Design Guides
Feature Wall Design Guide
Updated 2 min read
The short answer
Choose the wall you see first on entering a room, or the wall that anchors the room’s function. Then decide the treatment, and decide about lighting before anything is fabricated — integrated LED requires machined channels and cable routing that cannot be added afterwards without dismantling the wall.
Treatments and what each does
- Fluted panelling
- Vertical half-round or square flutes. Contemporary, catches light along its length, works painted or in timber. Currently the most requested treatment in Calgary.
- Slatted timber
- Spaced slats over a dark backing, creating depth and shadow. Over an absorptive backing it provides genuine acoustic benefit in hard-surfaced open-plan rooms.
- Full-height panelling
- Stile-and-rail panelling floor to ceiling. Traditional in feel; the right treatment in a study, library or formal dining room.
- Integrated media wall
- Millwork absorbing a television, storage and often a fireplace into one composition, so the screen stops dominating.
- Mixed materials
- Millwork combined with stone, tile or plaster. The junctions between materials decide whether it succeeds, so they need detailing at drawing stage.
- Lit niches and reveals
- Recessed display niches with concealed LED, or shadow-gap reveals separating planes. Small details that make a wall look considered rather than clad.
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What drives feature wall cost
| Variable | Lower | Higher |
|---|---|---|
| Material | Painted MDF | Solid or veneered hardwood |
| Treatment | Flat panelling | Fine-spaced fluting or slats |
| Wall height | 8ft | 10ft or open to above |
| Integration | Millwork only | TV, fireplace, lighting, storage |
| Services | None | New electrical and lighting circuits |
| Substrate | Flat framed wall | Concrete, masonry or out-of-plumb wall needing furring |
Answers
Frequently asked questions
- Which wall should I treat?
- The wall you see first on entering, or the wall that anchors the room’s function — behind the sofa, the bed or the desk. Avoid walls largely covered by furniture, and avoid walls broken up by several doors and windows, since the treatment ends up fragmented.
- Can a feature wall improve acoustics?
- A slatted wall over an acoustically absorptive backing genuinely reduces reflection and echo — a real benefit in the large open-plan rooms with hard flooring standard in newer Calgary homes. Solid panelling without an absorptive layer behind it does not provide the same effect.
- What is the difference between a feature wall and an accent wall?
- Scale and integration. A feature wall is full-height architectural millwork on a principal wall, usually with lighting and often a television or fireplace. An accent wall is a decorative treatment on one wall of a secondary room. Feature walls are substantially larger projects.
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