23 Wainscotting Ideas & Inspiration That Add Character to Every Room

A bathroom with off-white painted wainscotting, green upper walls, and a white bathtub beneath a picture window. A bathroom with off-white painted wainscotting, green upper walls, and a white bathtub beneath a picture window.

Decorative wood panelling—or wainscotting—typically takes up one-third or more of a wall and is the perfect place to express your personal style. Especially popular in older homes—and conjured up in modern spaces with the practice of “feign”-scotting—wainscotting is the perfect vessel to deliver beautiful colour throughout your home. Whether you use beadboard or board and batten, add a touch of traditionalism or a bright pop of colour, our wainscoting ideas will transform your space.

Wondering what paint to use for wainscotting? Once you’ve found your colour (or colours), Advance® Interior paint is ready to make your vision a reality. This premium quality, waterborne alkyd paint offers a full line of durable high-end finishes ideal for doors, trim, cabinetry and unique architecture—like wainscotting.

Unique Wainscotting Ideas for Every Room

Do you have wainscotting in your home? How can you tell if you have wainscotting? Use our photos below to help you determine if the panelling in your home is wainscotting. Use the “one-third” rule to help you: If the panelling in your room features vertical, even panels and covers at least one-third of the wall, floor to ceiling, there is a good chance it is wainscotting. Conversely, if you’re adding wall panels to a room without wainscotting, make sure at least one-third of your wall is covered, starting from the floor up.

Whether you go with traditional off-white or white wainscotting or choose a colour that’s a little more bold, there are wainscotting styles for every space and design ethos. From hallways and living rooms to bedrooms and bathrooms, consider these gorgeous suggestions to help you find wainscotting colour combinations that work for your home.

A lovely bathroom with off-white painted wainscotting and a white upper wall, wooden floors and an oval mirror over a dark-gray painted bathroom vanity with granite countertops. A lovely bathroom with off-white painted wainscotting and a white upper wall, wooden floors and an oval mirror over a dark-gray painted bathroom vanity with granite countertops.
Photography by: @greybirchdesigns

The Perfect Powder Room: Bathroom Wainscotting

Spruce up your powder room with a coat of paint on the wainscotting. Hues like Natural Linen CC-90, shown here on the board and batten, bring warmth and charm to the space, letting dark cabinetry and fresh greenery take centre stage instead. Other colours we love for powder room wainscotting include:

A welcoming bedroom with white-painted wainscotting and black upper walls, a wrought iron bedframe, a plaid area rug in neutral hues, and large, white-trimmed windows. A welcoming bedroom with white-painted wainscotting and black upper walls, a wrought iron bedframe, a plaid area rug in neutral hues, and large, white-trimmed windows.
Photography by: @520farmhouse

Traditional Bedroom Board-and-Batten Wainscotting

Even the classic white board-and-batten wainscotting needs freshening up sometimes. Give your bedroom panelling some much-deserved TLC with a soft white paint colour, like Chantilly Lace OC-65, shown here. Other paint colours we love for traditional wainscotting include:

A bedroom with white-painted upper walls, dark green wainscotting, a four-poster canopy bed, black and white rug, and a fireplace. A bedroom with white-painted upper walls, dark green wainscotting, a four-poster canopy bed, black and white rug, and a fireplace.

Mix & Match Bedroom Wainscotting

Upend traditional wainscotting design by pairing colourful wainscotting with a more neutral hue on the walls. Combinations to try include:

An entryway with a yellow-painted upper wall, white wainscotting, and white trim on an open door, hanging straw hats, and a gray bench. An entryway with a yellow-painted upper wall, white wainscotting, and white trim on an open door, hanging straw hats, and a gray bench.

Welcoming Entryway Wainscotting Colours

Invite happiness into your home with cheery entryway wainscotting ideas. Try one of these combinations to up the wow factor—and use beadboard for a modern look:

A close-up of an olive green-painted hallway and off-white wainscotting with an antique wooden table holding coloured vases beneath a small, framed painting. A close-up of an olive green-painted hallway and off-white wainscotting with an antique wooden table holding coloured vases beneath a small, framed painting.

Eye-Catching Hallway Wainscotting

Upgrade your space and transform the oft-forgotten hallway with stunning wainscotting colour combinations, like:

Large dining room with dramatic black walls, ceiling, and white trim. Large dining room with dramatic black walls, ceiling, and white trim.

