Media Wall with Panelling. Designed Around Your Room.
One Wall. Fully Resolved.
A media wall with panelling combines bespoke joinery with a fully designed feature wall treatment to transform the entire room. Rather than a TV unit placed against plain plasterboard, the panelling extends across the full wall or wraps into adjacent alcoves, creating a scheme where the joinery and the surface treatment are designed together from the start.
We design and build integrated media walls with fluted panels, reeded timber, Venetian plaster and painted MDF. All panelling is built to the same standard as our joinery. No veneers, no shortcuts. Fixed price before we start. We work across Surrey and London.
- Fluted and reeded timber panel options
- Venetian plaster and microcement finishes
- Painted MDF in any RAL or Farrow and Ball colour
- All work by our own team. No sub-contractors.
Panelling Options
Fluted Oak
Vertical fluted grooves machined into solid or engineered oak. Works in warm-lit rooms where timber grain reads as texture rather than pattern. Best suited to rooms with natural light and neutral palettes.
Venetian Plaster
A hand-applied, burnished plaster finish with depth and lustre. More sculptural than flat paint. Requires a skilled applicator. Ideal for contemporary rooms where texture and tonal variation do more work than colour.
Painted MDF (Shaker)
Shaker profile panels in painted MDF. The most versatile option. Works in period and contemporary rooms. Available in any RAL or Farrow and Ball colour. Requires the right paint system to hold long-term without cracking at the joints.
Microcement Graphite
A seamless, pigmented cement coating applied over the substrate. No joints, no grout lines. Gives a raw, industrial quality in darker tones. Requires a curing period before decoration or AV installation can proceed.
Media Wall Panelling Ideas
Five combinations that come up most often in briefs. Each works differently depending on ceiling height, room proportions and natural light.
Full-height fluted oak with integrated fireplace
Fluted oak panels run floor to ceiling either side of a central TV recess. A linear electric fire sits below the screen — sized to hold weight against it, not look like an accessory. LED cove lighting runs the full height behind the panel return.
Works best in rooms with at least 2.6m ceilings and reasonable daylight. The grooves absorb light. In a darker or lower room, the finished wall is heavier than it photographs.
Slatted timber panels with Venetian plaster centre
Slatted timber panels run either side of the wall, floor to ceiling. The centre section is Venetian plaster. The TV mounts within it, with warm LED strip around the screen perimeter. A floating cabinet in the same timber sits below, full width, housing AV kit behind flat drawer fronts.
The plaster section draws the eye. The slats add depth on either side without making the wall feel heavy. Available in oak, walnut or smoked finishes. The plaster colour is agreed in your room at the sample stage — warm neutrals are the most common choice.
Left: pale oak panels. Right: American walnut.
Painted MDF Shaker panelling with floating shelf
Full-wall Shaker profile panels in painted MDF. A floating shelf unit in oak or lacquer holds the TV, with cabling run inside the wall during the build. Any Farrow and Ball or RAL colour. Works in period and contemporary rooms equally.
Around £8,000 to £10,000 for the complete installation, and the easiest of the five to repaint if the room changes direction later.
Full-width slatted timber panels, wall to wall
No plaster break, no alcove. Slatted timber runs floor to ceiling across the full wall. The TV recess is cut directly into the panel run and backlit with warm LED behind the screen frame. The floating cabinet below is in the same timber, flat drawer fronts running the full width.
In dark walnut, the effect at night is warm and enveloping. In smoked oak, it reads lighter. The version that works best depends on the room — north-facing rooms tend to handle darker tones less well than they photograph.
Microcement feature wall with contrasting joinery
Microcement in graphite or dark stone covers the feature wall. The joinery unit is built in a contrasting material: natural oak, American walnut or a matt lacquer. The contrast between the raw cement surface and the refined joinery is what the combination relies on.
It suits new-build and modernised properties. In period homes with cornicing and original features, it tends to fight the room. We say so when it does.
The Panel Decision
When Fluted Oak Works and When It Doesn't
Fluted oak reads beautifully in warm-lit rooms with high ceilings and plenty of natural light. The vertical lines draw the eye upward and the timber grain gives each panel its own character. In a narrow room or one with little daylight, the same treatment can feel heavy. The grooves absorb light rather than catch it, and what works in a showroom photograph can feel oppressive at 6pm in February. We measure and photograph the room before advising.
What Venetian Plaster Demands
Venetian plaster is hand-applied and burnished in multiple coats. The lustre and depth come from technique, not materials. Applied by someone without the experience, the surface is flat, streaky, and has none of the warmth the finish is known for. Applied well, it has a quality that no paint can replicate. We work with dedicated plaster specialists on these projects, not general decorators. If the applicator matters to you, ask to see their work before you commit.
