Wall Panels for the Hall in Goa

Stand at the front door and then sit on the sofa. The wall you look at from both points is usually the right one — in most flats the TV wall, in many older houses the wall opposite the entrance where the altar or family photographs hang. Panelling a wall that is mostly doors or windows wastes the effort; panelling every wall makes a big room feel boxed in.

In a long hall used for both sitting and dining, a panelled wall can also divide the room visually: panels on the sitting end, plain paint or wallpaper on the dining end.

Decide on the television size and its height before the panels are made. The screen centre normally sits around eye level when seated, and the panels need a recessed or removable section behind it for brackets and cables. Plan sockets, the set-top box and any speaker wiring at the same time, so nothing has to be cut into a finished panel later.

Backlighting behind a TV panel looks good in the evening and reduces eye strain in a dark room. Keep the lighting strip and its driver accessible, and remember that during a power cut on inverter supply you may prefer it on a separate switch.

Many Goan halls have a home altar, an oratory niche or a puja corner. Panels around it should be quiet in colour and texture so the altar remains the focus. A simple moulded frame or a soft wood-look panel works; strongly patterned 3D panels compete with it. If lamps or diyas are lit regularly, keep panels a safe distance from the flame and choose a finish that wipes clean of soot.

Interior walls away from the weather can take wooden panels, veneers or MDF-based designs. External walls, and any wall that has ever shown damp, need moisture-resistant materials — WPC or PVC — fixed on battens with an air gap so the wall can still breathe. Charcoal and 3D panels are decorative choices for a feature wall; they look striking under directional light but are harder to keep dust-free in a busy hall.