Dramatic Dining Room Wainscotting

Add visual interest and personality to your dining room with elegant wainscotting colour schemes. Try one of these to elevate the look of your walls with contrast and colour:

A sitting area with gray wainscotting, white-painted walls, trim, and ceiling with wood beams, a brown door, print chair, and decorative plates. A sitting area with gray wainscotting, white-painted walls, trim, and ceiling with wood beams, a brown door, print chair, and decorative plates.

Monochromatic Living Room Wainscotting

A monochromatic colour combination uses various tints and shades of the same colour and is another popular design choice for wainscotting. Monochromatic colour schemes for wainscotting we love include:

A lovely living room parlor with blue velvet couch, two armchairs, a patterned rug and white-painted wainscotting beneath wallpaper featuring lush outdoor scenery. A lovely living room parlor with blue velvet couch, two armchairs, a patterned rug and white-painted wainscotting beneath wallpaper featuring lush outdoor scenery.
Photography by: @graciestudio

Look Up! Shiplap Ceilings & Wainscotted Walls

Draw the eye upward with a ceiling that calls attention to the unique features of your home. Using shiplap on your ceiling allows you to go much bolder with the other décor in the room and lighter with wainscotting, as seen here on the lower walls. Try one of these hues for a neutral ceiling look:

An airy off-white-painted hallway with a glass panelled front door, a staircase with wooden banister, and three large baskets beneath a narrow wooden console table holding a large white planter. An airy off-white-painted hallway with a glass panelled front door, a staircase with wooden banister, and three large baskets beneath a narrow wooden console table holding a large white planter.
Photography by: @careyushome

Modern & Fresh: Staircase Wainscotting Colours

Your staircase presents a design opportunity, especially when it coincides with modern wainscotting. Make it stand out with pretty, neutral hues in a higher sheen that help to highlight the details that make your house a home. For a look like this one, try:

Wainscotting Ideas: Traditional, Modern, Popular Colours & Beyond

A sunny bedroom with a yellow-painted wall and ceiling, white wainscotting and trim, yellow and white bedding, two reading lamps and side tables. A sunny bedroom with a yellow-painted wall and ceiling, white wainscotting and trim, yellow and white bedding, two reading lamps and side tables.

Traditional Wainscotting Styles

Common in older homes, traditional wainscotting typically consists of white or off-white painted panelling on the lower walls paired with a different colour on the upper walls.

In this sunny bedroom, traditional style wainscotting in a board-and-batten panelling mimics a headboard in bright Atrium White OC-145, contrasting the cheerful upper wall in Beacon Hill Damask HC-2, from our Historical Colour Collection.

Other traditional paint pairings we love include:

A Contemporary Take on Wainscotting

Wainscotting has its place in even the most modern of homes. Whether you’re looking for an energizing colour combination or a sleek all-in-one look, try one of our contemporary wainscotting ideas to bring a fresh new look to any space.

An entryway with dark green-painted wainscotting, white walls and trim, a large window, and a bench with a throw and pillows. An entryway with dark green-painted wainscotting, white walls and trim, a large window, and a bench with a throw and pillows.

Dark Wainscotting

If you want a more modern take on traditional wainscotting, try bolder, darker paint colours for a dose of drama.

Here, board and batten that reaches two-thirds of the way up the wall injects eye-catching colour to this chic entryway in Cedar Mountains 706, a cool sage. Fresh Cloud White OC-130, on the upper wall, provides elegant contrast.

Other deep-hued wainscotting paint combinations to try include:

A bedroom with white-painted wainscotting, vaulted ceiling and trim, a dark blue accent wall, wood ceiling beam, and red and white bedding. A bedroom with white-painted wainscotting, vaulted ceiling and trim, a dark blue accent wall, wood ceiling beam, and red and white bedding.