Why Painted MDF Needs the Right Paint System
Painted MDF panelling is the most versatile option and the easiest to get wrong. MDF absorbs moisture and moves slightly with seasonal humidity changes. At panel joints and moulding mitres, this shows as fine cracks in the paint film within a year. The fix is a flexible primer, a consistent spray finish in a controlled environment, and a paint system rated for joinery rather than walls. We specify and control this on every project.
Media Wall with Cupboards
Closed cupboard storage is one of the most requested elements in a panelling media wall build. Rather than open shelving on either side of the TV recess, cupboards contain the clutter. The result is a wall that looks resolved from the moment you walk into the room.
The two most common configurations are full-height floor-to-ceiling cupboards flanking the TV recess, and a lower bank of cupboards beneath open shelving. Both work well. The choice comes down to how much you need to store and how much you want to display. Cupboard doors are made in the same material and finish as the rest of the wall, so the storage disappears into the design rather than interrupting it. See the full media wall with cupboards page for more detail, or the media wall with shelves page if open storage suits the brief better.
- Full-height cupboards flanking the TV recess
- Lower cupboard bank beneath open shelving
- Push-to-open or handle hardware options
- Doors finished to match the panel treatment
- Internal shelving and AV equipment housing
Recent Panelling Projects
Full-Height Fluted Oak Media Wall with Fireplace
A detached home in Weybridge, Surrey
Painted Shaker Media Wall with Oak Shelving
A family home in Guildford, Surrey
Media Wall with Fluted Cabinetry and Fireplace
A modern home in Cobham, Surrey
What Does It Cost?
Every project is bespoke. All quotes are itemised and fixed before work begins. No hidden costs.
Get a fixed priceBespoke
From £8,000
A bespoke media wall with a designed panel treatment extending across the full wall. Includes joinery, panel material, concealed cabling and integrated lighting.
- ✓Full-wall panel treatment
- ✓Joinery TV recess and AV housing
- ✓Concealed cable management
- ✓Integrated LED lighting
- ✓Fixed price before work starts
Premium
From £12,000
Floor-to-ceiling panelled media wall with integrated fireplace, cupboard storage and premium panel finish. The most complete version of this brief.
- ✓All standard features
- ✓Integrated electric fireplace
- ✓Floor-to-ceiling build
- ✓Cupboard storage option
- ✓Premium panel finish
Guide prices based on standard ceiling heights of 2.4m to 2.5m. Final cost depends on panel type, room dimensions, AV complexity and site conditions.
Media Wall Panelling FAQs
Questions about media wall panelling ideas, finishes and installation.
Ask a questionThe five most requested combinations are: full-height fluted oak with a linear fireplace below the TV; a two-tone build with Venetian plaster on the centre section and timber cupboards either side; painted MDF Shaker panelling with a floating shelf unit; ribbed MDF panels with LED reveals running the full height; and microcement feature wall with contrasting walnut joinery. Each works differently depending on the room's proportions, ceiling height and natural light. We bring samples to your home so the decision is made in context.
A media wall with panelling combines a bespoke joinery media centre with a designed feature wall treatment that extends across the full wall or wraps into adjacent alcoves. The panelling element can be fluted timber, Venetian plaster, painted MDF with a Shaker profile, reeded oak or microcement. The result is a complete wall rather than a TV unit placed against plain plasterboard.
The most popular choices are fluted oak for warmth, painted MDF panelling for versatility across any colour, and Venetian plaster for a more sculptural, textured finish. Reeded timber and microcement work well in contemporary schemes. The right choice depends on the room. We bring material samples to your consultation so you can see and feel each option in your own space before committing.
A media wall with panelling starts from £8,000. This reflects the additional material and labour involved in extending the surface treatment across the full wall beyond the joinery unit itself. A floor-to-ceiling panelled media wall with integrated lighting and an electric fireplace typically ranges from £12,000 to £20,000 depending on the panel type, room size and complexity of the build. All quotes are fixed price.
Yes. Panelling, a media wall and an integrated fireplace combine well and are one of the most popular brief types we receive. The fire sits within the primary joinery unit, with the panel treatment continuing either side and above to create a fully resolved wall. We manage the full build including structural framing, electrical installation certified to Part P and all joinery and finishing work.
Yes. Closed cupboard storage is frequently incorporated into media wall builds, either as full-height floor-to-ceiling cupboards flanking the TV recess, or as a lower bank of cupboards beneath open shelving. Cupboard doors are made in the same finish as the rest of the wall so the storage disappears into the design rather than interrupting it.
A media wall with panelling typically takes 5 to 10 days on site. The panel treatment adds time over a plain media wall build because each panel run needs to be set out, fixed and finished before decoration. Venetian plaster and microcement add additional curing time. We confirm the exact programme as part of your quote before we start.
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Complimentary consultation across London and Surrey. Fixed price before work begins. No hidden costs.