Accent walls and features are some of the trends that have stood the test of time over the years. They have largely remained popular due to the desire to have a focal point in rooms to draw the attention towards one area or away from another. It’s also a nice way to experiment and play around with colors without making a major commitment.
An accent wall is more like an exclamation mark at the end of a sentence –it draws attention and adds excitement in a space. Painting accent walls allow you to create a sense of shape and architecture in a boxy room and direct the eye to areas that you want to emphasize.
While an accent wall is a clever feature to add to your room, it can look quite confusing and odd in the wrong place, which is why picking the right wall or feature is critical. Contrary to popular belief, the first wall you see when you enter your house is not automatically the best accent wall. In reality, a lot of decisions are involved, the following dos and don’ts will help you achieve the best results.
Do’s of accent walls
Do Think Outside the Box
When it comes to accent walls, the creative results are only limited by the extent of your imagination. Explore as many options as you want, to create a unique look. You can use specialty finishes such a sandstone, metallic or brushed suede paint.
Do Choose Your Wall Wisely
When deciding on which wall to accent in your room, opt for rooms or spaces that don’t have any interesting pieces of architecture. Walls that have windows tend to work best, but you need to use a color that can appropriately reflect or absorb the incoming light.
You can extend the feel of your accent wall throughout your living space using decorative items or everyday items such as area rugs, art, throw pillows, carpet and more.
If you’re creating an accent wall in the kitchen, for instance, the wall space behind kitchen cabinets can be a great choice for an accent wall. Creating an accent wall in the kitchen can be the best alternative to a complete remodel, and there won’t be much downtime or expense.
Do keep it simple
The accent wall doesn’t have to be dramatic. For this reason, you can still set up an accent wall and still keep your room relatively neutral. Neutral accent walls work as well as bright ones, you just have to a pick a darker shade of your favorite neutral color and you’re good to go.
Do think about other ways to use your accent walls
For instance, have you considered accenting your ceiling? There’s this chic decorating trend that allows you to add some color to the ceiling. And that makes the ceiling color your accent wall. You can use vivid or soft colors on your accent ceiling, and then apply a white color on the crown molding to separate the ceiling and wall color.
Do Use patterns.
When accent walls are mentioned, what comes to most people’s minds are solid reds, blues, yellows, and such other bright colors. While that is the most popular trend, you can also choose your statement pattern or sheen to further emphasize the character and uniqueness of your wall space.
Don’ts of accent walls
Don’t Be Afraid of Bold Colors
While we’ve mentioned that accent walls don’t have to be bright colors and that neutrals can also play the trick, don’t be afraid to go bold if that is your favorite color scheme. Simply pick a color that makes you happy and reflects your personality, as long as it plays well with the overall style of your home and décor.
Don’t Avoid Neutrals
Again, still advocating for the neutrals. Brown, dark gray, black and navy blue are all considered to be neutral colors and can work pretty well with your neutral color scheme. Just make sure they carry the same color temperature or undertone as the adjoining walls.
Don’t Limit Yourself
Stones, tiles, wallpaper, draperies, photo gallery or shelving can all be used to create beautiful and unique accent walls same as painting. So feel free to get creative and throw in some unique pieces.
Don’t make them compete
Accent walls need to provide accent, but they can’t do that effectively if they’re facing competition from other bold, bright walls, mirrors, décor items and other large design elements.
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