Designers Share Tips for Decorating Wood-Paneled Rooms

From layering textiles to embracing bold colors, these design experts offer advice for making the most of this '70s trend.

Apr. 16, 2026 at 8:41pm

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

A high-contrast, silkscreen-style illustration featuring a wooden chair or table repeated in a grid pattern, with bold neon colors and heavy black outlines, capturing the modern, pop art aesthetic of wood-paneled room design.Vibrant wood-paneled rooms are making a stylish comeback, with designers finding creative ways to update this '70s trend.Laguna Beach Today

Wood-paneled rooms are making a comeback, with designers highlighting the warmth, history, and practical benefits of this classic material. Experts share tips for decorating these spaces, including layering in textiles, splashing in bold colors, incorporating contemporary art, and juxtaposing the wood with sleek, industrial elements.

Why it matters

The resurgence of wood paneling reflects a broader desire for more natural, handcrafted materials in home design, as well as practical needs like improved insulation and acoustics. Designers are finding creative ways to update this '70s trend and make wood-paneled rooms feel fresh and modern.

The details

Designers are embracing wood paneling in a variety of ways, from using reclaimed heart pine to incorporating fragrant cedar and beachy poplar. Some key design strategies include layering in textiles like wallpaper and fabric panels to add softness, using bold splashes of color like turquoise and overdyed red, incorporating contemporary art for a hip edge, and pairing the wood with sleek, industrial elements like minimalist steel bookcases.

  • The wood-paneled room trend has seen a resurgence in recent years, appearing more frequently in design magazines and publications.
  • Designers have been incorporating wood paneling into new builds and renovations, as seen in projects featured in the latest issue of VERANDA magazine.

The players

Heather Chadduck Hillegas

A designer who incorporated 100-year-old heart pine sourced from a Georgia mill into a newly built study, allowing the wood's natural character and imperfections to shine through.

Tom Kligerman

An architect who selected different unpainted wood species to clad the walls of each room in his family's Rhode Island home, wanting the family to have the smells of those woods in their memory.

Miles Redd

A designer who incorporated wood paneling into a pool cabana in Palm Beach, noting that it helps to absorb technology and make it feel less abrasive.

Marie Turner Carson and Emily Turner Barker

The sister design duo behind M.Elle who designed minimalist steel bookcases against wood-paneled walls in a Laguna Beach, California home study.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“We purposely did not fill in any of the original nail holes or cover over the black rust streaks. It truly feels like an old room.”

— Heather Chadduck Hillegas, Designer

“I wanted our family to have the smells of those woods in their memory, so that if they came across them later in life, they'd be transported back to this house.”

— Tom Kligerman, Architect

“There is something about being in a wood room that immediately feels grounding and cozy. We love it in dens and TV rooms, because it absorbs technology and makes it feel less abrasive.”

— Miles Redd, Designer

The takeaway

The resurgence of wood paneling in home design reflects a broader desire for more natural, handcrafted materials that provide a sense of history and comfort. Designers are finding creative ways to update this '70s trend, layering in textiles, bold colors, and contemporary art to make wood-paneled rooms feel fresh and modern.