CASE STUDY: PANELLING

Photographer Ben Anders has used wood panelling to blend his new kitchen extension (above) with the rest of his Victorian property ( below). Here, we take a closer look at the project The idea London-based photographer Ben Anders bought his Victorian house in 2013 and refurbished the entire property, adding a loft conversion and a kitchen extension. ‘About a year after the work was finished, we added the panelling,’ he says. ‘The kitchen felt stark compared to the rest of the house, and just didn’t gel. There was panelling in the hallway ( below) that we had restored and painted dark grey during the refurbishment, so we decided to link the spaces by fitting panelling in the kitchen too. It adds interest and colour to what was otherwise just a blank wall.’ The planning Ben enlisted the help of a professional carpenter friend to do the work. ‘ We spent a long time deciding the size of the panelling by sketching out the squares. I wanted it to fit the wall perfectly rather than having squares dissected at the edges,’ he says. They also matched the beading to the existing woodwork throughout the rest of the house for continuity. The fitting As with most modern panelling, Ben’s is made using MDF, which is stable and doesn’t expand and contract like wood. The wall was freshly plastered, so they were able to create a panelled look by attaching frameworks ( known as open-backed panels) to the wall, rather than using solid panels. The benefits Panelling can hide a multitude of sins, and can also help to balance out the proportions of an awkward or unusually shaped space. Full height, slim panels can make a ceiling appear higher, while horizontal panels up to a dado – used in Ben’s hallway – will visually elongate a space.