How to Choose an Accent Wall and Color Options | The Artisen

By putting a focus on a part of your room – a special accent wall perhaps - you will be able to transform your interior design without taking too much risk or making big investments. This will you create a fresh new look for a room where you were just confused about what you wanted to do.

I know you must be wondering “Aren’t accent walls out of style?” and the answer is a big no! It takes some time to choose the right colors, details and placement but they can totally transform your living space allowing you to express your creativity and give your room a totally new feeling.

People always find it the hardest to choose the exact part of the room they want to emphasize and pick the perfect color from a pool of color options. In this article you will see some of the color accent wall ideas and how to implement it in your own home.

Once you choose the color and the overall feel you wish to achieve, it is time to start painting!

How Do I Choose the Right Accent Wall?

This might be the first question when someone wishes to incorporate this style in their home. There are so many options to start with, but choosing the perfect accent wall is something you should dedicate some time to. Which wall should be the accent wall? The answer to this question is simpler than you think. Take a look around your living space and ask yourself “Where do my eyes immediately drift once you enter the room?”

See what might be your furniture statement piece in the room, by incorporating an accent wall it will put an even greater focus on the piece you wish to highlight.

If you wish to give more attention to your precious art piece, sculpture or an element such as a fireplace accent wall is a perfect way to do so.

Use Accent Walls in your Living Room

Image Source

This blue living room accent wall incorporated with the with fireplace and wall art really added a breath of fresh air to neutral colors that were dominating the room before. It was a perfect opportunity to play around with an interesting color palette and bring more light to the living room with a simple move such as a small paint makeover. 

Next to the statement decorative pieces, you should not forget that furniture plays an important part of every room therefore a perfect option for an accent wall for living room might just be the one behind your sofa or couch. So once you feel like your living room needs a makeover, instead of completely changing the furniture you can simply give it a totally new feel by introducing a new color that will compliment it.

Image Source

Accent Walls in Your Bedroom

The perfect positioning of an accent wall for bedroom would be to combine it with your bed as it is usually already aligned with the wall we want to accent. By doing this you will create a whole new dimension to the room while including a dash of needed color.

Image Source

A wood accent wall such as this one is a perfect choice as it is aligned with the width of the bed itself not only adding structure but also symmetry and a totally new dimension to the bedroom. 

If you are still wondering how to choose the accent wall or believe that you don’t necessarily have a focal point in your room, don’t be afraid to create it. You can do so by rearranging the furniture you already have while also playing around with your decorative pieces. Wall art, picture frames or indoor plants make the room stand out all the more once it is painted.

Some of the tips you should follow when choosing the accent wall is to go for the one with no doors or windows. Accent walls are more easily incorporated to empty walls while also giving you the freedom to play around with wall decoration after painting it.

If you choose to accent a wall with a window or a door, it will create a form of distraction as these elements can take up the big portion of the wall itself.

Selecting the Right Accent Wall Color

After deciding which wall should be the accent wall in your room the next very important step is to choose the right color that will compliment your already established interior design. Having to choose from a great color selection we are provided with can sometimes be a hard task and that is why it is important to make sure that the color you choose is the one that will follow the mood you wish to create and aligning with the already incorporated color scheme.

What Mood Do You Want to Create?

When it comes to painting the wall the first step would be to ask yourself what atmosphere you wish to create. It can be to add additional coziness to your living space, or create a livelier vibe with a pop of color.  It is well known that colors reflect different energies, tones, and atmospheres therefore choosing the one that goes along with your personality as well as the mood you have set for your living space. Next to that it is important that your new wall color goes along well with the already existing tones you have in the room and use the wall to simply enhance the already established setting.

Muted Colors are Better Than Bold Colors 

Before you go ahead and paint the room with your favorite color remember that it is always better to go with a more muted shade when it comes to wall colors. This is not only the rule for the accent wall but the interior design overall. That does not mean that you do not get a chance to play around with some fun and dynamic colors but simply go with a more muted shade that every color has. Bold shades can sometimes be too much for the eye and instead of complimenting your furniture it can end up with being a more of a distraction.

Image Source

See how muted does not have to mean dull and does not limit your color choice. You can still incorporate your favorite bright color such as pink but opt out for tones that will create a better overall feeling. 

Darker or Brighter Color? 

You’ll be surprised to learn that rooms that have both a darker and lighter shade draw people in more. That means that you can play around with your color scheme but making sure not to create an off-balanced looking room.

