In the past, plywood has carried with it the connotation of being unsophisticated and unfinished but as it happens so often in the design world, a traditional idea is turned on its head and creative designers show us, with the right styling and in the right environment, that the familiar can take on a whole new look.
Using plywood on entire walls can be difficult to pull off unless you are paneling a Scandinavian woodland retreat, but in small doses it can be quite approachable.
According to the EFPI (European Federation of Plywood Industry) it can even be green.
Not only standing trees, but also timber products, like PLYWOOD, act as a CO2-sink. Wood is an organic material with a carbon content of about 50%. A tonne of wood is therefore equivalent to 1.8 tonnes of CO2. Each tonne of wood reduces the atmospheric CO2-content by 1.8 tonnes! Therefore, not only afforestation, but timber products, like wooden panels, are very beneficial for the CO2 reduction. Therefore, an increased use of plywood helps to meet the objectives of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change!
Regardless of its potential green appeal, would you use plywood in your home? Does it feel right in a city apartment or should this look be relegated to the woods?
MORE PLYWOOD ON APARTMENT THERAPY:
• Plywood Walls Around the Home?
(Image: 1. Design Shimmer; 2. At Casa Corriere; 3. Dwell; 4. Remodelista)
Weekend DIYs: 10 Wood Molding Projects for the Home
Monica & Austin's Charming Bungalow
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Ercol Bar Stool
True Greek Recipe: Paximadi Bread Salad with Tomatoes, Feta and Capers
Wasn't there a famous mid century designer or architect who used plywood for kitchen cupboards / walls / sliding doors ?
I would absolutely use plywood for design! Especially as forms for poured concrete. It transfers the patterns in the plywood onto the concrete, then stain or polish it. I mush have seen it somewhere years ago, and it's still one if my favourite elements of design. On a wall, or a floor, or.....
I love the look on walls and floors but those couches don't look very comfortable - the 90 degree angles aren't conducive to slouchy sitting.
Still looks too 70's for me.
I can see what they're trying to do, but numbers 1 and 4 still look unfinished to me.
As long as it's not stained a dark brown (maybe whitewash or green or blue, but not brown) I'd be quite willing to use plywood. The stuff comes veneered in lots of nicer varieties of wood, after all -- but EVERYTHING depends on the application and setting.
I wanted to use it on the lounge facing side of our kitchen island/ bar. Sadly I was vetoed by the man of the house. I still think it would have looked fabulous.
I would say "never" but it never fails that as soon as I commit to it, that I see an exception where I "would." These examples don't sway me, though.
Wasn't this a hipster trend a few years ago? This is the kind of thing people should do if they really love it (like me 'n black wall paint) but as a trend, it's probably on it's way to over.
I would, but I would ad modern decoration all over the walls with some colors that can give some contrast. Maybe adding some #wallpictures with reds, blacks, or pink.
when i see this i can't help but think that it would be hard to clean oily grubby hand prints off it
Am I the only one who noticed the hideous whiteboard to the right of the bed in the first photo? Who would do that??
Plywood has been used in urban homes since at least the 60s so it's certainly not new. Many of us associate the term "plywood" with cheaper softwoods like spruce or fir but it's also available in more expensive woods like Russian birch. I've seen some absolutely stunning plywood rooms in shelter magazine over the last few decades, and I'd use it in a heartbeat given the chance.
It's been done and done and done and done.....
i use to work for TBWA/Toronto and at one point Frank Gehry did our interior....all in plywood/pressboard. even tho it was done in the late 80s, when i was there in the late 90s/00s it still looked awesome. stained in both honey and red, with a matte clear coat. both our walls and desk were made from this material....and it's still all there today. i <heart> plywood......and gehry.
Totally not a fan of plywood as a design element. My dad was a contractor so all that plywood just feels like an unfinished project to me! Blech!
I have used 4' by 4' plywood for floor squares each one turned a different direction and stained them dark. They came out beautiful. I love plywood.
I have a plywood and stainless steel kitchen and I absolutely love it. It has a cool industrial edge while still being tactile and it wears in really well. I think plywood is actually really attractive.
Not sure about the whiteboard in the bedroom (first pic), though - too stressy!
I love it when it's done well, which is was not in any of the examples above. As flooring, plywood is not wise as it will look horrible with dirt after a short time. If it's used on walls, a light stain and an effort to pick a good nice grain pattern goes a long way.Honestly just watch an old episode of MASH to see plywood walls done better than what's in this post.
Who doesn't have a whiteboard to list all those bedroom activities you need to remember to do with your significant other?
I really like plywood, there is endless possibilities in using it as a design element. For me there is nothing 70´s about it when used right. Great example:
http://www.dezeen.com/2010/03/26/house-k-by-yoshichika-takagi/
Well, I do like plywood in the right setting. Too much and it begs to be stained, painted or covered. My great uncle was a very good carpenter and made awesome solid, functional furniture of plywood. The craftsman ship is very good, but I still hyperventilate at the '70's-ness' of it. Perhaps my children will think it's cool, dunno.
That said, however, I am going to take up my kitchen tile squares to reveal(then sand/stain/seal) the distressed pine plywood underneath. I may end up at the store getting new floor tile, heh heh.
I'm planning on getting a piece to use as a headboard. I love the clean lines but still natural feel of it. It just won't fit in my Prius... drats.
I would definitely use this as a headboard, but I would probably whitewash it rather than leave it in its natural state.
The color of plywood says "cheap & unimaginative" - like cardboard. But I like it stained or whitewashed.
Plywood provides a good base for a wide range of things. As long as the edges aren't showing, it can be done quite nicely. I do agree with Arkay that the color is cheap and unimaginable, so staining or painting is a must.
I wouldn't use it on floors, because the layers aren't normally thick enough to sand, and it is normally made from pine which cannot withstand wear as well as harder wood or engineered wood flooring.
There are those who like packing crates, shipping pallets, and plywood. I am not one of them.
Been there, done that. After initially thinking it was totally cool, I got tired of it pretty darn quick. Definite must is to hide the edges. Maybe if I had stained or white washed it, I would not have grown tired of it so quickly.
I would generally say no, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't work really well for other people. My personal tastes lean away from it, but it's such a flexible material. Design-wise, anyway.
I think plywood makes a great material for accent pieces, like furniture and even a pet bed. Great photos of classic and off-beat plywood pieces : http://www.modrestoration.com/the-beauty-of-plywood
I am SO going to use a whitewashed birch plywood to panel the main room of our cabin extension. It's currently all early 70s original (which I not-so-secretly adore), but we need to lighten it up. Going to keep some of the fun vintage accents but i just love how airy and modern looking the ply is...especially coupled with nice crisp white (which is what the bedrooms' dark walnut paneling will be painted!)