The wall is the vast canvas that sets the atmosphere of an interior. Yet the moment you actually start an interior project, unfamiliar terms and countless types of finishing materials can leave you feeling lost. In this article, we take a close look at the characteristics and construction know-how of the most common wall finishes used in office space design, including paint, wood, fabric, and film. From the traits of each material to real projects and detailed tips from the SPACEBASE team. Find the criteria for choosing the right outfit for your office.

Painting (Paint)

Painting is the most widely used finishing method for creating the backdrop of a space. For interiors, water-based paint, which has little odor and dries quickly, is mainly used. As a rule, SPACEBASE recommends a process of leveling the base surface, applying primer and sealer, and then laying down two or more top coats over it. This is because the paint film needs to be thick enough to ensure vivid color and high durability.

Image courtesy of SPACEBASE

Not sure which type to choose? 'Deciding on Paint Sheen'

Beyond simply applying color, paint plays the role of determining the density of a space through its sheen and texture. The level of sheen is determined by how much light reflects off the surface. This is tied not only to the mood of a space but also to the convenience of upkeep and maintenance. Let's take a quick look at the types of sheen commonly used in interiors.

The spectrum of paint sheen. The mood of a space can change depending on the paint's level of sheen. (Image courtesy of sherwin-williams)

✔️ Matte / Flat: With almost no sheen, it absorbs light softly. It conceals fine surface imperfections on the wall, and is best suited for creating a deep, composed color palette.

✔️ Eggshell: A subtle, low sheen about as soft as an eggshell. It brings a moderate liveliness to a space while producing little glare, making it the most stable choice for work areas where you look at a monitor for long stretches.

✔️ Satin (Satin): It carries a medium sheen as smooth as pearl. It gives a refined impression, but when stains occur, spot repairs tend to be trickier than with matte. For this reason, we recommend using it on walls in very good condition or on point walls that see less hand contact.

From left to right, you can compare matte, satin, and gloss sheen levels. (Image courtesy of sherwin-williams)

Want a different texture? 'Adding Dimensional Character with Texture'

If a flat, pattern-free paint finish feels monotonous, you can consider a textured specialty coating.

✔️ Normal Spray: An acrylic texture finishing material is applied by spraying it with a spray gun. Unlike flat paint, it can create a three-dimensional surface texture.

✔️ Stucco Sahara: A finishing material that creates an irregular sand-grain effect on an acrylic resin base. Its rough, refined texture, as if weathered by nature, adds a sense of weight to a space.

Using textured specialty coatings, you can create a variety of textures and moods. (Image courtesy of Terraco Korea)

💡An extra tip from the SPACEBASE team When using a texture with a strong pattern, adjust the color so that it doesn't stand out too much in the space, and conversely, when using a finishing material with a strong color, choose a texture with a simple pattern to strike a balance. By adjusting texture and color together this way, you can bring harmony to the space as a whole.

✅ Take a look at a real project

<STAR Law Firm Project> — see how paints of various textures and colors were used!

[👉See the STAR Law Firm project]

Image courtesy of SPACEBASE

Wood

The deep color and grain unique to natural materials bring a visual warmth to a space. Offices in particular are dominated by cold metal and glass, such as monitors and electronic devices. In such an environment, wood can be the most effective material for providing a sense of psychological calm.

Understanding the Characteristics of Wood

Do you remember the distinctive coziness you feel when you step into a forest, a hanok, or an old temple? Wood has the power to warm the 'perceived temperature' of a space in just this way. Thanks to its ability to neutralize cold air, it is also a material frequently used in town halls, training rooms, and community lounges where many people gather to communicate and build relationships.

Recently, wood's value of 'Sustainability' is also being revisited. Wood is a representative eco-friendly material that fixes and stores the carbon it absorbs during growth inside itself. In other words, by actively using wood in office interiors, you can reduce your carbon footprint and embody a company's healthy philosophy of caring for the environment.

The SPACEBASE team actively used wood in the <Wanted Community Salon Project> to create a warm, inviting space. (Image courtesy of SPACEBASE)

What criteria should you use to choose the right wood for your space?

Wood is a natural material, not a manufactured product. Because of this, even the same type of wood can vary slightly in color. To match the exact color you want, a process of exchanging and checking samples is necessary. Wood also behaves like a living material, responding to the temperature and humidity of a space by repeatedly contracting and expanding. This is less a defect than an inherent characteristic of wood. With this in mind, it's best to discuss thoroughly whether your space is suited to using wood before proceeding.

💡An extra tip from the SPACEBASE team By the nature of a natural material, wood may show subtle differences in color. So, to precisely realize the desired color and mood, SPACEBASE goes through a process of exchanging and checking samples in various tones before construction. We also take into account the material's tendency to contract and expand with temperature and humidity, and we make sure to inform clients of these characteristics in advance.

