Before
After
The homeowners of this Montverde, Florida family room came to us with a common frustration — a living space that felt unfinished despite having good bones. The room had vaulted ceilings and dark hardwood floors, but a dated built-in shelving unit dominated one wall; the TV sat on a temporary stand with exposed cables, and the space lacked a clear focal point. They wanted a modern family room to redesign that felt dramatic and pulled together without a full renovation.
Marilou Stones designed the transformation around one bold move: a floor-to-ceiling black fluted panel feature wall that replaced the old built-in entirely. The vertical slat paneling runs from the floor up into the vaulted ceiling line, giving the room immediate height and presence. We mounted the television flush against the fluted surface, eliminating the visible cables and wall bracket that had cluttered the space before.
On either side of the feature wall, we installed symmetrical gallery arrangements — matching grids of black-and-white framed photographs flanked by vertical LED wall sconces. A low-profile black media console replaced the old soundbar-and-stand setup, with LED strip lighting underneath for ambient glow. On the adjacent wall, a sunburst mirror and a glass-and-metal bar cart added texture and function to what had been a dead corner. The color palette shifted from flat grey to a layered mix of black, charcoal, and warm metallic accents.
The family room now reads as a cohesive, intentional entertainment space. The fluted feature wall gives the room a single strong focal point, and the ambient lighting means the space transitions easily from daytime use to evening viewing. Every element — the gallery walls, the console, the accent furniture — ties back to the same modern, moody direction. This is the kind of interior design project in Central Florida where one structural change redefines how a room feels. To explore how Marilou and the Stones Design LLC team approach living space transformations, visit our portfolio or get in touch.
A fluted or slat panel wall uses vertical ridged panels — typically wood or MDF — to create texture and visual height in a room. We use them frequently as a focal point behind televisions or fireplaces because they add architectural interest without requiring a full remodel. The vertical lines naturally draw the eye upward, which works especially well in rooms with vaulted ceilings.
A feature wall installation like this typically takes two to four weeks from design approval to completion, depending on material sourcing and any electrical work needed for mounted TVs or integrated lighting. We handle design, material selection, and contractor coordination, so the homeowner is not managing multiple trades.
In most cases, yes. The vertical LED wall sconces and under-console strip lighting we installed in this Montverde project were integrated with minimal electrical modification. We work with electricians to plan placement during the design phase, so the result looks intentional rather than retrofitted.
It depends on the condition and depth of the existing built-ins. In this project, we removed the dated shelving unit to create a clean surface for the fluted paneling. Marilou assesses each space individually — sometimes built-ins can be incorporated into the new design, and sometimes starting fresh gives a better result.
The key is balancing the dark surface with layered lighting and intentional contrast. In this project, we paired the black fluted wall with ambient LED sconces, under-console lighting, and lighter surrounding walls. The symmetrical gallery arrangements on either side also break up the visual weight. A dark feature wall anchors a room when the lighting design supports it.
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Marilou Stones is an award-winning, licensed interior designer and ASID member serving Winter Garden and Central Florida for over 40 years.
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