How to Choose an Accent Wall: Essential Dos and Don’ts

The hardest part of adding a pop of color or visual feature to a room is choosing the accent wall you want to spruce up. Accent walls are popular in living rooms and bedrooms, but you can also have one in a bathroom, kitchen, hall, home office, or even on your home's exterior.

Accent walls can change the size, shape, and feel of a room depending on the wall and color you choose. You have unlimited paint options for your accent wall, as well as other surfaces and materials.

Here's how to choose an accent wall that'll shine in your space.

How to Decide Which Wall to Make the Accent Wall

To decide which wall you want to make an accent wall, take a step back and look at the room as a whole, allowing you to see which walls first grab your attention, built-in room features, and any existing focal points.

• Choose a wall that you want to stand out or become a focal point. This is often the wall or area that first grabs your attention when you step inside.
• Look for an architectural feature that can benefit from an accent wall, especially one with texture, such as a fireplace, brick wall, or built-in bookcase. An accent wall will further highlight that feature.
• Avoid choosing a wall that isn't symmetrical, such as one whose shape is impacted by a slanted ceiling. If you choose a wall in a room with a slanted roof, you could inadvertently highlight the part of the ceiling that abuts the wall.
  
• You can choose a wall that has windows as your accent wall, but be mindful that a dark accent color surrounding windows may create a bright light effect and overwhelm the room.
  

Tips for Styling Accent Walls

Think Beyond Solid Colors

While solid colors are certainly a strong option, patterns can make your accent wall into a standout feature.

Your accent wall may be perfect for stripes, ombré, or a specialty paint finish. Metallic wall finishes are powerful style statements for an accent wall. Wallpapers and peel-and-stick murals are great if you want a more intricate design.

Don't Forget About Texture

In addition to changing the color of an accent wall, you can also change the texture. Consider using stone or tile. A wood accent wall is one of the easiest textured options, thanks to beadboard, board and batten, paneling, and decorative wood finishes.

Brick veneer can be added, or you can turn one brick wall into an accent wall with limewashing, which calcifies the brick's surface. Extensive shelving or cabinetry can also work as an accent wall in a room that lacks an architectural feature and storage.

Your accent wall could be a densely packed gallery of photos and artwork or even a fabric-draped wall. Add a wall-mounted electric fireplace on an accent wall for a texture and color addition.

Add Accent Walls in Neutral Rooms

You should still consider an accent wall even if you're keeping your room neutral. Accent walls can work just as well in neutral colors as they do in bright hues. An accent wall conjures up visions of bright red or blue, but in a neutral color scheme, a cinnamon brown wall is just as dramatic.

Don't Shy Away from Bold Colors

You can add a bold color to a room and not have it dominate the space, so long as you are purposeful in your choices.

A very dark or black accent wall won't catch as much light (and steal your attention) if it has a matte finish. Counterbalance the bold color on the wall by adding that same color or similar shades elsewhere in the room.

For a bright orange wall, add in some burnt orange throw pillows, yellow coffee table books, and a neon orange planter. As long as you have the right accents around the room to coordinate with your new color, you can choose whatever color makes you happy.

Consider the Other Wall Colors

Take into account the color of your other walls. Most accent walls look best when they adjoin walls in a light to medium shade. Accent walls in an all-white room are stunning but tricky.

The contrast of a bright accent wall against white walls can look very modern and even stark. Balance your strong accent wall color with neutral wall colors on the other walls.

Your neutral walls can be gray, beige, or a toned-down version of more vibrant colors—whatever works best with your accent color. If you do choose to accent a wall in a white room, soften the contrast with mid-tone accent colors to bridge the difference.

A room that is already a dark color could have another analogous dark color or a patterned wallpaper as the accent wall color. While you can choose a very light color, it will stand out starkly in the room.

Don't Just Think About Walls

The ceiling can be your accent wall. Accent ceilings can be created with soft colors or even vivid colors, either by adding paint or wallpaper. White crown molding helps separate the wall color from the ceiling and creates a stylish look.

Consider Wallpaper

Common wallpaper is a gorgeous choice for accent walls. The latest temporary wallpapers can give you a designer look without a long-term commitment. Look for wallpaper with pretty designs and colors for a chic style. For renters, temporary wallpaper is a clever way to personalize your home.

Rules for Designing an Accent Wall

Though accent walls are certainly an opportunity to have some fun, following a few key design rules will result in the best result.

• The color of the accent wall should be present in the room's decor to integrate the wall into the space. Be careful not to go overboard, as too much of the same color will make the room look monochromatic.
• Accent walls should support existing focal points you want to preserve, not create a battle for attention.
• Don't put an accent wall on a wall you don't want to accentuate. It won't cover up any imperfections in the wall or strangeness in the shape or decor.
• Choose a color for your accent wall because it works with your space, not because it's trendy. Sage green has been having a moment, but if your room is already painted crimson red, adding in a sage green accent wall will make it look like Christmas year-round.
• Rather than paint every wall a different color, focus on one wall that stands out. If you do want to include more than two colors, focus on an ombre effect by using different shades of the same color, gradually getting darker around the room.
  

Alternatives to Accent Walls

If you're not quite ready for an accent wall but want to create a bold look in your room, there are a few accent wall alternatives that can give you the same style without the commitment.

• Try a large wall hanging or textile that covers the vast majority of one wall.
• Use peel-and-stick wallpaper that can be easily removed if you decide you don't like it.
• Hang large artwork across a wall. You can even use multiple canvases that give the illusion of a large mural.