20 Inspiring Wainscoting Design Ideas for Your Home

Wainscoting is paneling placed on the lower portion of a wall, used as a decorative detail, and can be made up of panels, chair rail, shiplap or molding. This design element has the power to transform any space and can be used across several different design styles. It can be used to add depth to a neutral space, balance out bold wallpaper or add whimsical personality. Whether you're looking to start from scratch and add history to a new home, update a bathroom or put the finishing touch on a mostly complete living room, we've rounded up inspiring designs where wainscoting is the star of the show.

When you think of wainscoting you probably think of a dining room with white paneling and rectangular trim work, accompanied by intricate molding. It's a classic look that instantly adds history and timeless detail to any space. You can buy pre-fab wainscot panels from a hardware store, or create a custom look with pieces of trim and a nail gun. Here, designer Michelle Gage made her freshened-up this traditional space with lively green and yellow jungle-print wallpaper and abstract art, grounded but beautiful and classic white wainscoting.

In a soothing bathroom, wainscoting can bring an element of interest without disturbing the Zen vibes. Sage green paneling highlights the organic colors of the marble top vanity and complements the burgundy checkerboard floors. Be sure to use paint with a glossier finish on wainscoting in bathrooms, so any moisture can easily be wiped clean.

Consider adding wainscoting to the bottom half of the walls in your powder bathroom and incorporate a funky paint shade or wallpaper to the top half. This will create a striking balance and eye-catching powder bath space.

On HGTV's Rock the Block season 3 Fixer to Fabulous hosts Jenny and Dave Marrs turned their home's spare room into a charming reading nook complete with intricate wallpaper and peaceful wainscoting. Shiplap paneling has a farmhouse vibe but feels fresh painted a sage green hue. Pro-tip: a built-in bench painted the same color as the wainscoting makes it look original.

In an older home, or a new build that you want to give lived-in charm, wainscoting can create a sense of history. A deep, rich blue highlights this Tudor's original architecture and has an old-world warmth. To get a historic look in a new build, pair wainscoting with wide baseboards and wide window trim.

An otherwise neutral entry is made more cheerful with this bright, yellow wainscoting. Beadboard complements the country cottage style of the home and draws the eye up to the tall ceiling. To give wainscoting a functional feature, use a wider trim on the top of the paneling that is thick enough to lean artwork. You can make art extra sturdy by attaching small pieces of command strips to the back of the frames.

Mina Starsiak Hawk created an eye-catching vignette in her Good Bones clients' bedroom with a wall of wainscoting painted olive green. Adding the wainscoting on just one wall gives it the look of an extended headboard and creates an eye-catching accent wall. A gallery wall above helps balance out the paneling below.

Not only can wainscoting bring a sense of history to a space but it can also anchor a busy pattern, like in this eclectic bathroom with wallpaper compromised of puzzles. Vertical molding makes the wainscoting dynamic, while black calms the myriad of colors above.

For an interesting twist on the typical wainscoting, consider creating your own interpretation. This girl's nursery features scalloped wainscoting paired with chair rail on either side and all painted the same light pink shade.

The deep mossy green wainscoting in this bedroom space from HGTV's Rock the Block, makes a dramatic statement when paired with crisp, white walls and a striking canopy bed. The dark green hue to carries through to the window trim, creating a cohesive and dramatic look.

Ground your space by adding a wainscoting that is painted a dark, moody hue. This dining room features an aviary-inspired wallpaper on the upper portion of the wall, paired with a grounding navy blue wainscoting below. The striking combination enhances the design of this dining room, making it a beautiful and eye-catching space.

Painted white and paired with a subtle white wallpaper, wainscoting takes on a contemporary look in this stylish dining room. Brass sconces, a midcentury style chandelier, and sleek chairs further round out the modern look.

To keep the bold, hand-painted pattern of this dining room's walls and curtains from overwhelming the space, the designers used crisp, white wainscoting on the room's lower half and kept the chairs, table and rug muted. The wainscoting look is continued on the ceiling of this dining space, making sure all 5 walls in this dining room make a statement.

To transform her clients' space into a baby-ready nursery, Why the Heck Did I Buy This House? host Kim Wolfe, faked the look of wainscoting by installing thin pieces of trim 2/3s of the way up the wall and painting the lower half of it a peachy pink. Using paint to get the look of wainscoting is an economical way to add character to a space and makes it easy to change if you ever tire of the look.

This boys bedroom is a chic, contemporary space that features white wainscoting covering the bottom half of the wall, while above a dark gray hue is painting to create a striking contrast. Wainscoting can be used across different design styles, like in this creative, contemporary boy's bedroom.

To add a little extra pizazz to this simple, yet calming dining space, Help! I Wrecked My House host, Jasmine Roth, installed misty gray wainscoting. The neutral color maintains the room's Cali cool vibes, while also highlighting the gallery wall above. As an extra wall protector, wainscoting serves double duty in places more prone to messes, like dining rooms, mudrooms and kitchen spaces.

Used in a mudroom, this wainscoting is painted a deep charcoal color and provides and added layer of protection to the walls from dirt and grime. In this high-traffic space, the wainscoting acts as a decorative backdrop that can be easily cleaned. A win-win!

Wainscoting placed behind a breakfast nook bench, enhances the look of this corner of the room. By painting the paneling, a light green hue to match the buffalo check wallpaper, this nook becomes a stylish spot perfect for enjoying meals with family.

Wainscoting has many personalities. It can be traditional, dramatic, practical, and, in this case, whimsical. Chunky paneling painted the same color as the arched doorway and built-in buffet instills the feeling of being enveloped by a clear blue sky. If painting your wainscot a bright hue, like this robin's egg blue, keep it to a small-scale space so it's not too overwhelming.