How to choose an accent wall in a living room

The whole point of an accent wall, or feature wall, is to make a room pop and draw your attention to a specific part of a room. But accent walls do not have to be painted a bold color. They can be a lighter shade, or a neutral color, which is different the other walls in the room. Or they don’t even have to be painted a different color at all. As long as this wall stands out amongst the other’s, you have an accent wall. I’ll teach you how to choose the right accent wall in your living room and what to consider before you choose the color.

How to choose the best wall for your accent wall

The most important step of making an accent wall is choosing the right wall to accent. A great accent wall will stand out against the other walls in the rest of the room. There are many different options to choose from.

You want to make sure that you are choosing the right wall for an accent wall. When you walk into a room it will usually be the first wall, or first thing you see when you enter the room, but not always. You want the accent wall to draw your eye to it. So, keep this in mind, you don’t want to call attention to a not so nice area of the room.

For instance, don’t make an accent wall out of a wall with vents, heating ducts, or other things that you don’t want people to notice. Instead choose a wall that you want to use as the focal point of the room.

You can choose an accent wall by picking any architectural feature already in the room. Interior designers call this a natural focal point. A natural focal point can consist of things like a large window with a view, a fireplace wall, or even the tv wall.

There are different accent wall ideas you can use to create your own accent wall and add visual interest. Try a splash of color, a lighter or dark color, a wallpaper accent wall using a geometric pattern, a wood accent wall, or a gallery wall using wall art.

And sometimes that accent wall may not even be in the room! If you have an open floor plan, then maybe the accent wall will be in a room just outside that room. This can help pull you into the room, and on to the next room. This is a perfect way to guide your guests where you want them to go.

How to choose the color for an accent wall

In order to choose a color for a focal wall, you want to determine the colors that are already in the room. Especially if you are not redecorating the whole space.

You could use a color wheel to choose a color combinations. But, chances are you are not redecorating the whole living area and will need to consider what is already in the surrounding area when making your color choice.

One great way to choose a color is to look for patterns in the room. These can be found in area rugs, throw pillows, or artwork. Try and pull a color palette from one of these items. For instance, if you have a throw pillow that you absolutely love, then choose 3 colors from that pillow to use as a color scheme for the room.

Choose a more neutral color to use as a wall color so that your accent wall will be that pop of color. Choose a second color to distribute evenly around the room in large areas. Furniture, upholstery, flooring, rugs, accent walls, or large accessories are great for your secondary color. Then choose a third color as an accent color. Use for accessories like pillows, knick-knacks, and other small items.

You’ll also want to make sure that you spread these colors evenly around the room and don’t use them equally as much. You want the main color to be used mostly around the room, then the other two to be used sparingly.

Don’t forget about color theory.

Colors react to different colors and can make a living room look bigger or smaller, darker or lighter, and can even make you feel different emotions. So you will need to keep these things in mind when choosing your accent wall colors. Sometimes choosing your favorite color may not be the best idea.

Be careful with trends

Some of the trendy colors may or may not be a perfect accent wall color for you. A black accent wall or deep green wall may look beautiful in magazines, but they have the best lighting, the best location, and the perfect color scheme already going on.

Somethings you have no control over and will have to accept that. So, if those colors don’t work in your living room, maybe you can try them in another room. A dining room, home office, or laundry room is a great place to try. These rooms tend to be smaller and separated a bit from the main living areas which can allow you to get creative and try a different color scheme.

Consider light before choosing a color

Light will also play a big part in how a color looks in your room. If you have lots of natural light then you can use dark colors, vivid colors, or bright colors more easily in the room.

Dark colors in a dark room will make the room look smaller and drab. So, if you have a small room try and stay away from dark, bold colors. Instead, try something lighter like neutral paint colors or even white walls. This will make the walls recede back into the space. The last thing you want in a small space is for the walls to feel like they are closing in on you.

Or if you need to change the shape of the room you can do this with color too. If your room is really long and narrow, you can choose a darker color for the short walls. This will pull them in visually. Use a lighter color for the long walls to push them out making the room feel more balanced. This is why choosing the farthest short wall in a room is a good wall to use for an accent wall. It will bring that wall toward you and make it a good focal point.

No matter how you choose to decorate your living room, a fun way to update your space is to choose an accent wall to give it a fresh new look.

related posts…