wedish Country Style
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Traditional wood wainscoting with a wrap-around chair rail anchors this Swedish country dining room from Fantastic Frank. The wood detailing is painted in a medium-toned, warm gray and paired with a lighter shade of gray paint on the wall above that grounds the room and creates a cozy atmosphere. The chair rail is built out into a picture ledge that is casually styled with a random assortment of art and objects for a casual feel that isn’t old-fashioned but classic.
Modern Geometric Wainscoting
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Reinvent conventional wainscoting with a geometric 3D makeover. This entryway from The House That Lars Built features DIY wainscoting that trades the linear design of classic wainscoting for diamonds and circles. Painted light blue and paired with colorful floral wallpaper with an orange background transforms what could have been a traditional feature into something personal and modern.
Paired With Grasscloth
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Pair crisp white wainscoting with darker-toned wallpaper for a high-contrast look. Mary Patton Design chose forest green grasscloth for this updated midcentury modern dining room that creates a sharp background that allows art, midcentury lighting and furniture, and a sideboard decorated with cake stands to stand out.
Painted Raspberry Pink
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Christina Kim Interior Design / Photo by Lisa Petrole
Paint your wainscoting in an eye-catching color for a signature look. Christina Kim Interior Design paired raspberry pink sherbet-colored wainscoting with leafy tropical wallpaper, then painted the crown moldings and ceilings in the same color to create a finished feel in the elegant modern space.
Neutral Shiplap Wainscoting
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Use shiplap wainscoting to help structure a modern farmhouse-style bathroom. Becca Interiors installed vertical shiplap around the periphery of this compact powder room that doubles as a backsplash over the sink. The wainscoting is painted in a soft beige that is a few shades darker than the off-white walls to add subtle definition and make the space feel cozier.
Paired With Bold Finishes
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Use simple white wainscoting panels to help ground and tone down bold wall and window treatments. Forbes + Masters paired matching hand-painted wallpaper and drapes with crisp white and extra-tall wainscoting for a balanced feel that keeps the pattern from overwhelming.
Period Bathroom Wainscoting
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Tyler Karu Design + Interiors / Photo by Erin Little
Wainscoting adds authentic charm to a historic home. Tyler Karu Design + Interiors painted the wood wainscoting in this Maine bathroom in a bold blue that adds contrast with white walls and complements patterned floor tiles. You can also mimic the look of wood wainscoting in a modern bathroom by using tile or stone.
White-on-White Wainscoting
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Paint the wainscoting the same color as the walls for a modern feel with added texture, like this cozy bedroom from Marie Flanigan Interiors.
Neo-Traditional Wainscoting
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Super-tall wainscoting will give a modern space a neo-traditional feel. Marie Flanigan Interiors ran the crisp white wainscoting in this neutral dining room two-thirds of the way up the wall, and contrasted it with dark taupe wall paint and drapes.
Modern Farmhouse
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Shiplap wainscoting is an easy and affordable way to make a modern farmhouse dining room feel cozier and more inviting. Michelle Berwick Design chose a minimal approach in this formal modern farmhouse dining room. White walls and simple beige wainscoting complements the airy space, while a pair of oversized pendant lights anchors the wooden farmhouse table and painted black spindle back chairs.
With a Wallpaper Mural
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Use wainscoting to frame the borders of a wallpaper mural. Marie Flanigan Interiors covered the walls of this formal living room with eye-catching landscape mural wallpaper, using wainscoting that is the same height as the sofa to help ground the space.
Laundry Room Wainscoting
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While wainscoting is often used to help ground a larger room, it can add an extra layer of coziness to a smaller space. Jessica Nelson Design worked the angles of this small laundry room with wainscoting that is integrated around a built-in bench niche and painted in a light shade of gray that matches the built-in cabinetry.
Integrate the Fireplace
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Melinda Kelson O’Connor Architecture & Interiors / Photo by Wendy Concannon
Use the same finish on the wainscoting and fireplace mantel to create a polished feel in a living room or dining room. Melinda Kelson O’Connor Architecture & Interiors ran wainscoting around the periphery of this formal dining room that blends in seamlessly with the fireplace mantel. The wall above is covered in a patterned gray-and-white wallpaper that complements modern furnishings.
High-Contrast Wainscoting
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Use classic white wainscoting to balance dark walls and flooring. Victoria Bell Design paired simple white wainscoting with dark gray walls and dark stained flooring in this dining room decorated with floral curtains and antiques.
Painted Fresh Blue
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Paint wainscoting in a fresh blue that makes a change from white while retaining a traditional feel. Brexton Cole Interiors paired robin’s egg blue wainscoting with a black-and-white illustrated landscape mural and gilded furniture and mirrors to elegant effect.
Minimalist Wainscoting
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Design by Leanne Ford Interiors / Photo by Reid Rolls
Adding streamlined wainscoting results in a more minimalist feel that works well in modern spaces. Leanne Ford Interiors skipped the wood detailing and added a simple wood plank border that matches the width of the floor boards below, painting the pared-down wainscoting in a warm cream to subtly define it from the white walls of this farmhouse dining room. With vintage furniture and decor, the room has a nostalgic feel with one foot in both past and present.
Hallway Wainscoting
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In a hallway, paint wainscoting and walls in the same color, and accent with a contrasting shade on door frames. Ashley Montgomery Design paired warm cocoa-colored wainscoting and walls with soft vintage blue on doors and archways in this traditional home hallway.
