An Accent Wall Can Make Any Room Pop
Living by Design
Featured in The Tribune
Ever walk into a paint store on a Saturday morning when all the DIY-ers, maybe you among them, have that perplexed look on their faces trying to choose one shade of wall colour out of hundreds available?
What may surprise you is how easy it is to add pop to a room not by the main colour of paint or the wallpaper you choose, but the one odd wall out. We call it the accent wall and creating one is easier than you think.
The good news is that options to create the perfect accent wall are limited only by your imagination. For more neutral spaces you can use shiplap or board-and-batten to add texture without overpowering the space. For those who love colour and pattern, a solid bold color, wallpaper or an original hand-painted mural that pulls from other colours in the space adds drama, interest and intrigue.
Collectors of unique objects or books may choose to create a wall with floating shelves to display their collection. For a family home, you might want to think about creating a gallery wall with framed photographs of different sizes and arranging them on the wall to balance each other.
There is an endless amount of materials you can choose from to create the perfect feeling, from glazed tile to sisal wallpaper. It is important, however, to keep in mind that this wall should complement the style and feel of the room to ensure harmony.
When choosing the space you wish to make the accent wall, decide first what you want your focal point to be. In bedrooms this is most often the wall behind the bed, in living rooms it is behind the TV or where your seating would be facing, and in a bathroom it would be the wall that the vanity is against. Check for outlets, wall switches and a natural stopping point for the end of the accent wall so that it won’t end up looking unfinished with an abrupt end.
A good practice when designing an accent wall is to get samples of the wallpaper or paint colour that you intend to use and put it on part of the wall. Live with this sample for a few weeks at least to see how it makes you feel before deciding. Once the wall is completed, find ways to pull the color and pattern into the space with pillows, rugs, throws and smaller accessories to give a sense of balance throughout the room. You can also play with layering accessories on the accent wall to give it more interest. This might mean hanging a rattan mirror over a jungle print wallpaper, or hanging a photo gallery wall over shiplap. For busy accent walls, try to place an artwork print or wall hanging that is more neutral to give your eye a place to rest.
