Accent walls are forever trending due to their ease and lack of rules. You can go bold, subdued, printed, or metallic, as long as it meshes with the rest of the room. Your feature wall should be just that: a wall that calls the viewer?s attention to it when they walk into the room. You can utilize a light or a dark color to accomplish this, just make sure it stands out compared to the other walls. You can even use something besides paint to create your accent wall. Read on to learn more about the ins and outs of how to approach painting accent walls.
Where Should They Go?
You may be wondering where the best place is to put an accent wall, but the answer is really anywhere! They can work well in bedrooms, living areas, or play rooms in a home, but they are great ideas inside commercial buildings, too. Schools, offices, and restaurants alike can benefit from stimulating visual interest from those inside. Don?t hesitate to close your eyes and visualize what room and what wall would look best with something a little extra in your home or business.
How do you know which wall to make your accent wall? Interior decorators break the rules all of the time, and know how to pull it off, but if you aren?t experienced in such things you should probably stick to a few guidelines for a better outcome. Despite popular belief, it may not be the first wall you notice when you walk into the room. If the room is oblong, the best option is the farthest short wall, which creates an effect of making the wall appear closer to you so that the shape of the room is corrected. You should aim to work with the focal point in the room, not compete against it. An example might be behind the headboard of your bed or an important piece of furniture, like the couch.
White Walls
One tricky approach to painting accent walls is to start with white walls and simply make one of them a different color. This makes for a rather stunning, modern look. If you do decide to go about it this way you have to be careful that the room won?t appear too stark. Choose an accent color that is mid-toned to soften the contrast between them. Ideally, you should pick a color already present in the existing decor, but not one that is super dominant
Color Contrast
Accent walls tend to look best when they are paired with walls in a light to medium shade. You want to select a color for your accent wall that won?t look overpowering next to the joint ones on the other walls. Usually you would want to pick something a couple of shades darker than the other surrounding walls. You can go for a monochromatic color scheme, with tints and shades of one color, or an analogous color scheme, which pairs colors next to each other on the color wheel. One method to select the right color is the 60-30-10 rule. This translates to: 60% of the room having the dominant color choice, 30% applied to a secondary color, and 10% for the accent color. But before you paint any room, consider having your accent wall covered in wallpaper instead. There are some great new designs being created on wallpapers if you?d rather have something floral, polka dotted, or striped on your wall than a solid color.
Neutral
Don?t assume that the paint color must be bright to work as an accent wall. Even if you are aiming to keep a neutral color scheme a brown or taupe wall can look dramatic next to beige. You could also try two different shades of gray. It doesn?t always have to be a booming red or blue on the wall to make the onlooker notice.
Non-Paint Ideas
Have you considered using shelves or a fabric on your accent wall? What about artwork or photos? Painting an accent wall isn?t the only way to draw attention to the side of the room you wish to be the focal point. If your room is lacking in architectural feature try nailing up some shelves to make that one wall stand out compared to the blankness of the others. Draping fabric is a quick, though heavy, way to cover up that wall instead. You?ve undoubtedly seen houses that take the picture approach and have a collection of family photos or various paintings/sketches hung up on one wall. Stone or tile is another nifty trick you can try, especially over a fireplace in the living room. Windows can cover an accent wall, too, just make sure the color around it isn?t too dark because this will create an effect that overwhelms the room. There are a plethora of ways to go about accenting that one section of a room so get creative and plan it out before you drive to your local paint shop to make a purchase.
Ceiling
Painting the ceiling as the accent instead of the wall is becoming a more popular trend with time. This chic idea can utilize soft or vivid colors. Having white crown molding separate the wall color from the ceiling helps and creates a rather stylish look giving your ceiling a new visual interest.
Regardless of which part of the room or which room you want to make an accent, Pro Painters is always around to paint it for you. We can even help you pick what color and where to put it if you?re struggling with the choices. Painting accent walls is one of our specialties and we are happy to help whether it?s in your home or place of business. Give us a call or request a quote today!
