Our 12 Favorite Ways to Use Wood Paneling for Walls and Other Surfaces

Decorative wood paneling is diverse, innovative and offers designers a wide array of styles to choose from. With a wide array of colors and textures available, wood paneling provides endless possibilities for walls, cabinets and anywhere in-between.

While wood is a breathtaking material and can be showcased in creative and inventive ways, it can be challenging to use and requires large amounts of upkeep. By choosing Thermally-Fused Laminate (TFL) wood paneling instead, it’s easy to get the beauty of wood with the durability and easy installation of TFL. 

Wood wall paneling design can be utilized for walls, bars, cabinets, kitchen islands, furniture, reception desks, libraries, wood ceiling panels and more. Below are 12 impactful examples of TFL wood paneling ready to offer inspiration for making your next design stand out from the crowd.

1. Curvy Closets

Add an air of glamour to your closet with a wood finish, thanks to its natural, intricate texture and calming color. Using the right wood paneling in a closet ensures an extravagant and luxurious-looking design. Go traditional with a mid-tone brown, or go modern with a lighter, colder color. 

For many, the closet has become a special place. It is no longer being overlooked and designed solely for function. It’s an area where creativity can now be front and center. Walk-in closets are an extension of a bedroom, and their design can complement the room’s aesthetic and cater to the owner’s tastes.

But this design doesn’t just work for homeowner closets. The light tone and elegant feel would be perfect for a commercial space, such as an upscale boutique. 

2. Eye-Catching Lobbies

High traffic areas like elevator lobbies face more wear and tear than other parts of a building. Wood paneling is a fantastic way to pair durability with aesthetic elegance, ensuring every customer feels like they’re making a grand entrance. 
Darker color schemes greet guests with a warm, welcoming and sophisticated entryway. Lighter colors offer both charm and a more contemporary look. But no matter the color, it’s sure to evoke a “wow” or two from passersby. 

3. Desks That Dare to Be Different

Wood is a beautiful and incredibly versatile material. And while it’s commonly used on walls, that’s not its only application; it’s also used in furniture design. An office area needs to balance professional elegance with a pleasant and comfortable atmosphere perfectly. The designer here used TFL wood panels to take the small, plain area pictured above and make it a standout work of art. 

4. Beautiful and Functional Gyms

A gym doesn’t have to be unsightly in order to be functional. With the right decorative wood panels, you can get an elegant design that can withstand anything gym-goers throw at it. From lockers to walls, wood panels with leather, wood or stone facades can put a beautiful face on any gym. 

But if you are worried about mold or warping — common problems with natural wood — opt for wood-textured TFL paneling. Gym owners will enjoy the aesthetic benefits without the hassle of maintenance and damage. There are dark, medium and light wood tone options to fit any design. Plus, the panels are both easy to cut and still highly resistant to shrinking, twisting, warping and cracking.

5. Custom Kitchens

Besides being one of the most durable building materials, TFL wood panels are a charming choice for adding character and personality to a design scheme — especially when it comes to kitchens. 

Wood is a comforting companion for any at-home chef, from cutting boards to tablescapes to decor. Kitchen islands, in particular, are a space-saving hero offering ample storage for dishes, linens and cooking tools. 

Two very different wood colors create two stunning kitchen designs pictured above, and because they feature TFL wood paneling, neither kitchen has to worry about spills ruining their decor.

6. Striking Shelves

One of the advantages of wood paneling is how it creates a cohesive atmosphere throughout the entire room. When dealing with a living room or dining room with alcoves, use wood paneling for wall shelving that sits flush within the cavity to create a seamless look. It helps create extra storage space and still maintains the cohesive style of the room as a whole.

Wood paneling accents throughout a room can elevate design with minimal effort, thanks to easy installation.

7. Bookcases

Wood paneling is an impressive design material for decorative surfaces like the walls of a bookcase. It’s resistant to scratching and dents, making it perfect for the constant sliding and rearranging of favorite books and decor. 

Find a manufacturer that does custom sizing to fit all the nooks and crannies of a client’s dream shelving design. The personal library that they’ve spent years curating deserves it.

8. Restaurants to Rave About

For years, rustic industrial has become ubiquitous within the restaurant design scene. However, it’s unnecessary to use only expensive galvanized steel and reclaimed barn wood to communicate an authentic, handcrafted aesthetic. Instead, opt for refined and finished wood paneling with subtle colors that accentuate the wooden tables and steel accents. 

Wood surrounding patrons evokes an approachable, handmade quality that feels authentic and trusting.

9. Captivating Cabinets

From small drawers to large, swinging doors for unsightly oversized items like printers or extra hardware, any cabinet you can design can be made with TFL wood paneling. These Burl panels in Altai Larch give the room a bright, airy feeling thanks to the light tones. And Burl’s durability means this cabinet is functional as well as beautiful and able to withstand daily use. 

10. Fancy Fireplace

Wood doesn’t just belong inside a fireplace; it can decorate the exterior of it as well. With slick, match-booked panels, this fireplace’s exterior design makes it especially enticing for cozying up. And because these panels are TFL, there’s no need to worry about the fire’s heat making the design crack, melt or peel. 

11. Tasteful Office Space

Wood imbues natural character and a modern style that creates warm and welcoming environments. In office design, studies show wood increases employee productivity, job satisfaction and happiness levels. Charming design and happy employees sound like a win/win to us.

12. Waves and Wood 

When it comes to boating and luxurious design, consider wood paneling the creme da la creme of materials. Thermally-fused laminate panels with plywood core work great in marine-centric environments with no need to worry about mold or mildew. 

TFL wood paneling is the perfect choice for a new boat design to get a premium look with unmatched detail without natural wood’s weight or drawbacks.

Choose Panasphere TFL Wood Panels

Panasphere® Signature Surfaces uses Thermally-Fused Laminate (TFL) to create all its premium products. A TFL panel is produced by thermally fusing a sheet of decorative paper directly to a substrate such as particleboard and other composite panels. It’s durable, environmentally-friendly, aesthetically pleasing, budget-conscious and sustainable. 

Interested in wood paneling for an upcoming project? Check out Panasphere’s Collections website to learn more about the durability and beauty of our products. Or request a free sample today.