Electrical Outlets in an Akupanel Wall

The easiest way: Mount the outlet straight onto the front of the slats.

Your electrician fits the outlet on the face of the panel, so the frame sits just in front of the slats. It's a clean, simple solution — and with the right outlet, it reads as a natural part of the wall rather than something added afterwards.

It works for single outlets, for switches and for longer rows like the one in the picture.

For the sleekest look, the outlet sits exactly level with the slats.

To get there, a certified electrician brings the outlet forward with an adaptor box, so its face lands at the same depth as the panel surface. Nothing sticks out, nothing sinks behind the slats — just one even surface. The same works for a switch, like this one in Black Ash.

It takes a little more planning than mounting on the panel, so decide which finish you want before the first panel goes up.

Most of the work happens before you pick up a saw.

If you mount your Akupanel on battens, the panel sits a little further out from the wall. So the wall box has to come forward too: Your electrician extends it until it reaches the panel, like the boxes in the picture.

Place the battens so they run clear of the box rather than across it. That keeps the opening free when the panel goes up.

Battens also leave room for mineral wool behind the panels — and with battens and mineral wool, Akupanel reaches Class A sound absorption.

Measure twice, mark once.

Measure where the box sits on the wall — from the floor and from the edge of the last panel you fitted — and transfer those measurements to the front of the next panel. A carpenter's square keeps the lines straight across the slats.

Going on the panel? The faceplate covers the edges of the cut, so the opening only needs to clear the box. Going flush? Then the opening has to match the outlet frame exactly.

Take your time here: The edges of the cut are what everyone will see.

Lay the panel face up on a stable surface and cut along your marks, through the slats. An oscillating multi-tool gives clean, controlled cuts. Go slowly so the edges stay crisp.

Turn the panel over and finish the opening from behind.

The slats sit on acoustic felt — the soft layer that absorbs sound. With the panel face down, cut through the felt along the opening with a sharp knife, so the hole goes all the way through.

Check the opening against the box before you take the panel to the wall.

Now the panel goes up, over the box.

Lift it into place against the battens, guide the opening over the extended box and fix the panel to the battens with screws, as you would any other panel. The box now sits neatly inside the opening, ready for the electrician.

The last step is a job for a certified electrician.

They connect the outlet and fix it in place — on the face of the panel, or flush using the adaptor box. The faceplate goes on, and the outlet is part of the wall.

If there's room, two outlets side by side look calm and balanced.

On a wider panel wall, a double outlet set neatly into the slats gives the wall a sense of order. It's a small choice, but the eye notices it.

An outlet can be a detail you choose, not just one you live with.

Switches and outlets in materials like brass, brushed steel or matte black metal add a personal, high-end touch. Next to natural wood slats, they stop being purely practical and become part of your décor.

Matte black outlets and switches look right at home on a warm walnut wall.

Repeat the black in a few other details — a mirror frame, a hook, a shelf — and the whole wall feels carefully put together. Our Create accessories in black clip into the felt between the slats, so they're easy to add.

On light oak slats, a white outlet or dimmer keeps things fresh and Scandinavian.

It blends in rather than standing out — the right choice when you want the wood, not the fittings, to set the mood.