Raised Panel Wainscoting
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Add dimension and a slight 3D effect by using raised panel wainscoting painted in a darker shade than the walls, like this entryway from Becca Interiors.
Match the Ceiling
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Design by Cohesively Curated Interiors / Carina Skrobecki Photography
Match wainscoting details with ceiling molding to create a polished feel in a modern space, like this dining room from Cohesively Curated Interiors that is finished with neutral patterned wallpaper.
Wainscoting Without Borders
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If your layout includes rooms that open to one another, consider using the same wainscoting throughout both spaces to create a sense of continuity. Brexton Cole Interiors used the same soft white wainscoting in both the foyer and dining room of this traditional home. The wainscoting is paired with cream wall paint in the foyer and botanical wallpaper in the dining room to define the individual spaces.
Coastal Combination
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Pair white shiplap wainscoting with blue grasscloth wallpaper for a coastal feel. Kate Marker Interiors added blue-and-white curtains in a wavy pattern and natural wood and woven accents to create a formal dining room with a breezy feel.
Mudroom Wainscoting
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Pair wainscoting with a pegboard painted in the same color to create a mini mudroom like this one from Jessica Nelson Design.
Traditional Wainscoting
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Design by Reed & Acanthus / Photo by Ann Ruthmann Photography
Traditional wainscoting can be a stand-out element or take a back seat in a more formal setting decorated with antique furniture, ornate decor objects, and silver and gold accents, like this formal dining room from Reed & Acanthus.
Kids’ Room Wainscoting
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Wainscoting can add a cozy feel to a kids’ bedroom. Brexton Cole Interiors kept it light with white painted beadboard wainscoting paired with cream wallpaper with a hand-drawn polka dot pattern.
Graphic Wainscoting
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Michael Keck for Emily Henderson Design / Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp
Modernize a traditional room with streamlined wainscoting and wallpaper in shades of black and white. Michael Keck for Emily Henderson Design ran a thin strip of chair rail wood trim at wainscoting height, painting it the same dark color as the window trim. The wainscoting portion of the wall swap the trim for white paint that contrasts with the abstract black-and-white floral paper on the top half of the wall.
Bedroom Wainscoting
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Design by Ajai Guyot for Emily Henderson Design / Photo by Ellie Lillstrom
Paint your wainscoting in an earthy green to add color to a bedroom dominated by neutrals. Ajai Guyot for Emily Henderson Design chose sage green paint for the wainscoting in this bedroom that adds contrast with the black-and-white illustrated wallpaper.
Vary Wall Panel Sizes
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Design by Reed & Acanthus / Photo by Ann Ruthmann Photography
Wainscoting often features identical panels and trim, but you can mix it up by utilizing different sizes to accommodate the layout of your room. This formal dining room from Reed & Acanthus features wrap-around wainscoting that runs beneath windows and around the fireplace, with varying sized rectangular panels that are painted in the same creamy hue, and damask wallpaper on the wall above in a slightly darker hue.
Stretch Wainscoting
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Design by K+Co. Living / Photo by Hulya Kolabas
Installing taller wainscoting panels can make them feel modernized in a formal dining room like this one from K+Co. Living.
Mix Wainscoting Styles
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While many interior designers choose to run the same wainscoting throughout adjoining spaces, you can mix it up to define one space from the other. This foyer and adjacent mudroom from Becca Interiors each have wainscoting in different styles and colors that along with the flooring creates a separate identity from one another that happily coexists due to the muted palette and rectangular shape of the foyer wainscoting and built-in Shaker mudroom cabinetry.
Powder Room Wainscoting
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Mix shiplap wainscoting and wallpaper to energize a modern farmhouse powder room. Kate Marker Interiors paired warm and cool tones in the space with soft gray wainscoting, black-and-white illustrated wallpaper in a woodland pattern, a marble-and-wood sink, and a gold mirror.
Entryway Wainscoting
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Pair wainscoting with wallpaper that includes a trompe l’oeil architectural detail motif to enhance the entryway of an older home, like this entryway from Brexton Cole Interiors.
Bathroom Tile Wainscoting
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Pair tile with wallpaper to create a wainscoting effect in a bathroom, like this space from Ashley Montgomery Design.
High-Contrast Wainscoting
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Emily Henderson Design / Photo by Tessa Neustadt
Pair classic white wainscoting with dark patterned wallpaper for a high-contrast look, like this modern dining room from Emily Henderson Design.
Integrate the Windows
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Build wainscoting around existing windows to create an integrated feel. Marie Flanigan Interiors painted the wainscoting, window trim, and walls in this bedroom in the same shade of white for a built-in feel, adding contrast with rich wood and leather accents and shades of dark gray.
Modern Wainscoting
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Emily Henderson Design / Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp
Pair white wainscoting with a modern window trim and white-and-black patterned wallpaper for a modern effect. Emily Henderson Design finished the space with rich wood furniture and gold accents.
Pair With Graphic Wallpaper
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Pair wainscoting painted in a darker color with light patterned wallpaper on the wall above to create a cozy feel in a kids’ bedroom. Brexton Cole Interiors bathed the wainscoting, window seat, and built-in bookshelves in olive green, then added patterned wallpaper on the wall that adds movement and keeps the space feeling airy.
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