Cottages
25 Charming Summer Spaces That Will Inspire You To Panel Every Wall
Published on August 18, 2021
You can blame the mania for shiplap on Joanna Gaines of HGTV’s Fixer Upper fame, but she’s onto something. Boring walls get an immediate hit of texture, dimension and interest from panelling — it even makes a new-build home look heritage. While summer cabins and cottages are best-known for their charming panelled surfaces, there’s no rule that says you can’t bring this architectural treatment to your city space, wherever that may be. Keep scrolling to see some of our favorite summer hideaways that make a case for thinking inside the box (panelling) when it comes to this handsome treatment.
“I always go for white interiors with colors and texture added through art, accessories, rugs and a little of the unexpected,” says designer Deb Nelson of her Cape Cod-style home in Chester, Nova Scotia. One way to liven up an all-white envelope? Shiplap detailing on the ceiling!
How sweet is this petite bathroom? Deb was able to squeeze in a slim vanity and medicine cabinet which pop against the shiplap wall (which also matches the ceiling).
A shiplap treatment on the airy gabled ceiling of this principal bedroom draws the eye up and ties in the panelling behind the bed.
“I didn’t want the whole place to end up as a white box,” says designer Tiffany Leigh. “Keeping some of the trim and ceiling panelling in the dining room a natural wood tone helps maintain the original feeling and warmth of the cottage.”
A painted board-and-batten-style wall treatment brings rustic texture to this Muskoka cottage‘s guest bedroom, and we love the soothing neutral paint.
In designer Caroline Bouffard’s cottage in Quebec’s Eastern Townships, she created a country kitchen with concrete-look quartz counters and plenty of open shelving that doesn’t cover up the shiplap detail.
With views this gorgeous, it was important for the interior of this Georgian Bay cottage to seamlessly blend into its lush surroundings. White panelling on the walls and Douglas fir on the ceiling add just enough visual contrast without being distracting.
This boathouse bedroom has porthole mirrors above the beds and moody shiplap walls for a nautical feel.
It was important for designer Ami McKay to keep this waterfront home’s original shiplap detailing during the renovation process. The stone fireplace and piles of cut logs lend a cozy, cabin vibe with modern amenities.
“The bedroom was an exercise in discipline,” says designer Cory DeFrancesco of this Muskoka boathouse. “How can we stick to all-white but still make it interesting?” The answer? Using wider horizontal wall planks in the lower half of the space and narrower shiplap vertically above the exposed rafters.
This loft-style children’s room, complete with ship-style built-in beds and thematic nautical flags, feels extra hardworking thanks to a sturdy envelope of panelling.
A painted floor pattern that continues on the coffee table adds a contemporary, graphic touch, while timeless board-and-batten walls — decorated with nautical accessories — give this boathouse a dose of character.
Giving walls a dramatic facelift often involves wallpaper, but in this colorful country home, the lower portion is bedecked in a charming beadboard trim. Consider this your new motto: the more visual interest, the merrier!
There’s no doubt that a splash of color in a small space can yield a dramatically different feel. A vanity painted in the same duck egg blue as the board-and-batten wainscotting lends this rejuvenating room a charming look that frequents boutique hotel bathrooms.
Delicate vertical panelling is the perfect backdrop to display renderings of Muskoka cottage must-haves (read: paddles).
Designer Sam Sacks was inspired by a mishmash of surf, safari and Dutch colonial styles when it came down to to decorating her Frontenac County, Ontario, cottage. Crisp white panelling turned out to be the perfect backdrop for her warm and inviting crop of furniture.
Vintage furniture looks anything but dated at the cottage thanks to a modern envelope of white shiplap.
Any room can be transformed from ordinary to eye-catching with a statement wall of box panelling. Paired with dreamy white drapery and linens, this relaxing blue bedroom feels like the ultimate sanctuary to catch some zzz’s.
Large architectural corbels accentuate the handsome pine panelling that works its way around this relaxed, two-storey Muskoka, Ontario, great room.
A striking exposed vaulted ceiling — swathed in a rich shade of navy — makes a grand impression and frames the beautiful view in this cottage Muskoka room.
Adding architectural interest to bathrooms can be tricky — they’re functional rooms after all, plus they call for hardworking materials. In this all-white cottage bathroom, an envelope of horizontal panels on the walls accented by vertical panels on the ceiling does the trick.
Charming, beadboard, coffered ceilings give this Cape Cod-inspired coastal hangout spot a lived-in vibe, while board-and-batten moulding on the walls accentuates a large, framed photograph.
While we love the way white-painted panelling adds interest to walls yet acts like a blank canvas, natural wood panelling is great, too — especially if you’re looking to inject some rustic appeal. Here, an original, panelled, oak ceiling from the ’90s helps warm up artist Matha Sturdy’s minimal collection of white furniture in her island digs near West Vancouver.
With two windows sans wall coverings, this bright, vertical-panelled guest bedroom is bound to feel like a zen zone.
Forgoing a traditional backsplash for thin, vertical panelling means your curated assortment of dishes will feel cool and casual rather than fussy.