Accent Walls & Wainscotting

Complement crisp white wainscotting with creative and colourful accent walls. We love to pair these stunning shades with White Wisp OC-54 wainscotting:

A cheery bathroom with vibrant sea blue-painted wainscotting and shelf holding towels, white and blue wallpaper, a square white sink and a playful frame highlighting the wallpaper design. A cheery bathroom with vibrant sea blue-painted wainscotting and shelf holding towels, white and blue wallpaper, a square white sink and a playful frame highlighting the wallpaper design.
Photography by: @jenniferbeekhunter

Wainscotting & Wallpaper

Give your powder room a pop by pairing boldly painted beadboard with matching wallpaper. Coastal hues are a great choice for this kind of design style, as they exude an elegant look with a touch of colour. Get started with one of these beachy hues:

8 Wainscotting Colours You’ll Love

No matter the design style you’re going for, painted wainscotting can help you set the mood in your space and deliver a dose of colour when you need it. Follow our lead for wainscotting ideas and let us help you find the hue that’s perfect for your project.

An off-white kitchen with pale green-painted wainscotting and cabinetry, white upper walls, white countertops, and a farmhouse sink filled with flowers. An off-white kitchen with pale green-painted wainscotting and cabinetry, white upper walls, white countertops, and a farmhouse sink filled with flowers.
Photography by: @bybarnesdesign

1. A Modern Take on Off-White Wainscotting

Want to lend your neutral wainscotting a modern feel? Use an off-white with a warm gray cast, and pair with lots of gold hardware, as seen in this farmhouse kitchen, featuring perennial homeowner and interior designer favourite Revere Pewter HC-172. Other favourites for your modern wainscotting colour scheme include:

A contemporary bedroom with dark blue-painted walls, white trim, a cream-coloured platform bed, a modern nightstand, and a standing lamp with two round, oversized lightbulbs. A contemporary bedroom with dark blue-painted walls, white trim, a cream-coloured platform bed, a modern nightstand, and a standing lamp with two round, oversized lightbulbs.
Photography by: @justin.tse

2. True Blue Wainscotting

Blue paint colours remain a favourite among homeowners, and with good reason: it can pretty much be used anywhere, even wainscotting. While our top-selling Hale Navy HC-154 is a phenomenal choice for blue wainscotting, you can use any shade you choose. Try one of these for a true blue design statement:

A charming kitchen table nook with green-painted wainscotting and bench, white upper wall, wooden table and chair, and potted lavender beneath a contemporary globe chandelier. A charming kitchen table nook with green-painted wainscotting and bench, white upper wall, wooden table and chair, and potted lavender beneath a contemporary globe chandelier.

3. Bring the Drama with Green Wainscotting

Pair green wainscotting and white-painted walls to give any space a dignified, refined elegance. Colour combinations to try:

A bathroom with a pink-painted wall and wainscotting, a white clawfoot tub, a wall sconce and a basket. A bathroom with a pink-painted wall and wainscotting, a white clawfoot tub, a wall sconce and a basket.

4. Fall in Love with Pink Wainscotting

A versatile pink, like Fruit Shake 2088-60, shown here, on bathroom wainscotting will help start your day on a positive note and give you an oasis to relax in when you return. Other fun, fresh pinks we love include:

A pale green-painted entry hallway with dark green front door, area rug and a cozy seating area in neutral tones seen through an open doorway. A pale green-painted entry hallway with dark green front door, area rug and a cozy seating area in neutral tones seen through an open doorway.

5. Neutral & Gray Wainscotting: Always Popular

You don’t have to use a bold hue to add richness. Gray or neutral paint colours can weave a luxurious touch throughout your home. Try one of these hues in popular gathering spaces or entryways for an especially lush look.

Bathroom walls painted brown contrasting against a green iron-claw bathtub. Bathroom walls painted brown contrasting against a green iron-claw bathtub.

6. See the Beauty in Brown Wainscotting

Get back to nature with earthy brown paint colours. Rustic, and relaxing, brown tones are especially comforting in spaces where you’d love to find your Zen, like a bedroom or bathroom. Colours we love for brown wainscotting include:

A hallway with dark gray painted walls, wainscotting and door, a bright red chair, and a blue and white striped rug. A hallway with dark gray painted walls, wainscotting and door, a bright red chair, and a blue and white striped rug.

7. Deep & Intriguing: Paint Colours for Black Wainscotting

For a modern take on monochrome, choose a deep jewel tone or black paint colour for your wainscotting and use it throughout your space in different sheens. Hues we love for this include:

In a peachy-pink painted dining room adorned with decorative plates on the walls, a wooden table, four chairs and a side table sit atop a burgundy rug on a light hardwood floor. In a peachy-pink painted dining room adorned with decorative plates on the walls, a wooden table, four chairs and a side table sit atop a burgundy rug on a light hardwood floor.

