Wall panels are currently the best-selling part of our collection. Over the past four months, the round Wiktor and the Vojtech with shell have gone out the door most often together. There is a reason for that.
One panel fills a wall where you would otherwise need three frames. It hangs in one go, it adds texture and it remains calm. In this article you will read how to choose by shape, material and size.
What a wall panel does to a wall
An empty wall asks for one clear object. A panel provides that, with an advantage that a painting lacks: relief. The surface catches the light from the side, making the wall change during the day with the sun and in the evening with your lamps.
There is also calm. Where a gallery wall with frames requires aligning and coordinating, you hang a panel on one nail and it is perfect.
Panels with a deeper relief or a soft core also dampen some of the echo. In a room with a hard floor and a lot of glass you notice that.
The shape determines the effect
Round is our best-selling shape. A circle breaks the straight lines of a room and therefore works beautifully above a sofa, a sideboard or a bed. The Wiktor by PTMD in Ø120 is the example: large enough to hang alone, calm enough not to bump into anything.
Rectangular follows the lines of your furniture. Above a long sofa or a side table, a horizontal panel gives a calm, sleek look.
Organic is somewhere in between. The Alan panels in mango wood have a free shape with a wavy edge, making them read more as an object than as a frame.
Material: what you choose determines the atmosphere
Wood is the warmest choice. PTMD works with mango wood in organic shapes and with panels in line and swirl patterns, such as the Elasah and the Levya. The pattern is milled out, so the relief is real and you see the shadow move along.
Aluminium gives shine. The Raizo and the Enrike are roughly cast, making the metal reflect the light unevenly. In a dark corner that makes a big difference.
Cement and stone look keep it subdued. The Rafet in grey cement fits an industrial or sleek interior.
Canvas is the lightest option, literally and visually. The Darvel panels are hand-painted on canvas, so each piece varies slightly.
Shell and bamboo provide the finest texture. The Vojtech by PTMD is our number two. About shell as a material we wrote a separate article earlier.
Read about shell in your interior
Slats for a whole wall
A loose panel hangs as an object. Slat panels work differently: you place them next to each other and together they form a continuous surface.
The Lamelio panels are made for this. You click them together, making the seam disappear and the wall one whole. Due to the felt back they absorb sound, which makes them suitable for a study, a staircase or behind a TV.
Calculate in advance how many panels you need by dividing your wall width by the panel width and rounding up.
Choosing the right size
This is where most doubt lies, so here are three rules of thumb.
- Above a piece of furniture you keep about two thirds of the width of that piece of furniture. Above a sofa of 220 centimeters comes a panel or a group of around 150 centimeters wide.
- On a free wall you can go more spacious. Keep at least half a meter empty on both sides, then the panel remains an object.
- The bottom hangs between 20 and 30 centimeters above the backrest or the tabletop. This way the furniture and panel belong together.
If you doubt between two sizes, take the larger one. A panel that is too small gets lost against the wall, while a large panel fills the space.
One panel or a group
One large panel gives the calmest image and is almost always the safe choice.
If you want a group, work with the same series in ascending sizes. The Vojtech comes in small, medium and large. Three of them next to each other in a step reads as one composition.
If you combine different series, keep one thing the same: the color or the shape. Three round panels in different materials works. Three shapes in three materials becomes restless.
Hanging up
First look at how much the panel weighs. Aluminium and cement are heavy, canvas and bamboo are light. On plasterboard you use hollow wall plugs, in stone a regular plug with a screw.
If it hangs above a sofa, keep eye level from a sitting position. In a hall or corridor you go from standing eye level.
Tape the outline beforehand with painter's tape on the wall. Then you see at a glance if the size is correct before you drill.
Looking yourself
Start with the wall that you see most often from your fixed place on the sofa. Measure the width of the furniture underneath, take two thirds of that and choose by shape and material.
View all wall panels at Living Lovely
If you doubt about the size or about the combination with what you already have hanging? Feel free to send us a message with a photo of the wall, then we will think along with you.