How to add Paneling to your Wall

Our daughter Adelaide is 9 and an old soul. Her favourite book series is Anne of Green Gables and she loves traditions.

Her room needed to reflect that better so we made a few simple changes that resulted in a big impact.

Below - Her room before

Below - Her room after. SO. PRETTY.

The Process of a reDesign:

But let's not jump ahead too quickly. The change began with Addie asking for a blue room.

But did I pick a blue swatch out of my hat?

If you've been following along on IG, I most certainly did not! ;)

1. We found a piece of art that we loved. (AKA the inspiration piece).

2. We selected a rug and duvet cover, pillow and throws and a lamp.

3. As the VERY FINAL COLOUR DECISION, we chose a paint. Which ended up being BM Glass Slipper 1632.

Why do we choose paint last?

Because it is much easier to find a paint to match your decor, than it is to find decor in the exact colour of your pre-selected paint!

I use my large sample boards placed vertically and sitting behind or beside any existing finishes so as to get the most accurate read of the colour in the space. BM Glass Slipper was perfect as it existed in both the art and the rug, annnnd Addie approved :) Winner!

We knew we wanted to add traditional wall paneling to elevate the room, and make it feel more special. If you plan to do paneling, I would suggest painting the room first, and painting the moulding before installing it. Then do a final coat after it's been nailed and filled and installed.

In a perfect world I would have replaced carpet and baseboard but that wasn't in the cards. So instead we covered with a rug and distracted the eye with the mouldings and decor :)

But it's still not happiness yet! Wall colour will not solve all your problems. This is why people send me messages like "help! I painted my walls the same colour as X influencer's gorgeous home, but it looks terrible in my space! What happened?"

The answer is what DIDN'T happen...Decoration!

Ahhhh...bliss. When it all comes together. And it will, if you follow the steps above...in order ;)

Doesn't this look like a place Anne Shirley would die to call her own??

"One can dream so much better in a room where there are pretty things" - Anne Shirley of Green Gables.

I agree wholeheartedly, Anne.

What if my vibe is more contemporary?

Try flatstock and create a grid pattern for a more modern aesthetic.

Planning an Installation Details

This was the moulding we used for Addie's room. I was initially looking for a slightly different shape, but our local Home Depot had limited off-the-shelf options, and in the end, I am very happy with the finger joint.

Measure and Plot

My last tip would be to measure twice, and spend ample time planning and plotting your grid. Note locations of light switches, outlets, duct work bumpouts, windows, baseboard, crown, casings, etc. If the bed is off-centred on the wall, such as in our case, be sure that the artwork will either sit centred within a grid, or centred straddling two grids. In our case, we couldn't make the art work centred within a grid, despite trying several scenarios, so we opted for the latter, which I actually love the look of.

How I was initially thinking of layout out (until I considered the art)

What we ended up doing - I also needed to shift the boxes down to avoid running into the outlet.

This takes more time than you would think, so be sure to budget enough time for this part of the project, so as to eliminate any surprises after you've done all your cuts! A costly mistake!

If you require help in laying out moulding for a project, please reach out, we'd love to create these beautiful touches in your space. It's details like this that take your home to the next level.

Thanks for reading! Until next time, love on the place you call home. It will love you back!

Meghan