Ideas for Painting an Accent Wall

Adding an accent wall enlivens a room's decor. Often the wall is selected because of its existing features, such as a fireplace or window. An accent wall can help bring together the colors of other walls and furnishings, enhancing a room's character and charm.

Choosing an Accent Wall

Accent walls are often selected because they already contain attractive features, such as a fireplace, unusual window (or view) or doorway. Alternatively, it may be the wall that people first see when they enter the room or the one that is most visible to people sitting within the room.

Accent Wall Color

An accent wall is commonly a bold-to-dark color. This gives the room's decor a starting point.

Surrounding Wall Colors

Surrounding walls should never be plain white as that would place exaggerated emphasis on the accent wall. With a bold or dark color selected for the accent wall, light-to-medium colors tend to work best for the rest of the room. These colors may be different shades of that on the accent wall.

References

• Kathryn R. Martin, Designer/ Painter, Rockford, Illinois