Homeowners transform living room with grey wall panelling – the result is incredible!

From tired and outdated to totally inspirational...

In need of some living room decorating inspiration? Let this DIY living room wall panelling idea be all you need to feel inspired.

These homeowners have totally transformed their living room with this striking grey wood panelling, new flooring, designer-look lighting and statement furniture choices. The couple created their own wall panelling using decorative beading from Wickes.

Related: Be inspired by this on-trend bathroom makeover that cost just £45!

The results are incredible...

Before and after living room makeover

makeover split of living area

(Image credit: Future PLC/Jennifer Wynter)

Jennifer Wynter, along with her husband Kevin, transformed the space during lockdown. 'I love interior design, and watch a lot of home makeovers. I knew I definitely wanted panelling downstairs as it gives spaces more shape and character, and takes away a lot of imperfections' she tells Latest Deals.

'We started by removing the wallpaper and taking all the polystyrene ceilings down and the skirting – which left us with a lot of holes and cracks' she explains. Going on to say, 'When removing the old carpet, we were worried we had old asbestos tiles underneath. But luckily they were not, so we just chipped them off.'

'My husband learnt how to lay the laminate floor,' Jennifer explains. 'Changing the plug sockets and even cutting and secure the skirting.'

DIY living room wall panelling

living area with white wall and hanging lamp

(Image credit: Future PLC/Jennifer Wynter)

Jennifer says the panelling was relatively easy to make. They sourced decorative beading from Wickes at around £6 a piece. She explains, 'We stuck them straight onto the wall. The hardest part was working out how many rectangles we wanted on one wall and taking the measurements.'

'The dado rails were originally there but we had to add a few more as originally one wall had archways' she explains. 'Considering we had a lot of cracks and holes in the walls as the room had polystyrene ceilings, it’s crazy what a difference the beading, filler and coving made!'.

Living room after

living area with white wall and wooden floor and yellow sofa

(Image credit: Future PLC/Jennifer Wynter)

Speaking of the finished look Jennifer says, 'Originally I was going for nude colours, but as we wanted the rooms to flow and the dark architraves and skirting to match we decided to stick with the dark grey. This allowed us then to play with any colour.'

The striking living room is brought to life with the on-trend furniture choices. 'Our sofa takes centre stage with its bold colour. It was not a colour we originally thought about but it adds that pop of colour that the room needed.'

'The sofa was £599 and the armchairs were £200 from Homesense' Jennifer explains.  'The cushions varied from £14.99 to £20 from Homesense.'

living area with white wall and wooden floor and armchair

(Image credit: Future PLC/Jennifer Wynter)

The couple replaced the old dated wallpaper with on-trend neutral and grey paint. They even took the same shade of charcoal grey to outline the doorframe, adding a quirky paint feature to the space.

Related: Clever living room paint ideas to transform any space

living area with wooden floor and rug and yellow sofa and chairs

(Image credit: Future PLC/Jennifer Wynter)

'The rug was on a deal for £50 from IKEA. The stool was £30 from Homesense and the blind replacements were £10 on Facebook Marketplace' Jennifer explains.

Reflecting on the costs Jennifer says, 'We bulk bought the architraves, flooring and other materials not just for the living room but for the rest of the house. With furnishings and materials, the room cost approximately £2,000 to transform.'

Related: Living room trends 2021 - top styling tips and trends to inspire

Feeling inspired to fill your living room with statement wall panelling?

Contributor

Tamara was Ideal Home's Digital Editor before joining the Woman & Home team in 2022. She has spent the last 15 years working with the style teams at Country Homes & Interiors and Ideal Home, both now at Future PLC. It’s with these award wining interiors teams that she's honed her skills and passion for shopping, styling and writing. Tamara is always ahead of the curve when it comes to interiors trends – and is great at seeking out designer dupes on the high street.