictures like I want to. A lower b&b height would give me more of the look I originally intended, and think that the higher height gets to be too much or dominating b&b.

Would it be weird if I started the b&b past the corner (into dining area) at a lower level and didn't extend it to the corner from the entry?

I've been thinking about what was mentioned about different board and batten. I measured out something a little bit lower, about 40" off the ground. The spacing is a bit wider too. This height would allow any art or pictures to be hung closer to eye level.

I think the bottom of any art or pictures would start at the top of the light switches regardless of if I went the b/b route or not.

I kind of like the idea of these vertical picture frames, or a mirror in the middle flanked by pictures or art, in a horizontal fashion.

If you decide to use the board and batten I'd suggest one or two large pieces of art. If you want more, smaller frames, just place them on the bare wall. If you try for both it could look too busy. What are you trying to accomplish for the wall? If you're just looking for some interest, get some colorful art.

I've been thinking more about what I want on that large wall, regardless of b&b or no b&b. I've recently discovered that shower curtains (searched on Amazon) can have some really neat prints, and it would be easy to pull it to make a framed canvas. Some of you mentioned large pieces of art, wallpaper, or fabric of sorts, so I looked into it a bit more. Here's some inspo pictures I've seen of this general idea:

My wall is about 10' wide. From the inside of the light switches to the end of the wall is about 8'. My thinking is that I would do either one large horizontal piece, or cut the shower curtain into either 2 or 3 pieces and have two or 3 pictures. Shower curtains are about 6' wide, and I can trim the length to make it closer to 4' long.

Thoughts on any art style or type that could fit on this wall? Abstract? Landscape picture? Any thoughts on colors? I wouldn't mind something with a little color, but I don't want it to get too dark even though we get lots of natural light with south facing windows. I'll include a picture of my living room so you have a general idea on some colors and style of my house.

My kitchen is pretty dark (the first thing on my "to do" list would be to get a lighter backsplash, when I ever get around to it):

For a refresher, here's a picture of the dining room wall (the large section with the switches, outlet, and vents on it):

I’m loving the large wall art idea! I had mentioned framing wallpaper previously but the shower curtain is a great idea too!

We did a taller ’board and batten’ look in our ’mud’ entry that is also our laundry (to the right…. not reflected in photo)…. this area also serves as pantry access and powder room access. We just used the wood framing … as our walls have that ’orange peel’ texture, then painted everything glossy white…. to help with grandchildren and dog traffic cleaning.

Yes, that's what I did in my front entry area, except added some hooks. Yours looks very nice! Love the white b&b contrast with the dark blue paint. I'm just not quite sure yet if I want to extend/add the b&b into the dining area of our home. I think it could look nice, but it would probably be better for the space that I have if I kept the b&b shorter than what I have, especially if I added some large scale art above it.

The art would look great. I'd try to find prints you like that reflect the colors you see outdoors since you seem to have a large window across from the wall. In addition to shower curtains, fabric, or wallpaper to frame, you can also look at handmade wrapping paper which comes in beautiful colors/patterns.

That's a great idea. We do have a good amount of windows extending a long the back side of our house. Lots of evergreen trees, birch trees, maple trees, etc. that we can view from our house. Lots of green essentially. I've seen some forest prints that are kind of neat.

Thoughts on any of these? We like pictures of scenery rather than something more abstract.

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

6)

7)

8)

The wall color looks different in your mock-ups, but 1 and 3 might work.

For your kitchen, the backsplash looks nice. I would put in under cabinet lighting, change out the pendants for clear glass rather than frosted glass and change out the cabinet hardware to something lighter.

Since you have evergreens outside, I like #3 and #8. Unless you live by the beach or own a sailboat, I'd stay away from the others. If you have some vibrant greens, blues, or yellows in your adjacent rooms, I'd use #3. If your colors are more muted, #8 would be best imo.

@Kaitlyn Larson

Any updates on your project? Thanks in advance!

I ended up doing a trio of pictures. I haven't done any b&b, though still like the idea. The wall still bothers me a little, but for now I'm pretty busy and haven't given it too much more thought.

This is what I have done for now on that wall.