The Hunt Co Hacks to Paneling;

Whether requested by the client or suggested by Hunt.CO , paneling; in the myriad of styles and applications it comes in, is a beautiful way to add texture, depth and character to your home. It transcends design styles and movements and thusly works in homes inspired by anything from the Arts and Crafts movement the the Hollywood hills.

With such a diverse range of use working out the best application for your build can be one of the biggest challenges so here are five Hunt.CO hints to help you figure out if your home is more country cottage than Mid Century modern and how to effectively install the right style to take your home from boring to boogie with this timeless design feature.

HUNT HINT #One, Your purpose:

Whether you are looking to create a sense of grandeur, an eclectic cottage feel, add texture and depth to an island or simply looking to break up high or long walls, paneling can really transform a space and have a lasting impact on your home. You can mix or layer styles, work with different profiles, colours and finishes but the key is to keep these within the same palette and tones to maintain continuity across all surfaces within the space.

HUNT HINT #Two, What is the best option for your home?:

FIGURE out your home style! It is easy to get overwhelmed trawling through instagram and pinterest and want to replicate all the beautiful images you save and swoon over, but not all styles of paneling will suit all homes.

You have to be sympathetic to the location, age and type of home you live in, if your home is a 1980's brick veneer you are unlikely to have wide hallways or high ceilings so I would look at a full wall VJ board or in the profile of your cabinetry as opposed to a baroque or board and batten style as these would be too opulent for the home and the size of the spaces.

Hunt Hint #Three, What is the Function of the Space

Be practical about the use of the space and don't just think of the room isolation but consider its function and flow into the rest of the home. It seems obvious to say, but you want the paneling to enhance the room, not become intrusive or impractical, so while certain styles of paneling can be a great way to add warmth and create a sense of intimacy they may not be the right selections for your kitchen or mudroom but more appropriate for a walk in robe, den or guest bedroom.

HUNT HINT #Four, Retro Fitting...a Case Study:

Adding paneling doesn't have to be expensive, in fact it could be a solution to your interior problems, be it used to fix some design faults, repair damaged walls or to add insulation and assist with acoustics, however it can but can be fraught with issues if not executed correctly.

Take into consideration our above HINTS as well as what you are wanting to achieve in the space and what you overall budget is. From there look at the room, its proportions and function before working out what the best options are for your paneling style.

To give you an example, I live in a 1907 Victorian Era weatherboard, which inherently had oodles of character (albeit a little hidden by years of poorly executed renovations and bad design choices). With its high pressed metal ceilings, stained glass windows and fretwork adding paneling came from a need to restore and repair poorly worn and crafted masonry rather than a need to add more opulence and detail.

As a farm house, repairs were a long way down on the priority list, but in a mid pandemic surge in DIY enthusiasm I started what i thought would be a simple paint job. It turned out the hideous colour scheme was painted over multiple layers of paint which was painted over wallpaper, and hours of trying to remove was never going to result in a clean, crack free wall, easy to prime and paint...not to mention no two walls were even! while we could have gone down the route of re-plastering all the walls we were restricted not only int he cost, but the lifespan of the paster given the home has no solid foundations.

So considering my budget and my canvas, we opted for full wall VJ boards (which cost around $100/2700x1200mm board) for the bedrooms and for the hall our builder made our regency style dado paneling to suit the walls rather than buying pre fabricated boards which wouldn't be square to the wall and would make the fact they were not an original feature very obvious.

So using MDF and timber trims he made each section in proportion to the length of the walls and suffice to say looking at it now, you assume it was always a part of the home, so much so even regular visitors assume it was just a fresh coat of paint that revived the panels rather than a totally new feature.

HUNT HINT #Five...Research, Review and Reach Out:

As you may have gathered, Hunt.CO love paneling, not just how it can enhance your home but how well it works in different homes, locations, for different demographics and different budgets.

Our fifth and final tip it to research different paneling styles and applications, review your mood boards and look at your most dominate aesthetic and styles and consider how this is best going to work in your build.

HONESTLY, HANDS UP if you are guilty of aimlessly saving images and inspiration for your 'dream home' only to come to a point where you are struggling as to where to source the right materials, fittings and fixtures from or how to scale back your differing styles to create a cohesive home aesthetic that suits you and your family?! Whether Victorian Era Farmhouse or Modern Country, Coastal or Desert Luxe, Southern Plantation or Scandinavian its easy to get lost in the rabbit hole of interior inspiration and end up creating a space that doesn't meet your brief.

As a regional design service we specialise in tailoring schemes to suit each client and while paneling is a key feature of our general style we work across different mediums and aesthetics.

if you have taken onboard all expert tips but feel you need assistance with your paneling project or design project as a whole, reach out, we'd love to hear from you and how we can HELP you on your design project.

Email: Millie@huntandco.net