Beautiful Details: Wainscoting and Paneled Walls
Paneled Walls Add Substance and Style to Both Modern and Traditional Homes
Add wainscoting or paneled walls to a home and instantly it has more substance and stylish character. If I could, I would line many a wall in my home with wainscoting and panel a room or two. While this interior detail is rooted in traditional architecture, it can also enhance a home with a more modern appeal. It just comes down to what it is paired with.
Wainscoting lining the walls of this nook add to its fresh charm, while an oversized fixture clearly announces this is a modern space.

The paneling running up to the ceiling in this entry is very traditional, but ebony floors and a pair of abstract prints with a brilliant pop of yellow stop the space from being formal.
Tip: Adding a bright color into a neutral environment can add tremendous style.
Tip: Adding a bright color into a neutral environment can add tremendous style.
Paneling in this entry stops before it reaches the ceiling, almost reading as an exaggerated wainscoting. Pale lilac walls and a touch of turquoise enhance this room beautifully.
While I am a fan of all wainscoting, my preference is for styles that end above the midpoint of a wall.
Tip: When installing wainscoting avoid having the top edge end at the midpoint of the wall, which would result in a static look.
Tip: When installing wainscoting avoid having the top edge end at the midpoint of the wall, which would result in a static look.
Stunning wainscoting leads the eye down a hall to the front door, with the curved shape of the door being dramatically repeated in the framed archway.
Tile wainscoting runs behind the sink and tub with simple paneling lining another wall. It is a beautiful mix.
Darker paint colors always pop when paired with white wainscoting.
Can it get any better than wainscoting mixed with a claw-foot tub? Add towels hung like sculptural works of art and it does.
Paneling running up the side of a stairwell is a traditional application that always looks beautiful. Here a dark handrail and bench frame anchor the space in an artistic fashion.
You simply can't go wrong when deciding to install wainscoting in bathrooms. It is a timeless classic.
A home does not get much more classic than this. The abundance of millwork, including wainscoting, is the element most responsible for the beauty of the space.
Next: Browse more photos of wainscoting
Next: Browse more photos of wainscoting