Panelling behind a bed is one of the most requested jobs we do, and the first question is nearly always how high it should go. There is not one right answer, but there are a few wrong ones, and they are easy to spot once the bed is back against the wall.
We set every wall out by hand, measuring the room before deciding anything, so this is the thinking we go through on site. It applies whether you want a simple panelled half wall or a full height feature behind the headboard.
Start from the headboard
The bed is the thing that sits in front of the panelling, so its height is the first reference. If the top of the panelling lands at almost the same height as the headboard, the two lines fight each other and the wall looks muddled. Either clear the headboard comfortably so the panelling frames it, or keep the panelling low enough that the headboard stands above it.
Most people choose to go above the headboard, so the panelling reads as a backdrop. Leaving a good gap between the top of the headboard and the top rail looks deliberate rather than accidental.
The common heights and why they work
Roughly a third of the wall height is the traditional dado proportion and suits a low divan or a bed with no headboard. Around half to two thirds of the wall is the most popular choice behind a bed, because it clears most headboards and leaves enough plain wall above for a light or a picture. Full height, floor to ceiling, turns the whole wall into the feature and suits rooms with generous ceilings or a bold paint colour.
- Low, about a third: classic, suits low beds and smaller rooms.
- Mid, half to two thirds: clears most headboards, the usual choice.
- Full height: the whole wall becomes the headboard, strongest effect.
Ceiling height changes everything
In a bedroom with a low ceiling, panelling that stops two thirds of the way up can leave an awkward thin strip of wall above. Going full height usually makes a low room feel taller, because the eye follows the vertical lines up. In a tall Victorian bedroom, stopping at a mid height with a proper top rail keeps the room from feeling like a box.
Sloping ceilings in loft rooms need their own thinking. The panelling can follow the slope, or stop at a level line below the lowest point, and which looks better depends on how steep the slope is.
Lining up with the rest of the room
The top of the panelling looks best when it relates to something already in the room: the top of a window, the line of a door frame, or the height of fitted wardrobes on the next wall. When those lines agree, the room feels designed. When they miss by a few centimetres, it feels slightly off even if nobody can say why.
Wall lights and sockets matter too. Bedside lights mounted on the panelling need their positions decided before we start, so they sit neatly within a panel rather than across a join.
Width as well as height
Height gets the attention, but width is just as important. Panelling can run the full width of the wall, or be made as a central feature slightly wider than the bed and bedside tables. A feature that stops just short of the corners can look very smart, but it needs to be wide enough that the bedside tables sit within it.
We also think about how the panels divide across the width, so the bed sits centrally within a panel layout rather than off to one side.
Testing it before we commit
A simple trick is to run a strip of masking tape at a few possible heights and live with it for a day or two, with the bed in place. It is surprising how quickly one height feels right. When we survey we mark the wall out, check the ceiling, the headboard and the windows, and draw it up so you can see the proportions before anything is cut.
Panelling behind a bed can also be upholstered in part, with padded panels at headboard height and painted panelling above, which we are happy to draw up as an option.
Common questions
- How high should panelling be behind a bed?
- Most people go between half and two thirds of the wall height so it clears the headboard with a good gap. Low panelling suits low beds, and full height makes the whole wall the feature.
- Should bedroom panelling be higher than the headboard?
- Usually, yes, with a clear gap between the two. Ending the panelling almost level with the headboard makes the lines clash.
- Is full height panelling good in a small bedroom?
- It can be. Floor to ceiling panelling draws the eye upward and often makes a low room feel taller, especially in a lighter colour.
- Can panelling behind a bed include wall lights?
- Yes. Light positions should be decided before we start so they sit neatly within a panel rather than across a joint.
- Can part of the panelling be upholstered?
- Yes. Upholstered panels at headboard height with painted panelling above is an option we can design and make.
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