10 Wall Treatments I’m Using Instead of Flat Drywall This Year
Drywall still shows up in most interiors, but I’ve stopped treating it as a finished surface. Once a wall is painted, it tends to go silent. It divides space, but it doesn’t contribute much beyond that.
This year, I’m paying closer attention to walls that do more than hold color. Walls with depth, rhythm, texture, or function change how a room feels without relying on artwork, contrast, or decoration. In every space below, drywall either disappears entirely or becomes just a base layer, not the final decision.
These are the wall treatments I keep coming back to because they make flat drywall feel temporary, unfinished, or unnecessary.
Architectural Wood Paneling
What I notice first is that the wall is doing the architectural work, not the finishes around it. The ribbed walnut surface runs floor to ceiling, so it reads as a built element rather than a backdrop. There’s no need for contrast, artwork, or color because the wall already has structure and scale.
The vertical half-round profile introduces repetition instead of decoration. From a distance, the surface feels calm and continuous. Up close, light creates shadow between the ribs, giving the wall depth without visual noise. That balance is what makes flat drywall feel unnecessary here.
This is exactly why I’m moving away from painted drywall. Once a wall carries rhythm and material weight, paint feels like a temporary solution rather than a final one. The wall becomes part of the interior design, not just the surface behind it.
Why limewash looks better in changing light
What draws me to limewash here is how the wall stops reading as paint. The surface has movement, depth, and variation, so it feels closer to plaster than a finished coat. Light hits it unevenly, and the wall changes throughout the day without relying on contrast or decoration.
This is why flat drywall feels incomplete once limewash enters the space. The wall becomes material, not a plane. Instead of needing artwork or layered finishes to feel finished, the surface carries the room on its own. It’s one of the clearest shifts I’m making away from smooth, painted drywall this year.
Instead of a flat painted plane, this creates tonal movement and surface variation. The wall reads as material rather than finish, which is why drywall stops feeling “final” once this goes on.
Exposed or Reclaimed Brick
What I keep coming back to with exposed brick is how final it feels. Once the structure is visible, there’s no urge to cover it, smooth it, or “finish” it further. The wall already has weight, texture, and history, which makes drywall feel redundant by comparison.
This isn’t about adding brick as decoration. It’s about letting the wall be what it already is. The moment brick becomes the surface, not the accent, flat drywall starts to feel visually weaker and unnecessary.
Integrated Millwork Walls
What makes this wall work is that it isn’t treated as a surface at all. Storage, shelving, and paneling are built into the full height, so the wall functions as furniture rather than background. Once everything is integrated, there’s no reason to think about paint or artwork.
This is why drywall drops out of the conversation here. When the wall carries function and volume, a flat painted plane would feel empty and unresolved. Integrated millwork gives the room structure and purpose in a way drywall never can.
Textured Concrete or Microcement
What stands out here is how the wall feels continuous and grounded without calling attention to itself. The microcement surface removes the sharp, finished edge that painted drywall usually creates. Instead, the wall reads as a quiet extension of the floor and ceiling, tying the space together rather than separating it.
This is why microcement has replaced drywall for me in certain rooms. The surface has weight and texture, even when the color stays restrained. There’s no urge to add artwork or contrast because the wall already feels complete. Flat drywall, by comparison, would feel thin and disconnected in a space like this.
Fluted or Ribbed Panels
The fluted surface changes how the wall reads without changing the color palette. Shadow and repetition give the wall depth, so it no longer relies on contrast, artwork, or finish to feel complete. The surface stays controlled, but it is no longer flat.
This is why I’m using ribbed panels instead of drywall. Once the wall carries rhythm through form, a smooth painted surface starts to feel empty. The discipline comes from repetition, not decoration, and drywall can’t deliver that on its own.
Fabric or Upholstered Wall Panels
The wall here isn’t treated as a backdrop. The fabric surface absorbs sound, softens the room, and adds depth without relying on color or pattern. The texture is subtle, but the effect is immediate. The space feels quieter and more contained.
This is why I’m choosing upholstered walls instead of drywall in bedrooms and media rooms. Flat paint can’t add acoustic comfort or tactility. Once the wall becomes something you experience, not just see, drywall starts to feel thin and insufficient.
Wallpaper (Grasscloth & Textured Papers)
This is the point where drywall completely steps aside. The wallpaper isn’t an accent here. It’s the surface. The grasscloth texture adds depth before color even enters the conversation, so the wall already feels layered and intentional.
What I like about using wallpaper this way is that it absorbs detail instead of competing with it. Furniture, art, and trim stay readable because the wall carries the pattern consistently. Flat drywall would need artwork to feel finished. Here, the wall is already doing that work.
Large-Scale Tile or Slab Panels
This is tile used as a wall, not a pattern. The surface reads as continuous because the composition avoids repetition and grid logic. Even with bold color, the wall feels intentional rather than busy.
This is why I’m using large-format tile instead of drywall in feature zones. Once the wall carries mass and permanence, paint feels temporary. Tile becomes the surface itself, not something layered on top of drywall.
Vertical Beadboard Paneling
The wall stops acting like a background and starts carrying the room through rhythm. Vertical beadboard introduces consistent repetition, so the surface feels structured even when the color stays quiet. There’s no reliance on artwork or contrast to make the wall feel complete.
This is why I’m choosing beadboard over flat drywall. Once the wall has built-in cadence, paint alone feels thin. The space holds together through proportion and repetition, not surface treatment.