This is guide on how to choose an accent wall in your living room will help you to pick the right wall to create a focal point in your living space.
A room or any space without a wall that draws attention is considered dated. This is contrary to “popular belief” that having one is definitely out of style. It is commonly referred to as a feature wall and by definition is an interior wall whose design or color differs from other surrounding walls. It is an easy and great way to create a focal wall that allows the entire home decor to flow naturally and beautifully in a room.
By assigning one, it will dramatically transform the interior design and will definitely add a fresh new look for your living space without necessarily making a lot of changes. You may just need to paint the wall in a bold color or a color with that’s a few shades darker or lighter than the rest of the walls. You can apply stone, wood or wallpaper, or create a gallery wall and if you are lucky, you might just need to make a simple rearrangement of furniture. However, most people find it challenging on how to choose one.
Below are some ideas that will inspires your to create a beautiful focal point.
How To Choose An Accent Wall In Your Living Room?
The classic way is choosing the wall that you see when you walk into the room or the wall facing you when you enter the room which is commonly referred to as a natural focal point.
However, this method may not be applicable if you have an open floor plan where the area you see from the entry way may include the entire main level such as the family room, dining room and kitchen. Therefore, the right wall to be your feature wall will be the area that you would want to highlight because it has an interesting or architectural feature, beautiful view or design.
For Room With Architectural Features
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If your space has a fireplace, built-in bookshelves or window or door framing the beautiful landscaping, these are typically the focal points of the room. You can highlight them by positioning your furniture around them as well as painting the fireplace wall or built-in bookshelves with a different color to highlight the beauty of these architectural features. By doing this you would now have a feature wall. However, the paint color of thus wall should be based on your current color scheme and based on the mood you want to have. A color scheme is a combination of colors that works beautifully together in order to create cohesiveness. It is also known that colors can influence the mood and can inspire positive feelings. So it is important to carefully choose a paint color for your living room wall that will help you evoke those positive emotions.
For Living Space Without Architectural Features
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For a room that does not have a fireplace, fantastic view or any interesting features and you are only left with a plain wall that you do not want to paint because you are currently living in a rental home, create a focal point by putting a group of framed photos or gallery wall art on the wall that you are planning to work with.
Group framed photos or favorite artwork by hanging them all together in such a way that complements the shape and size of the wall or choose a piece of artwork that perfectly fits the size of the wall that you want to feature. By doing this you have just created an instant wall that grabs anyone attention without the use of paint color or wallpaper.
If you have money to spend, you can consider adding design elements to the walls like wainscoting, paneling, shiplap, tiles or stone aside from painting to add interesting details to the wall.
Feature Wall Ideas For The Living Room
Choose Dark Or Bold Colors
The effective way to add a pop of color without painting the entire room is to paint the wall with a color that will give a nice contrast with the primary or main color of your existing color palette. It will provide a beautiful visual interest which makes that particular wall the best wall in your living room.
Below are some of the distinct colors or should I say popular accent wall colors that will definitely add a splash of color in your living space and the surrounding area.
Red
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If your room decor or furniture leans toward Asian styles or Oriental design style or you want to showcase your collection of golden frames with ornate design, a red feature wall will provide a perfect background because it will help to emphasize the beauty of these pieces.
Blue
Blue is another timeless color that works well in a contemporary and classic style design home. Darker hues of blues like navy blue or royal blue are perfect colors that make a perfect accent wall because they bring calmness and a serene feel to whomever sees them. If you like the idea of making the wall behind your wall-mounted TV as your feature wall, a dark color blue will be the best option. The dark solid color wall will not distract you and therefore you will able to focus on your TV because a bright color wall always grabs attention.
Black
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A black wall is a great option if you want to bring coziness and comfort to your large living space because dark colors tend to make a space feel smaller. This also works if you simply want to have a wall that commands attention. You can balance the black accent wall by accessorizing it with gold accents, a round mirror and along side this you can use other natural elements such as wood logs, woven baskets, greenery and alike.
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Using a black wall is also a perfect way to hide your TV while creating a simple and minimalist accent wall.
