Interior decoration by means of wood paneling was in its prime in the stately and substantial Tudor period, and the practice of lining walls and ceiling with polished oak panels enclosed by hand made moldings was the accepted method of finishing rooms. Times and manners changed, and the somewhat gloomy oak gave way to plaster panels decorated with delicate coloring and gilding. Today, with its rapid changes and democratic art, we build it a lighter style and our rooms are usually left with but plain plastered walls and that remnant of the paneling of olden days, the skirting board.
The present days has, however, its advantage, for never was there such a number of excellent ways of decorating our walls and never were there such opportunities of getting charming interiors at so low a cost. We can, if we wish, with polished oak, but this is beyond the means of most of us and perhaps not entirely suited to modern taste, and it will be found possible to adapt present-day methods to the form of light wood paneling which will be quite inexpensive and at the same time pleasingly suitable for our everyday life.
Paneling has a powerful effect in accentuating in any pattern we apply to a wall, and so makes it unnecessary to add much in the way of decoration, which consequently should lower the cost. By keeping the panels light in construction it can be made to add dignity to even a small room. In conjunction with a painted surface, stenciling, and printed wallpaper, it is capable to endless variation, making it suitable for the delicate atmosphere in a boudoir or the more formal and substantial effect looked for in a dining room or a reception hall.
A dining room whose chief decoration was a fine collection of pictures and pottery of Dutch origin had the paneling arranged to show these to advantage. The plate shelf was placed six feet from the floor and below it was paneled twelve inches.
These were filled by Dutch landscape decorations skilfully panted in. A similar decoration could be cut from a Dutch wallpaper at much less expense. The scheme of coloring used was gray-blue for the panel spaces with the landscape border in various shades of blue and gray. The upper wall and ceiling were tinted deep ivory white, and the woodwork a deal black, a dark shade of bronze could substitute if preferred. The large, plain panels had been given a serviceable finish of flat-toned oil paint over a sand-finished plaster. The same scheme might be carried out in a blue-gray burlap, if desired. With the paneling constructed of oak and stained and waxed to a mellow surface, the effect was very rich against the blue-gray background, and the spaces for the pictures prevented any undue crowding of them – a condition to be carefully avoided in any room.
In the example given of bedroom wall, the desired effect is a delicate orderly appearance suggestive of cleanliness and light. The long narrow panels reach almost from floor to ceiling, broken only the plain horizontal spaces at the top. The scheme of coloring is a shade of pale old rose for the long panels, deep ivory for the upper panels and the ceiling. The floral design is a trailing rose pattern in tones of subdued green for the foliage and stems and old rose for the blossoms.
This could be executed with a simple stencil or a cut paper border could be used. This combination of tints and paneled spaces would form a restful background, taking pictures almost unnecessary, but if desired a few could be added.
These examples will show that paneling needs to be an expensive form of decoration. In cases where the wood word is to be painted or enameled there is no necessity to use a wood having a costly grain, and when used in conjunction with our painted walls, with their lasting qualities, a really economical decoration is produced.