How Do I Choose Accent Walls?

Room FeaturesHow Do I Choose Accent Walls?

First, you’ll have to decide which wall to paint. Sometimes the room makes that choice for you, but if you have two or three walls that are similar sizes and foot traffic flows in multiple directions, you’ll have to narrow it down. It helps if there’s already an organic focal point, or a permanent fixture that dominates the space visually. If you like it, you can use an accent wall to highlight it; if you don’t, an accent wall will draw attention toward itself.

Little-used fireplace in the living room? Paint the opposite wall and turn the furniture toward the color instead. Built-in shelves that showcase your favorite faces? Paint the wall around them to make a statement.

Light

Color matters. If you’re adding an accent wall to your favorite room in the house, you might be tempted to pick your favorite color, but its overall effect is more complicated than that. Color interacts with our eyes and emotions in very specific ways, so if you want to choose the perfect shade, first you have to know how the hue will actually look.

Identify all the natural and artificial light sources that will affect your accent wall. If you spend most of your evenings in this space, how does your lighting interact with the wall? Dark and glossy paints will reflect direct light and create glares. If it’s a common space with at least one window, which direction does it face? A western-facing accent wall is saturated with warm sunshine throughout the day. Cool colors would be bright and airy contrasts, while red or orange might be overkill.

Color

Now that you’ve decided which wall to paint and narrowed your options to warm or cool colors, it’s time to find the perfect paint shade. Think about what you do in the room, and what kind of mood you want to be in. If you want to relax, medium blues and teals are good choices. If you want to stimulate conversation and creativity, consider livelier, brighter shades like yellow or lime. Use our online room planner to see if it will clash, complement, or simply fall flat.

Décor

Should your accent wall be matte or glossy? Will you add a pattern or keep it plain? Will you hang a cluster of artwork, push a bed or couch against it, or let it stand alone? As you determine the final details, try to find a happy medium between cluttered and completely bare. If you’re having trouble filling in the details, an in-home design consultation might be in order. Visit our Jacksonville furniture store or call us for more information.

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