This means that if your other walls are dominantly darker, a light toned accent wall would be a perfect choice and vice versa. Figuring out the perfect contrast can add so much to the room – making it more spacious while putting a spotlight on certain pieces of your interior design.

Try out a darker color if the decorative pieces that are on the wall have bright tones as it will create a perfect contrast highlighting the beauty of your wall décor.

Image Source

A darker colored bedroom accent wall incorporated with a paining such as this created a perfect contrast needed to emphasize the colors of the painting. Try to imagine this piece on a light wall. You can see that it would not be the statement piece it has become when added to a much darker wall.

Lighter accent walls are a great choice for already dark toned rooms but make sure your bold color compliments your furniture and already existing room patters and textures. It is also important that the rest of the walls are painted in a lighter neutral color as you do not want your color scheme to be overwhelmed with brightness.

Choosing a Color for Your Accent Wall

Now when you have decided on the tone of your accent wall it is time to choose a perfect color and you know there are no limits when it comes to colors to choose from. We will give you some tips that will help you with narrowing down your choice and help you to learn how to mix, match, and blend colors for your accent wall. We will give you some color accent wall ideas that will help you visualize these tones in your own living space.

Warm Colored Accent Walls

Warm tones such as burnt orange, darker yellow or a muted red tone are the colors that meet the eye. They create a sense of coziness and warmth therefore are perfect your living room or bedroom. They go amazingly with wooden furniture creating a well-balanced rustic feel.

Image Source

Cool Colors for an Accent Wall

Cool colors have a power of making space look wider therefore it is a perfect choice for a smaller bedroom. A nice shade of green, blue or purple for your accent bedroom wall can create a vision of a bigger and more open space. It is also nicely incorporated with your furniture as it adds the color pop your room might need without being too much of the eye.

Image Source

Notice how the accent wall in this bedroom is shorter than the rest of the walls but having it colored in this wonderful purple shade takes away from the feeling of it being narrow or small.

This is also a great example how your bedroom accent wall can be incorporated even better into the interior design when having some of the decorative pieces such as throw pillows, blankets or carpets in a similar shade.

Pop of Color for Your Accent Wall

Don’t be afraid to add a pop of color to your living space. You can do so without taking too much risk and having one of your accent walls add the needed color to your room. Some of the color accent wall ideas are turquoise or different shades of warmer green as well as navy blue or some nice shades of pink. Express your creativity and play around with some neon or pastel colors as they are most certainly not off limits. Accent walls allow you to incorporate some additional colors without having to change anything about your interior design and furniture.

Image Source

This blue living room accent wall added some color to the neutral furnished room is giving the room some well needed color. This shade also goes perfectly with shades of green that can be added trough house plants.

Black Accent Walls

A lot of people are not always attracted to painting their walls black. It has a reputation of a dark color that is not welcoming or appealing to the eye but it is quite more used now in the modern décor. It is a great choice for the accent wall as it will create an amazing contrast as well as add the new interesting dimension to your living space. It goes perfectly with colorful decoration or interesting artwork.

Image Source

Black accent walls go nicely with modern interior design elements such as glass or metal while still adding a dash of elegance and sophistication. It keeps the things neat and simple but leaving you with room to play around with your decorative pieces.

Wooden Accent Walls

It’s not only the colors you can experiment with! You can try out incorporating different textures as well. One of the most popular choices is wood accent walls as they are easily incorporated into any already established interior. By welcoming natural design elements to your home you are embracing the coziness and organic elegance of this easily adaptable material. You can experiment with the color of the wood too, choosing a tone and wood type that suits your living space the best.

It is a perfect way to introduce additional texture and visually transform your whole room with just a simple wall makeover. Whether you are leaning more towards a modern design or are a fan of an older rustic feeling you may incorporate a wood accent wall to it due to the different variations of the plank texture.

Image Source

This accent wall might just be perfect for your living room as you can see how adaptable it is to any atmosphere you are trying to bring into your living space. Easily combined with both neutral and bright colors as well as modern accent pieces, it is a great choice for your next renovation project.

Next time someone asks you if accent walls are out of style – show them this blog post! We are sure they will fall in love with the number of options this trend holds. It is such a simple and fun way of expressing your creativity and bringing a fresh look to your home. We hope we helped you on how to choose an accent wall, it is now time to get the creative juices flowing and start your new project!