Accent walls are one of the best ways to transform your space with authentic charm and a personal touch that will impress your guests. Choosing the right wall for your accent wall will determine how everybody will perceive it. From picking the right color to balancing it with the surrounding decor and furniture, there are lots of decisions that go into this process.
Another thing that will define your statement wall is its texture—the material you use—which adds tactility as a new dimension to the space. Your taste and creative decisions will determine all this. Keep in mind that an accent wall needs to be cleaned or refreshed now and then and that some rooms will not be the best spot to put this decorative feature.
If you ever wondered how you can add a unique and authentic personal charm to a room, then accent walls are the way to go.
All of the furniture you add to the room can be replicated in other homes, depending on the popularity of the furniture style and brand. However, the authenticity of your personality cannot be copied. That’s where accent walls come in—to spice up the room to your own liking.
How can you achieve this in your home in a way that won’t visually clutter the room? Or, a better question is, how to balance an accent wall with a room?
Achieving this might seem like a complex job, but I’ll show you all of the creative accent wall tips for modern homes that you can use.
So, without further ado, let’s get into it together, shall we?
Defining Accent Wall
First things first: Let’s discuss what accent walls actually are.
There are many ways you can define it. In its most basic form, an accent wall is a singular wall in the room, painted in a different, usually contrasting color.
When you watch paintings, there will always be a main figure, shape, or a point in composition where the eyes will be drawn. In interior design, accent walls do the same thing on a much grander scale.
An accent wall creates a focal point with decorative features where guests will see get the feel of what your home represents and what kind of atmosphere it radiates.
In a way, they are your personal shrine, representing your taste and authentic persona in the most extraordinary way interior design can show. This “trick” can be used in any room of the house, regardless of the purpose and size of the room.
Choosing the Right Wall for an Accent
How do you choose the right accent wall for a particular room in your home?
The most popular room for an accent wall is the living room. Statement walls in living rooms are the ones that will be seen the most throughout the day because that’s where family and friends spend time together.
The best wall for living rooms has noticeable architectural or artistic features.
- When it comes to architectural features, these can range from fireplaces, walls with interesting ornaments, or just the longest wall in space that naturally differs from the other walls in the room.
- Artistic features could be an interesting painting, ornament, or sculpture in front of the wall. This is nicely complemented with a differently-colored wall.
In addition to the living room, the bedrooms is another great place for an accent walls.
So, how to use accent walls in bedrooms? The best wall for this room is the one with your bed in front of it.
Bedrooms need to have a relaxing atmosphere that will help you get that beauty sleep that we all need. We don’t want the walls in front and beside the bed to have a contrast that will disrupt our rest. However, this doesn’t mean that we can’t have a creative touch here, too.
This is why the best wall for creative statements is the one that is behind the bed, so it doesn’t interfere with our view while we rest. When you add in complementing furniture like bedside tables, your bedroom can be beautiful without disturbing your sleep.
Picking The Right Color For Your Accent Wall
The best colors for accent walls are the ones that will complement the atmosphere or the “groove” of the room. This is where the color palette comes in as the most important factor that will determine what color will be used.
As a general rule, the color of the furniture and other walls should also influence the color chosen to contrast with them. You should always have the entire room in mind when picking the right color.
If you have lighter furniture, such as a minimalistic interior, then deeper, rich hues, such as SW6300 by Sherwin Williams or Bohr’s color of the year, Rumors, will fit nicely and will stand out in a way that will not be an eyesore in the space.
Opposite of that, in the case of darker furniture, lighter walls, such as Benjamin Moore’s Sun Kissed Yellow, can freshen up the atmosphere and bring out furniture colors.
In my work, I have always used color theory to experiment and find the palette that will be a perfect balance for the furniture’s composition and clients’ accent wall design ideas. This is a delicate job. You don’t want overly strong colors to scream over everything and suffocate the space.
This balance is especially important in accent walls for small rooms where the wrong color can make the room appear even smaller and cluttered beyond tolerability.
Texture And Finishes On Accent Wall
There is more to accent wall color ideas than picking the right colors. Other aspects, such as texture, patterns, and finish are also one of the ways how you can enrich your decorative features.
Using different finishes can change the overall aesthetics. Matte, satin, or glossy textures can add tactility to your accent wall and bring a new dimension to your authentic touch to your space. This can introduce contrast in the color palette and in texture contrast, too.
Using different materials can be an original way to spice up the atmosphere. This can be achieved with chalkboard paint, wood paneling, metallic finishes, or even by adding an actual mirror!
That will create an illusion of much bigger space in smaller rooms and have an effect that will amaze everyone who enters the room.
Another bolder choice for the more adventurous among us is using wallpaper with patterns.
The possibilities are endless when introducing other materials, but of course, always be wary when you do too much remodeling and when you need to tone it down a notch.
Possible Downsides of Accent Walls
Now that we have done all of the creative ideas and suggestions, we have to discuss some realistic responsibilities and downsides.
When choosing materials, take into consideration that some of them will need proper maintenance, so make sure you do the homework to learn proper cleaning methods for the finish and color you have chosen.
Keep in mind that some rooms with limited natural light will not be the right choice for decorating them with accent walls.
This also goes for smaller rooms. There is a very thin line between interesting decoration and a suffocated room that will not have the desired effect.
There are always other ways you can enrich your living space. So why not try colorful furniture, art, or statement lighting that can also have a powerful effect on the aesthetics and atmosphere in the room?
Oh, and be sure to prep your walls properly before painting your accent wall!
Conclusion
So, in the end, when we think about the question, “Are accent walls still in style?” the answer is yes!
There are always ways you can approach enriching your space, and accent walls are one of the best tricks where you can show off your creativity.
Interested in learning more? Email me at russel@astrokeofcolor.net for help with your accent wall project. Happy decorating!