Ashley Tisdale uses this Art Deco design technique to instantly make her living room 'taller and grander'

Ashley Tisdale may be a celebrated actress, but her talents expand far beyond the silver screen. 

Instead of enlisting an interior designer when moving into her LA home, Ashley, best known for playing Sharpay Evans in High School Musical, enrolled in Kelly Wearstler's Masterclass before creating a Cali-cool space with an undeniable-Wearstler-inspired twist. And no room showcases this quite like her living room. 

'Warm tones and open windows. I'm in love with how my living room turned out,' Ashley says while describing the neutral space. However, while her color palette is certainly worth the shout-out, it is her fluted wall that has really got designers talking. 

Fluting, or fluted panels, first surged the Art Deco movement of the 1920s and '30s, and it's easy to understand why the interior design trend found fame in this era. Characterized by geometric shapes, these panels epitomize the glamor of this eternally influential design movement – but there is more to this technique than its good looks. 

'Adding a fluted effect helps to extenuate the verticality of the room and makes the space taller or grander,' says Maryland-based designer Esther Chi. In her projects, Esther uses fluting across rooms, starting with the living room, like Ahsley, but also in the entryway and stairwells to create a 'sense of cohesiveness' in the home. 

Interior Designer

Interior Designer

Esther Chi

Esther is a certified interior designer accredited by the National Council for Interior Design Qualification who works from Maryland. She also holds the title of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design accredited professional (LEED AP), demonstrating her commitment to sustainable design practices with the US Green Building Council.

And Esther is not alone in her support of Ashley Tisdale-inspired fluted trend. 'I am currently working on a project in Park Slope, Brooklyn, with this gorgeous effect,' comments designer and Compass real estate agent Monica Breese. 

'I love wall paneling, but the fluted trend is something I have embraced in some recent designs. It gives dimension to a space. It’s a built-in piece of art.'

Monica Breese

Monica Breese is the founder of The Designed Domicilio, a boutique interior design and staging firm based in Brooklyn, while also working as a real estate broker at Compass. Monica's diversity of skill sets uniquely qualify her to help improve her client's property’s value.

Monica, like Esther, also recommends bringing our fluting beyond the living room, into the entryway area, and beyond to allow this feature wall to impress in more than one space.  

'We are currently installing the paneling in a Park Slope townhome and are using a fluted look not only in the living room but also along walls going up the stairs – from the ground floor up to the fourth floor,' she comments. 

'It gives an added detail to the often overlooked space. We also have fluting around the island as an additional detail to complement the kitchen.' 

For more Ashley Tisdale-inspired design quirks, we're tapping into her living room's look with these three buys below.