Stick With The Classic
A neutral color palette includes beige, gray, brown, black and white. These are the most classic colors that provide a beautiful flow in an open concept home. These neutral colors are often used to compliment the primary colors, red, green and blue of the color wheel.
An accent wall does not necessarily mean that you need to use a darker color in order for that single wall to be considered as a feature wall. A darker color is often too taste specific and may not work well in small spaces because it tend to absorb more light which makes the room feel smaller.
If you decide not to paint your feature wall with a different color, below are some great accent wall ideas you can use without utilizing dark or bright colors:
White Walls
If your living space is painted all white it can work great with a lot of textures and natural materials such as wood, stone, and plants. This will depend on the type of white paint you have in your space such as warm whites (white with an undertone of yellow or red).
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On the other hand, cool whites are great at balancing a space that has a ton of natural light and complements well in a minimalist style home. You can add a splash of color to your focal wall by utilizing artwork, mirror or plants. You can also have your sofa leaning against the wall and add decorative elements such as throw pillows or cushions with colors that give a nice contrast to the white walls or that work well with your entire color scheme.
Gray Walls
If you are not a fan of having white color walls, it may be that gray color walls are a great option for you. Cool grays provide a sense of glam while warm greys can add a more cozy and relaxing feel into any space. Gray is a perfect color for your wall if you have furniture or artwork that you would like to highlight in your room. A gray wall will definitely accentuate the beauty of your navy blue sofa, dark green accent chairs or artwork with vivid colors.
Beige Walls
For rooms with beige walls, just like the classic white, it can make any space feel airy, relaxing and provide it with timeless elegance. Utilize your beige walls as a neutral backdrop to help you highlight the color scheme and detail of your focal pieces.
If you have an open concept home, it can sometimes limit the use of colors. You may also need the guidance of interior designers to make sure that all of the colors that you are planning to use will work well with one another and go well with the decor of the entire home. To avoid these complications, the best way is to decorate and furnish your entire space using similar colors or hues and pick up furniture or decor with an accent color that works well with the main color of your living room.
Below is the picture of a living room and dining room combo where beige is its main color. They utilize the beige color as a neutral backdrop to highlight the dark green dining chairs which will direct the eyes to the beauty from the outside.
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Using layers of colors through smaller pieces will help you to create a focal point without painting the wall with dark or bold color paints.
Alternative Ways To Choose An Accent Wall In The Living Room Without Painting
Painting a single wall or a part of wall with a dark color or a lighter color paint is not the only way to create a wall that make statement. Below are the different ways to create one in your living space through utilizing eye-catching elements that will grab attention and make it the focal point of a room.
Utilize View
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Who doesn’t like a beautiful view? If you are lucky enough to have doors or windows that showcase the beautiful landscaping, take advantage of it by making them your feature wall. This can be done by simply arranging your furniture around it or by placing the furniture to direct the attention to the beauty of the outside world in the window or doors.
Add Interesting Features
You can also add different textures to your feature wall like adding natural elements in the design such as wood or stone.
Choose Stone, Tile Or Wooden Accent Wall
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Stone, tile or wood are popular natural elements to use in adding texture to your walls. They can bring organic elegance and coziness to any space aside from the fact that they provide beautiful visual interest that will surely grab everyone’s attention. This is a nice addition to have especially if your living area does not have a fireplace, built-in shelving, or any architectural features.
Use Wallpaper
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Wall paper is another different option to create a wall that make a statement. It offers a wide range of colors, textures and patterns and you should definitely find one that will suit your personal style. However, wallpaper is more expensive than paint but it lets you decorate your walls with intricate patterns or designs you couldn’t paint yourself.
Create An Accent Wall Using A Console Table, Artwork or Mirror
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Utilize a console table, artwork or mirror. The combination of art or mirror or both on top of a console table is a smart way to add texture to a wall with no windows.
Curtains
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If you have a beautiful large window but it does not have a beautiful landscape to showcase, use eye catching window treatments or curtains to frame your big window.
I hope that this guide helps you to choose the right accent wall in your living room and how you would want to highlight it, either from a fresh coat of paint or through the use of decorative elements.