✅ Take a look at a real project

<Wanted Community Salon Project> — explore an interior space where wood was used.

[👉See the Wanted Salon project]

Image courtesy of SPACEBASE

Film

Though commonly lumped together and called adhesive sheeting, the proper name of the material we'll introduce this time is 'interior film.' It is a professional finishing material with an adhesive treatment on the back of PVC (polyvinyl chloride), and it is decidedly different from ordinary sheeting. Interior film has the advantage of changing the mood relatively simply without major construction. Thanks to its high value for money and decorative effect, it is frequently used across a wide range of interiors, including offices.

Interior film can render a variety of patterns and textures with striking realism. (Image courtesy of studio periphery)

Understanding the Characteristics of Interior Film

Film's greatest weapon is its overwhelming variety. Recently, thanks to advances in technology, it boasts a quality so refined that it is hard to tell apart from the real material with the naked eye. Warm wood, rough-textured stone, cold metal, even fabric and leather. It realistically reproduces the patterns and textures unique to natural materials. As a result, it can be a sensible alternative in situations where using the actual material is difficult due to cost or construction constraints.

The strength of interior film is its overwhelming variety. It also holds a top advantage in maintenance. (Image generated by ChatGPT)

In offices and environments with heavy foot traffic, film is an essential material as well. This is because it holds a top advantage in maintenance compared to other materials. It resists scratches and dents better than paint or wallpaper, and even when soiled, it can be easily wiped clean with a damp cloth.

Thanks to this durability, it is mainly applied in places prone to handling marks, such as hallways, elevator halls, pantries, and door frames. And because it is a flexible material, it can also seamlessly and neatly wrap curved surfaces or round columns that are tricky to finish with carpentry or paint, making it an efficient material during construction as well.

💡The difference between interior film and adhesive sheeting? Unlike thin, easily torn sheeting, interior film has substance and far greater surface strength, boasting durability that resists scratches and stains. Thanks to this, interior film is more than fit to serve as a finishing material for offices and commercial spaces.

Fabric

Fabric is a finishing material that captures both beauty and function at once. When fabric is applied instead of a hard wall, the space transforms beyond simply looking good into an element that stimulates the senses. There are broadly two construction methods for fabric finishes.

(1) A method of wrapping sound-absorbing core materials such as glass wool or melamine foam in cloth and attaching them in panel form

(2) A method of finishing by pulling fabric taut over the wall surface

Understanding the Characteristics of Fabric

Fabric offers a distinctive feel when you touch it directly with your hands. Thanks to its uniquely soft, substantial touch, it narrows the psychological distance one feels toward a space. Functionally, it also absorbs unnecessary reflected sound, improving the clarity of speech. For this reason, it is used as a more aesthetically refined alternative to ordinary sound-absorbing materials in meeting rooms, lecture halls, and other spaces where precise communication is needed. In particular, applying fabric in a neutral color where the material itself stands out can create a calm, deep mood, as if you've stepped into an upscale hotel lounge.

A real SPACEBASE team project using fabric on the walls. (Left) UTC office project, (right) jujube dining restaurant (Image courtesy of SPACEBASE)

A space where important clients stay — why do we recommend a fabric finish?

Fabric is a material that holds not only sound but also light. This is precisely why we recommend a fabric finish for large meeting rooms that welcome important clients or for private consultation rooms. When fabric is placed on a wall where light from a window or fixture falls at an angle, subtle differences in grain emerge according to its distinctive weave. This gives a dimensional sense of density that is hard to achieve with flat wallpaper or paint. As a result, it delivers visual sophistication and auditory comfort at once.

💡An extra tip from the SPACEBASE team Using fabric absorbs sound, so along with soundproofing performance, you can create a distinctive atmosphere. Its unique texture can lend a refined mood. Beyond spaces like large meeting rooms and consultation rooms where important clients come and go, it works well as a fabric feature wall where light strikes through a window. You can choose the subtle differences in grain created by the weave, while creating a refined impression at the same time.

The wall is the widest backdrop of a space and the place where the gaze lingers longest. That's why, depending on which material you apply, the air of your office and your work experience can change.

Beyond simply looking good — sound, light, and even function. The things to consider can feel overwhelming. When that happens, start your thinking from the widest surface, the wall. It can be the first step in the process of dressing your space in the right outfit for your company's identity and the way the space is used.

SPACEBASE thinks deeply about the purpose of a space and the color of a company, and proposes the most optimal material among countless options. The office interior that fits your company just right — SPACEBASE can help you begin that consideration together.

ㅡ

Want to solve everything at once, from complex material selection to construction?

👉Inquire about a project with SPACEBASE