Make Your Bed a Feature, 10 Trending Bedroom Wall Panelling Ideas

Bedroom Wall Panelling

Wall panelling became popular in the 16th and 17th centuries to eloquently cover imperfections in rough building work and decorate spaces. Today, you can use it in your bedroom to highlight its most prominent feature - the bed!

The general rule when designing bedrooms is the bed should be the focal point. It’s the most significant and purposeful piece of furniture in the room, akin to a living room sofa and a dining room dining table.

If your bed gets lost in your bedroom, it could be because there are too many competing pieces of furniture and design elements. It would be best to highlight your bed, where a feature wall with panelling comes in.

Making your bed a feature with Wall Panelling

Simplifying your bedroom with less furniture and a simple colour scheme can work wonders, but these tricks won’t turn your bed into a feature.

To turn your bed into a feature, you need to frame it like a work of art, and you can do this with a feature wall behind your bed.

A feature wall will provide a backdrop for your bed, emphasising it as the most crucial space in your bedroom. The best part is you don’t need to spend much money; you can create a feature wall for under £100.

You can hire a joiner to make custom panelling, buy off-the-shelf panels you assemble, or create your wall panelling from scratch.

Bedroom wall panelling

Installing patterned and textured wallpaper.

However, for a design that pops, choose wall panelling instead.

Wall panelling creates distinctive character and depth, bringing three-dimensionality to your feature wall. There is nothing else like it; the paint is flat, the wallpaper is too, while the panels are three-dimensional with unbeatable eye appeal.

The beauty of wall panels is the way they play with light and draw the eye; there are so many different types to choose from!

You can go for a classic style like board and batten (in stately homes) or something contemporary like slat panelling (Scandinavian dwellings). The key is to choose a style that suits your interior design theme.

Ten bedroom wall panelling ideas

Double-raised feature wall panel

This double-raised feature panel perfectly fits eclectic styles; you can paint any panelling colour, and the raised profile delivers lots of depth.

Shaker panelling

Shaker-style panelling has straight lines and a simple frame, making it perfect for highlighting beds, especially in smaller spaces requiring simplicity.

Pictured: Rhea 4FT 6 Double Fabric Bed Frame - Mink showcased against Shaker-style wall panelling. Available from Bedstar.

Shiplap wall panelling

Shiplap wall panelling is the most basic, just milled lengths of a wooden board with an edge, like the decks you find on ships.

Video credit: How to Install Shiplap | The Home Depot

Board and batten panelling.

Board and batten panelling is timeless, featuring strips of wood placed over the joints of panels for a geometric, layered effect that is ideal for making a bed a feature.

Pictured: Julian Bowen Fullerton 4FT 6 Double Storage Bed, showcased against the board and batten-styled wall panelling. Available from Bedstar.

Beadboard panelling

Beadboard panelling features wood panelling with vertical grooves into a bordered frame, built with a tongue and groove profile.

Half panelling

If you don’t want to cover the whole wall, go for half-panelling instead. The panel top can be doubled up as a small shelf (Like the one pictured above).