8. Pastels & White Wainscotting

Add additional airiness to an already sunny space with fanciful wainscotting colour combinations. By pairing pastel hues with bright white paint colours, you’ll have a welcoming, happy space for your family and friends to enjoy. Some light and bright wainscotting colour combinations we love include:

DIY “Feign”-scotting: Creating Unique Design with Colour

What is “Feign”-scotting?

If your space doesn't have wainscotting, why not create your own with feign-scotting? Use the power of paint to mimic the contrast that wainscotting provides in a space—without the traditional millwork.

An office with a two-tone green painted wall, a white door, a modern desk with shelves and coloured vases, and a green chair. An office with a two-tone green painted wall, a white door, a modern desk with shelves and coloured vases, and a green chair.

Go bold with colour combinations for maximum visual impact. Here, a stylish home office uses a grounding green hue on the lower wall with Cushing Green HC-125, and a brighter green on the upper wall in Crystalline AF-485.

Looking for more colour inspiration for “feign”-scotting? Pairing jewel tones with a softer hue can bring gentle drama to your space. Try:

A bathroom with modern fixtures, an oval mirror and décor modelled after an ancient bust features a two-toned wall with bright pink on the upper and a deep green on the lower. A bathroom with modern fixtures, an oval mirror and décor modelled after an ancient bust features a two-toned wall with bright pink on the upper and a deep green on the lower.

Showstopping “Feign”-Scotting Colour Combinations

Further the statement-making prowess of “feign”-scotting with a truly unexpected colour combination, like this two-toned wall in Pink Punch 2006-50 and Rainforest Foliage 2040-10. Other bold “feign”-scotting combos we love are:

“Whether you want a pop of colour or dramatic contrast, you can achieve a beautiful transformation with the power of wainscotting.”

-Arianna Barone, Colour & Design Expert

Looking for the Perfect Wainscotting Colour Combination?

A bathroom with dark gray-painted walls, white wainscotting, trim and ceiling, a pedestal sink and eclectic artwork. A bathroom with dark gray-painted walls, white wainscotting, trim and ceiling, a pedestal sink and eclectic artwork.

Choosing the best wainscotting paint colour for your space can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Benjamin Moore’s Affinity® Collection takes the guesswork out of selecting colour combinations, with 144 paint colours that have been expertly curated to mix and match seamlessly, resulting in beautiful results every time.

Use colour samples to help you narrow down your selections and find paint colour combinations for wainscotting that you’ll love.

As always, visit your locally owned Benjamin Moore Store for help with all your painting needs.

Frequently Asked Questions


Q. What is Wainscotting?

A. Wainscotting is a decorative wall moulding that typically sits about a third of the way up the wall but can go higher depending on the overall look of the space. Typically done with beadboard or board-and-batten paneling, the function of wainscotting in historical homes was to protect walls from scuffs and marks.

Elegantly painted wainscotting makes any room more appealing, especially when colour is used to add contrast between the wainscotting and the wall above it.



Q. What is the “golden rule” for wainscotting?

A. While the size of wainscotting depends on your space and your personal preference, it is traditionally sized using the “rule of thirds,” meaning your wainscotting would be a third of the way up your wall.



Q. What is the best colour for wainscotting?

A. When it comes to choosing paint colour for wainscotting—or anywhere else in your home, really—there are no hard and fast rules about which hue to choose.

Though most wainscotting is painted white or off-white, you can create a standout focal point in your home with more boldly painted wainscotting—make a statement with green, blue, or even a dramatic purple paint colour.



Q. Does wainscotting make a room look bigger or smaller?

A. Wainscotting shouldn’t affect how big or small your room appears; however, if you’re looking to impart an airy feel, try an off-white paint colour. For a sleek, streamlined colour flow, consider using the same colour on the walls, wainscotting, trim, and doors.

If you need help choosing colours for small spaces, you can find ideas and inspiration here.



Q. What rooms should have wainscotting?

A. Any room can have wainscotting! Painted wainscotting has a striking appeal in any room, especially when colour is used to add contrast between the wainscotting and the wall above it. 



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