A plain wall can look like an afterthought until you add boards. The right layout and color turn it into the first thing people notice in the room. These 13 shiplap wall design ideas show how.
13 Shiplap Wall Design Ideas for TV Walls, Entryways, Hallways, and Bedrooms
Shiplap is wood boards with a thin groove between each one. Which way the boards run changes the mood: horizontal makes a room feel wider, vertical lifts it, and chevron, a zigzag of V shapes, adds pattern. Color does the rest.
These 13 walls cover black TV walls, white entryways, a teal stair landing, and more. Each one shows what the boards do for the space and what you can copy at home.
Let a Big TV Blend In
Paint the boards the same black as the TV and the screen blends in when it’s off instead of sitting there like a giant rectangle. The pale wood mantel breaks up all that dark so the wall still feels warm, and the slim fireplace below gives the room something to look at besides a screen.
A Narrow Entry That Feels Wider
Horizontal boards pull the eye side to side, so a narrow entry feels wider than it is. The black door and dark tile floor keep all that white from going flat. A wood bench with baskets underneath handles shoes and bags, and hooks screwed right into the boards hold the rest.
Use a Dead Hallway Wall for Storage
A hallway wall usually goes to waste, and this one shows it doesn’t have to. The wood shelf unit sits flush inside the boards, so it looks built in instead of stuck on. Little lights over each shelf and a few dark pots against the white make it feel like a feature, not just storage.
Pull the Eye Up in a Front Entry
Vertical boards lead the eye up, which makes a curved ceiling feel even taller. The warm white keeps the wall soft, and the deep blue door gives it something to play against. A chunky wood console with two woven stools tucked underneath adds a place to drop keys and sit down to take off shoes.
Skip the Wallpaper, Keep the Pattern
Boards that meet in a V shape do the job wallpaper usually would behind a bed. The pattern stays all white, so it adds interest without adding color. Keep the bedding mostly white like this and let one warm piece, here the woven headboard, stand out against it.
Charcoal Boards Instead of Plain Black
Charcoal gives you the drama of black without the harsh edge, and it sits nicely against the taupe walls here. The stained wood mantel and the long ledge at the floor match the wood floor, so the wall never reads as one dark block. If your fireplace is brick, see what keeping it looks like before you board it over.
Boards That Make a Hallway Feel Custom
The boards wrap the whole pillar and carry onto the ceiling, so the space reads as one finished piece, not a wall with a stripe on it. White this quiet lets the gold frames and blue lamps take over. If you want to style the table underneath, these entry table decor ideas are a good start.
Give a Long Blank Wall Some Lines
A long blank wall can make a room feel empty. Horizontal boards give the eye lines to follow down the room, and here they turn the outside corner without a break. A round rope mirror and a blue cabinet against all that white bring in a coastal feel.
Storage on Both Sides of the Fireplace
Floating shelves look built in when the boards run vertical behind them, and the whole wall looks taller too. Down low, two light wood benches add seating and storage on either side of the fireplace. The marble-look panel around the fire is the only fancy part, which keeps everything else calm.
One Deep Color Makes a Landing Feel Cozy
Painting the boards, window trim, and baseboard the same deep teal makes the whole landing feel wrapped up and calm. The gray frames and blue fish prints stay in the same color family, so nothing fights. A warm wood floor and a cane-back chair keep the teal from feeling cold.
Add Texture Where the Fire Sits
A full wall of black boards can look flat, so this one adds a gray tile frame around the fireplace for texture. The thin light wood mantel with dark grain lines cuts across the black like a clean stripe. Warm wood kitchen cabinets just beside it keep the dark wall from feeling cold.
Coats Look Styled Without Trying
Hang a tan hat or a camel coat on a black wall and it looks styled, even on a regular Tuesday. The black hooks disappear into the boards, so only the things you hang show up. Light wood cabinets and a white bench top keep the corner from feeling heavy.
Only Do Half the Wall
Wainscot just means paneling on the lower half of the wall, and it’s an easy way to get the shiplap look without covering the whole thing. The white boards sit under a deep navy wall, and the thin cap rail on top gives the paint a clean line to stop at. It also takes fewer boards than a full wall.
