How to Create a Style Statement With an Accent Wall

Are you planning to give your bedroom, living room, kitchen, or any section of your home a quick makeover? Why not consider adding an accent wall?

But what exactly is an accent wall?

An accent wall is any wall that is painted or covered with wallpaper that is different from the three other walls in a room. The difference between the colors and patterns may be subtle or bold.

The primary purpose of an accent wall is to give a room extra oomph that draws attention to a part of the room that may be otherwise overlooked. Aside from that, accent walls are a great way to tie the different design elements of a place together.

Choosing which wall to accent

Before settling for a pattern or color, you need to determine first which wall is suitable to convert into an accent wall.

The easiest way to determine which wall to use is to survey the room. Where are your eyes naturally drawn? In the bedroom, that may be the wall where the headboard is located. In the living room, it might be in the fireplace or the side where the television is located.

But what if you can’t find a natural focal point in the room? 

Then you can create one. Perhaps there is an area in the room where a painting you really like is hung, or a great piece of furniture is located. However, you may have to adjust the configuration of the room to prevent the other walls from drawing attention away from your accent wall. Another decor, furniture, or mirror can take away focus from your accent wall. If this is the case, you might want to either remove these distracting elements from the room or move these closer to the accent wall.

Finally, you need to consider balance in designing the room. One important thing that you need to remember is that you should avoid overwhelming the accent wall with different design elements. 

Drapes, windows, and pieces of furniture can overwhelm the viewer, and take attention away from the accent wall. And on the converse side of the coin, do not make the accent wall too bare that you lose design balance.

Putting color theory into practice

In color theory, the different colors have varying effects on people. 

Warm colors, like yellow, orange, and red, can make the wall seem closer to a person inside the room. Conversely, cool colors like green, purple, and blue can make a wall seem farther to a person inside the room. As such, if you want to give the room the illusion of size, opt for cool colors. On the converse side of the coin, if you’re going to make a room feel cozy, choose warm colors.

Another critical factor that you should put into consideration is where the natural light comes into the room. Natural light has a direct impact on the visual temperature or the visual warmth or coolness of a room.

If the room is facing either the north or the east, it will be naturally cooler visually speaking. As such, choose warmer colors to imbue visual warmth to the room. On the other hand, if the room is facing either the south or west, it will naturally have a warm visual temperature, so you should use cool colors.

Using textures and patterns

Instead of using paint for the accent wall, why not consider using printed wallpapers? Wallpapers are a great way to add interesting patterns and textures into a room. Plus, wallpapers work best alongside walls that have bright or solid colors.

Another great way to generate interest for your accent wall is to incorporate texture using different materials like wood, stone, and even brick.

Putting it all together

By its very nature, an accent wall should draw the attention of people entering the room. But you can make your accent wall garner more attention by giving it a particular reason for existing. It can be as simple as putting it on the side where your fireplace is or hanging a particular painting that you love.

AUTHOR BIO

James Prathap is one of the Directors of NGC Nafees, top importers and exporters of wallpapers, floorings and fabrics in India. The business also offers high-quality panoramics, coordinated fabrics, and creative stickers for residential and commercial projects.