Design details
Aside from many practical purposes, wood panelling and skirting can add interest to an otherwise featureless room. Here’s our guide to getting it right
An expert guide to wood panelling, plus the very best places to buy skirting and architraves that will suit all styles
Wood panelling has been around for centuries, and was originally installed to insulate rooms and to make stone buildings feel more comfortable. Now equally at home in a modern space as in a period property, panelling can help to soundproof a room, while skirting boards can be used to hide all manner of imperfections, including uneven or damaged walls, cabling or even pipework.
If you’re restoring or adding woodwork, there are a couple of factors to bear in mind. ‘Interestingly, not all homes in the UK have details that match an exact build date,’ says Mark Cant from Period Mouldings (periodmouldings.co.uk). ‘Big cities were quick to pick up on trends but ideas took time to travel, so woodwork in homes further out could be from later than expected – something to remember if you’re looking for authenticity. But if you’re interested purely in aesthetics, you could mix and match or choose a design from a different period.’ Traditionally, deeper skirting and bolder features were found downstairs, in rooms that were used to entertain, and these would have become less prevalent as you moved up towards the top-floor servants’ quarters, which would have had little or no detail at all.
‘Deep skirting can look fantastic, but it can overpower the room,’ says Cant. ‘A simple trick when installing any new woodwork is to stick decorator’s tape on the wall where it will be first, to gauge proportions.’
Paint can have an impact too. ‘Using a pale colour on walls and a dramatic shade on woodwork can make a room feel spacious,’ says Joa Studholme, international colour consultant at Farrow & Ball (farrow-ball.com). ‘Alternatively, use the same colour on walls, woodwork and ceiling. A decorating method used by the Georgians, this has a calming effect yet looks powerful and modern. It also makes the edges of the room harder to read, which exaggerates its size’.