Refreshing a wall? Don’t think ‘accent’, think about what you want to feature
It used to be that painting one wall in a room with a splashy, loud color was considered the go-to budget design update. This accent wall, as the trend was rather ineptly named, was actually less of a supporting role and more of a major player. The color of the wall became the focal point in the room. The effect of these blocks of wall color was that they actually spoke louder than the rest of the design elements in the room, rather than do their job of “accentuating” them. Your eye would go to that color, bypassing every other thing on the way, and get stuck there. Like a dead end.
As tastes and design trends have evolved, the accent wall is now known as the “feature wall”. The latest iterations of this design trick, act to enhance a room’s overall vibe, rather than steal the whole show. The feature wall’s role is to play up something else in the room. Whether it’s prized works of art, a piece of custom furniture or the architecture itself, a feature wall done right can bring disparate design elements together, and have a grounding effect on your space.
The main question to ask, of course is: What is it you want to feature? Figure out your goal and then you can decide how to accentuate it. A show-stopping piece of art? Try a dark gray wall paint that visually recedes so the painting pops. A gorgeous view? Go for greenblack trim and a soft white on the walls to frame it. A vintage tile around the hearth? Choose a color from the tile, and go a stop or two darker with your paint color. An architectural feature? Go for contrast or texture to enhance that element.
Below are some fresh feature wall ideas that will affect a real aesthetic shift in your home.
An accent room
Yes, a whole room! Consider the sight