Initial inspo
The following images represent a variety of wall treatments in different materials. Think of them as a conversation starter that will help us figure out what you do and don’t like. If you happen to love any of these of these treatments and want to see what they’d look like in your space, we would be happy to produce some mock ups for you. But if not, we can talk about what aspects of each of these approaches you like and don’t like so we can develop other treatments that share the attributes you like and don’t have the ones you don’t want.
I’ve organized these treatments by the material they’re made out of.
click on an image to see it larger, then click on black border to return to this page
WOOD
Board & Batten:
A variety of board & batten designs could be applied from floor to ceiling. The examples I found mostly show monochromatic approaches but the boards and batten can be painted in contrasting or complementary colors, different shades of the same hue, or in the same or different sheens (e.g. semi gloss boards on a flat batten).
This example just shows evenly spaced vertical battens but cross pieces could be installed in a variety of patterns.
In this example, the battens are spaced in pairings. It’s a little hard to see but there’s also a cross piece that runs behind the lamp and across the top of the sofa.
Additional horizontal cross pieces can be added at any height. They can run in a grid formation as shown above or staggered for a more modern look.
Using thinner boards and/or playing with spacing can also make this approach look more contemporary.
An asymetrical double batten without cross braces moves the board and batten approach away from the more traditional “craftsman” style to something more contemporary.
Adding ogee or another trim moulding (e.g. cove, quarter round, etc.) to the battens it another way to move this approach away from the traditional craftsman aesthetic.
Board & Batten Wainscoting:
Any of the above board and batten techniques can also be used as a wainscoting instead of a floor to ceiling treatment. Wainscoting can be made to any height with a variety of batten/cross piece designs. These examples all show the battens in various grid patterns but the cross pieces can also be offset for a more contemporary look.
Fretwork
Lowes sells a wide range of lasercut wood and PVC fretwork patterns. The wood ones are usually stain grade so they can be top coated as is, stained or toned then top coated, or painted in a complementary or contrasting color and/or sheen. The PVC ones can be left white or painted. The following images are just a few examples. You can see more here.
Other Wood Treatments
Woodland Honey Wood Wall Acoustic Panel in 21” x 93” from Floor & Decor for $89.99 per piece (engineered wood). Also comes in walnut, white oak, mountain ash & smoked grey. Other vendors sell other finishes.
Unfinished Wood Slat Panels from slatsolution.com for $10.75 per square foot (unfinished stain or paint grade solid wood)
A variety of custom designs and approaches could be created using strips of wood, ranging from very simple
Thermo Fluted Wood Cladding in Radiata Pine from WoodPlank.com for $ 21.00 per square foot (pre-finished solid wood). Also comes in Ash and Dark Ash.
White Ash 3-D Interlocking Wall Panels from WoodyWalls.com for ~$14 per square foor ($135 per 9.6 sf box). They also make a dimensional walnut and a rectangular brick in walnut.
to more complex.
TILE
Wood-look Tiles
Willow Creek Noce Porcelain Tile in 8” x 36” size from Floor & Decor for $1.99 per Square Foot.
Birch Wood Look Matte Tile in 24” x 48” size from Floor & Decor for $5.99 per square foot
Ribbon Oak Ceramic Tile in 16” x 48” size from Floor & Decor for $5.99 per square foot.
I don’t know that this is the exact same Willow Creek Noce Porcelain tile for sure, but this wood look tile wall at University of Cincinnati is what made me think that tile could work for your office.
This kind of wood look plank tile also comes in an other finishes such as Oak shown here.
Same Birch Wood Look Matte Tile installed on wall.
Same Birch Wood Look Matte Tile installed as wainscoting on wall.
16” x 48” Ribbon Ceramic Tile also comes in Maple.
Natural Stone Large Format Tiles:
These are just a few examples - there are all kinds of stone tiles in all kinds of sizes and colors.
Linen Limestone Honed tile in 4” x 16” size from Floor & Decor for $4.99 per tile. Shown here in a horizontal grid.
Linen Limestone Honed tile in 12” x 24” size from Floor & Decor for $6.19 per tile. Shown here in a horizontal grid.
Fossil Beige Brushed Limestone in 12 x 24” size from Floor & Decor for $5.59 per tile. Shown here in a horizontal grid.
Terra Nuova Brushed Marble Tile in 8” x 16” size from Floor & Decor for $7.10 per tile. Shown here in a vertical Brick pattern.
Same Linen Limestone tile installed on a vertical grid. Can also be installed vertically or horizontally in a brick pattern.
Same larger Linen Limestone tile installed on a vertical grid. Can also be installed vertically or horizontally in a brick pattern.
Same Fossil Beige Brushed Limestone installed in a vertical grid. Can also be installed vertically or horizontally in a brick pattern.
Same Terra Nuova Brushed Marble Tile installed in a horizontal brick pattern. Can also be installed in a vertical or horizontal grid pattern.
Natural Stone Ledger/Veneer
There are hundreds of stone ledger/veneer patterns and colors, if you’re interested in this direction, look at the examples at: Floor & Decor Ledger Panels or The Tile Shop Architectural Panels
Coastal Bluff Marble Ledger Panel in 6” x 24” interlocking panels from Floor & Decor for $7.29 per square foot
Ravenna Beige Splitface Travertine Ledger Panel in 6” x 24” interlocking panels from Floor & Decor for $7.99 per square foot
Natural Stone Mosaic Tiles
Again, this is a small sampling - there are all kinds of sizes, colors and shapes to choose from.
Limestone Copacabana Wave Tumbled Mosaic tile $13.49 per square foot from Floor & Decor
Otto Thassos Valentino Blend Marble Mosaic tile $17.99 per 13” x 13” mosaic section from Floor & Decor
Golden Valley Stacked Honed Marble Mosaic $14.99 per square foot from Floor & Decor. Can be installed vertically. Cannot be installed in brick pattern.
Terra Calacatta Marble Polished Mosaic tile $21.99 per 11” x 12” mosaic section from Floor & Decor
Assorted Other Tile Options
The following options would require a different wall treatment from your current wallpaper, but could look stunning with your reception desk.
Black Wood Look Porcelain Tile in 24” x 48” from Floor & Decor for $ 5.99 per square foot.
Aurelio Azul Porcelain Tile in 24” x 48” from Floor & Decor for $5.99 per square foot.
Sienna Honed Marble Tile in 4” x 16” from Floor & Decor for $6.49 per piece.
Same Black Wood Look Porcelain tile on wall. Can also be installed as wainscoting.
Maverick Slate Mosaic in 12” x 12” interlock from Floor & Decor for $14.99 per square foot.
Chocolate Striped Multi Finish Ceramic Tile in 3” x 12” from Floor & Decor for $1.49 per piece.
Obviously, there are a million tile colors, shapes, sizes and styles. If you like the idea of tile but don’t love any of the ones we’ve pulled, we’d be happy to meet you at a tile store to look at other options.