Bespoke Wall Panelling, Made to Measure in London

Fitted wall panelling is decorative joinery applied to a wall to give it depth, texture and architectural definition — replacing a flat painted surface with a considered one. It ranges from traditional picture-frame mouldings in period rooms to contemporary fluted timber and upholstered fabric panels. Bespoke panelling is fabricated to your wall's exact dimensions so the panel spacing is symmetrical rather than approximate.

Six languages cover most briefs. Tongue-and-groove suits hallways, cottages and bathrooms. Fluted or reeded panelling gives vertical rhythm and reads contemporary. Fabric panels add acoustic softness and are common behind beds. Leather is the most luxurious and most tactile. Book-matched veneer creates a mirrored grain pattern across a wall. Picture-frame panelling is the classic Georgian and Victorian treatment.

Wall panelling is normally priced by wall area and material rather than as a fixed figure. Painted MDF picture-frame panelling sits at the lower end, with fluted timber, upholstered fabric and book-matched veneer above it, and leather at the top of the range. Every commission is priced after a free home visit, since the condition of the wall and the panel layout both affect the cost.

Not if it's proportioned correctly — and used well it does the opposite. Vertical panelling such as fluting or tongue-and-groove draws the eye upward and makes ceilings read as higher. Half-height panelling with a dado rail visually widens a narrow hallway. The mistake that shrinks a room is heavy, dark, full-height panelling in an already small space with limited natural light.

Yes, in almost all cases panelling is applied over existing plaster rather than replacing it, provided the wall is sound and reasonably flat. Where walls are uneven — common in period properties — we batten out first to create a true plane, which costs a little more but is the difference between panelling that looks fitted and panelling that follows every bump in the wall.

Full-height panelling suits rooms with generous ceilings and works well behind a bed or across a feature wall. Half-height panelling is traditionally set at about one third of the wall height, roughly 900mm to 1,100mm — the same line as a dado rail. The proportion matters more than the exact figure: panelling set at half the wall height tends to look uncertain rather than deliberate.

Yes, with the right specification. Moisture-resistant substrate and a properly sealed paint system are essential in bathrooms, and panelling should not sit within a shower enclosure without full tanking. Tongue-and-groove is the traditional bathroom choice and handles humidity well. In kitchens, panelling behind a hob needs to respect clearance requirements to heat sources.

Fabric and leather panels absorb sound noticeably and are often specified in bedrooms, media rooms and home offices for that reason — though they reduce echo within the room rather than blocking noise between rooms. Timber panelling on battens creates a small air gap that gives a marginal thermal and acoustic benefit. If sound isolation between rooms is your goal, panelling alone won't achieve it.

Yes, and this is where it works best — panelling continued across a wall and onto wardrobe doors makes the joinery read as architecture rather than as furniture placed against the wall. Fluted detailing on wardrobe doors matched to fluted panelling either side is a common request. Because we make both in the same workshop, the profiles and finishes match exactly.

Painted panelling is straightforward — the horizontal ledges collect dust and want an occasional wipe, and repainting is simply cutting into the profiles with a brush. Fabric and leather panels need more care and cannot be repainted, so choose those finishes for the colour you want long-term. We keep your paint mix on file indefinitely, so touching up years later is an exact match.