Going the extra mile: Wonderwall Studios

Mission
To create joyous panelling from salvaged woods that enriches surfaces and enhances your interior. We strive for the highest quality to produce panelling that will last a lifetime.

How
We scour the land for woods that can be salvaged and upcycled, giving discarded timber a second lease on life. Typically, we’ll turn a weathered girder into a striking collection of unique wall tiles. It’s a reincarnation of sorts.

Why
We love wood and working with craftspeople. We love salvaging woods, breathing new life into something old, worn and weathered. We love exploration and travel. We love design and having fun with like-minded souls. That’s why we do what we do the way we do it.

We always walk that extra mile to find our exclusive woods. New materials have never ceased to inspire us deeply and fire our love for the salvaged woods we use.

That search for the best, those extra miles travelled have now taken us deep into the mires and bogs of Eastern Europe. And the reward has made our journey and exploration more than worthwhile: Wonderwall Studios brings the past back to life with new types of handcrafted cladding from beautifully preserved, centuries-old Bog Oak.

What is Bog Oak?
Bog Oak is the household name for oak wood that has been buried in peat bog for hundreds and in some cases thousands of years. Yes, it’s old. Now here’s the science behind it: Peat – or turf – is a build-up of decaying organic matter. Anything buried in peat stays well preserved for millennia due to the absence of oxygen. One of the oldest pieces of beautifully preserved Bog Oak to have been hauled to the surface was dated to be 8000 years old. The trees, trunks and logs we reclaim are from large oak trees that have been felled by man or nature. During the decades, centuries and millennia the wood has sunk ever deeper into the black mud. Deprived of oxygen the oak mummifies and is protected from decay. At the same time it is enriched and coloured by acids and minerals. Compare it to a whiskey that has been allowed to age for decades. The rich, dark shades of brown and intense blacks give Bog Oak its exclusive look. Bog Oak has been through a lot. It deserves the best; we intend to give it that.

We’ve expanded and enriched our collection with three bog oak designs. These latest additions radiate mid-century luxury and are the perfect blend of confident craftsmanship and modest sophistication. Read more about each one below.

Sage
This wise man from the wetlands has a strong personality and demands the right space. Thanks to the fact that it’s been lying in peat-bog for a couple of centuries Sage is richly textured and beautifully coloured with darks shades of brown and intense black. Each piece is whittled and chiselled by our craftsmen and variations are a mark of the hand. The panels are long and slender.

Clue
Elegant and luxuriant are the two words that best describe this latest addition to our burgeoning collection. Clue is made from century-old bog oak but sanded and polished so smooth it will have all the Mad Men tip their trilbies. Its lines and shapes are sharp and sleek like one of Don Draper’s suits. Manhattans anyone?

Leaf
Leaf is hand-made from repurposed Ukrainian walnut with a thin bog oak lining. A true sign of the highest craftsmanship. Leaf offers sophistication and sensibility. It’ll keep a low profile in any space; yet offer just the right amount of luxury and comfort. If the somewhat moody Clue has you thinking of Don, Leaf will have you dreaming about Betty.

Wonderwall Studios was the first company to offer high-quality and sustainable wooden surface cladding and wall panelling. The woods we use are exclusively salvaged from abandoned houses, derelict sheds, rail railway sleepers, naturally fallen trees and old floors. And for Bog Oak we’ll immerse ourselves in swamps and bogs.

No mountain too high, no valley too deep. Anything goes really, as long as it’s reclaimed. We use exclusively salvaged wood and employ local professional craftsmen. You could say we craft locally and rock globally.