Accent walls have skyrocketed in popularity the past few years. An accent wall is a wall that is different, and highlighted separately, from the other walls in a room. It is meant to be a focal point, so make sure the color, texture, or element used is appealing and done correctly. I will discuss the most popular types of accent walls and offer my own personal suggestions on how to 'get it right'.
SOURCE: Unknown on Pinterest
BLOG POST BY:
Carla Gentle with Design Realign, Inc.
JUST GO FOR IT!
If you decide to have an accent wall, the best way to create one is to give it purpose SO THE DESIGN MAKES SENSE. This is key. For example, the photo above with the forest wallpaper and bedroom hammock is a brilliantly well-thought and well-designed space. It is creative AND functional AND plays well with the other design elements in the room!
You also want to make sure the color or texture plays into your particular design style. Don’t know your design style? Check out my past blog article on ‘How to Find Your Design Style’ for guidance and a quiz that helps you to find your style.
Do you have a grand or beautiful fireplace? Make the wall it is on an accent wall.
Want to highlight your stunning bed? Make the wall behind it an accent wall.
Want to create a wow factor in your foyer when people first step in your home? Make that wall an accent wall.
Have a cool collection of art or photography? Highlight that collection by hanging a bunch of them on the wall to turn it into an accent wall.
DO YOU SEE A PATTERN HERE? An accent wall is typically used to bring attention to and highlight some feature or furnishing(s) in the home. So, ask yourself what it is you love in your home, and consider drawing attention to it by highlighting it along an accent wall.
Just to be clear, you can have an accent wall regardless of whether or not you want to highlight anything in your home. You just want to be sure that if you create an accent wall, take advantage of highlighting the nicest features or furnishings in that space.
SOURCE: Amazon Vendor
POPULAR TYPES OF ACCENT WALLS
Many types of accent walls are popular, but here are some of the most common:
Painted Accent Walls – This is the most common type of accent wall, where one wall in a room is painted differently than the others. Here is a picture of my client’s great room where the focal wall is the fireplace wall and highlighted with a darker color than the rest of the space.
ABOVE: My client's fireplace wall is the accent wall with the darker paint color versus surrounding wall color.
ABOVE: A view of my client's adjacent wall colors. The fireplace wall is the accent wall color painted a dark gray and the surrounding wall color is light gray.
Wallpaper Accent Walls – Wallpaper can create a bold and unique statement in a room and looks great on one wall to create a featured accent wall.
Wallpaper is back in a big way, and I love it! Whether you are into modern, country, or something in between, you can wallpaper an accent wall to create a stunning representation of the style you love.
To demonstrate the difference between a painted focal wall and wallpaper focal wall, here is the same client’s room where I show a couple wallpaper samples of mine and how a light gray/dark gray/copper wallpaper might look in place of the painted focal wall. It would be quite beautiful.
ABOVE: My client wanted the clock wall painted versus other wall treatments, however, can you visualize how beautiful the wallpaper sample of mine would be with light gray, dark gray, and copper? It perfectly matches the furniture, copper pattern in the curtains, and accessories.
Textured Accent Walls – Textured walls can add depth and interest to a room, and can be created using materials like brick, wood, or stone. I love texture, in general, and am a huge fan of textured walls. It brings a rustic and organic feel to a space. By the way, if you love brick but don’t have a brick wall, you can always install a brick wallpaper to give the illusion of a brick wall.
Regarding a wood accent wall, don’t assume it has to be shiplap. It can also be board and batten with strips of wood that create a design across the wall. Board and batten is a highly requested design element right now.
The picture to the left highlights a partial wood slat accent wall. This is a brilliant design by aligning the wood slat table with the wood slat wall. Fantastic! SOURCE ABOVE: Unknown on Pinterest
Mural Accent Walls – Murals can be used to create a dramatic focal point in a room and customized to fit any style or theme.
Tile Accent Walls – Tiles can be used to create a striking accent wall in a bathroom or kitchen and be arranged in various patterns and colors.
Gallery Accent Walls – Gallery walls can be used to create a unique and personalized accent wall, by displaying a collection of art or photographs.
I particularly love gallery walls of art or black & white photography—that line up in a row—with spotlights above them shining down. Talk about dramatic!
I did this in my previous home’s foyer. It was beautiful at night and a great way to greet my guests as they came through my front door.
ADDITIONAL ACCENT WALLS WORTH MENTIONING …
SOURCE ABOVE: Hometalk
Stenciled Accent Walls – The nice thing about using stencils for an accent wall is that you can create the look of wallpaper for much less by using stencils. You can also choose how much or how many times you want the stenciled pattern on your accent wall. Stencils are a nice way to add appeal to your space.
LEFT: This is an actual WALLPAPER sample of mine—which is quite stunning—but you can also get a very beautiful accent wall by applying stencils, like above, to create a similar look!
ABOVE: Design Realign Wallpaper Sample
Plant Accent Walls – I love plants, and plant walls are so beautiful, organic, and calming. Any time you bring the outdoors in, it will have a similar effect. Several years back even companies started to incorporate plant walls in their offices and their building’s main lobby.
PLANT WALL SOURCE (right): Martha Stewart
Outside-of-the-Box Accent Walls – Then, you have accent walls that are so creative, they are in a category all their own. If you are a creative person, put that creativity to the test. There are so many ways to create an accent wall.
Below is a perfect example of putting your creativity to the test. When I taught an online bedroom design class to teens and tweens during COVID school lockdowns, I would showcase this boy’s bedroom picture as an example of how creative you can get in a bedroom design. The basketball court was stuck on the wall behind the bed to feature as an accent wall. Well done!
SOURCE ABOVE: Unknown. Initially used in my bedroom design class to teens and tweens.
IN CONCLUSION
Accent walls have skyrocketed in popularity the past few years. They are used to create or emphasize a focal point and can be quite beautiful. Just be sure the color, texture, or element used is appealing, done correctly, and in alignment with your design style.
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