How to design an accent wall
When planning an interior scheme, it’s important to consider different ways you can add design interest and personality to the space. One of the easiest methods is to choose one wall in your room where you can create a focal point, with an ‘accent wall’.
Discover different ways to create an accent wall in any space, and be inspired to try this simple design feature in your upcoming projects…
What is an accent wall?
An accent wall can be any wall in a room which draws the eye and creates a sense of focus. There are many ways you can create an accent wall, from introducing a contrasting paint colour to incorporating a beautiful, patterned wallpaper on just one wall in your space.
Even a subtle addition such as painting the woodwork in a different shade is a great way to accentuate a particular part of your room. The key is creating a clear point of difference; it is completely up to you whether you go for a bold, statement contrast or something more understated.
Wall: Nether Red
Left Wall & Ceiling: Slaked Lime
The importance of an accent wall
Introducing an accent wall is an easy but effective way to elevate any scheme. This could mean introducing a mood-boosting colour highlight on the wall behind your bed, or adding a textural element to your living space with a wallpaper that coordinates beautifully with complementary paint colours on the adjacent walls.
Adding an accent wall can also give you the confidence to embrace bolder shades in your scheme, without painting every wall. It offers a great way to introduce deeper or more vibrant hues in a neutral colour scheme, which can also help to draw out the undertones of the neutrals and create a very cohesive, sophisticated finish.
Wall: Sunlight
Woodwork: Ceviche
How to style an accent wall: Accent wall paint ideas
Accentuate the wall behind your bed
As a truly personal space, your bedroom is the perfect room to make bolder colour choices and incorporate shades that you truly love. The wall behind your bed is a wonderful place to host more impactful paint colours that complement your bedding and soft furnishings for a beautiful, coordinated look.
Create a bedroom accent wall with a combination of green shades that will invite calm and tranquillity into your bedroom. Consider the elegant pairing of Aquamarine and Ambleside to benefit from their restful blue-green hues and evoke a sense of wellbeing.
Top: Aquamarine
Bottom Half: Ambleside
Back Wall: Aquamarine - Pale
Introduce a bold paint colour to contrast with white walls
Creating an accent wall allows you to select bright, vibrant shades that might feel overwhelming to use all over. Using a rich yellow like Yellow-Pink can energise and enliven your living space, making this a fabulous choice to bring a cheerful splash of colour to one wall.
Accompany your chosen living room accent wall colour with tonal shades in other parts of your scheme to make the entire space feel unified. Incorporate deep ochre and burnt orange tones through your scatter cushions, lamps, artwork and accessories to create an inviting living room scheme, filled with personality.
Wall: Yellow-Pink
Ceiling: Slaked Lime
Column: Slaked Lime - Mid
Feature an inspiring wallpaper in your living space
Introducing wallpaper can bring a beautiful textural element to any scheme. Even just wallpapering one wall can create a focal point that will instantly transform the look and atmosphere of your living space.
Consider an inspiring wallpaper design in a bright, contemporary colourway to create impact in your scheme. Massingberd Blossom is a timeless, trailing floral pattern, available in seven colour variations. The vibrant green Verditer colourway has a real statement feel, providing a striking backdrop for your furniture and accessories.
Wallpaper: Massingberd Blossom - Verditer
Ceiling: Shirting
Combine related colours for a harmonious scheme
The hardest part of creating an accent wall can often be finding the confidence to select complementary colour pairings. Our ‘Colour Scales’ palette comes in useful presents families of different strengths of the same pigments that combine harmoniously within a scheme.
The shades in our ‘Stone’ palette are completely natural colours that are very easy to use in combination. Choose a family of neutrals such as Portland Stone, and select a complementary, deeper hue from the lower part of the colour card to provide an accent wall. Dark Brunswick Green works wonderfully in this space to draw nature inside and offer real depth, warmth and comfort.
Wall: Dark Brunswick Green
Ceiling: Portland Stone - Pale
Cupboards: Portland Stone - Light
Add contrast with a Double Drenching approach
An evolution of the ‘Colour Drenching’ trend, ‘Double Drenching’ offers a new, contemporary approach to creating an accent wall. For a double-drenched look, choose two or more related shades that have varying undertones, such as three completely different blues. This unusual, unexpected colour combination will create a very captivating contrast to elevate your ‘colour-drenched’ scheme.
To incorporate an accent wall in your ‘Double Drenching’ scheme, paint the entire space in one shade, then introduce a contrasting colour on just one wall. This home study emphasises its interesting architectural features by introducing Woad on the alcove, alongside lighter blues, Tivoli and Blue Verditer, on the walls, baseboards and ceiling.
Rear wall & Ceiling: Blue Verditer
Left Wall & Left Skirting: Tivoli
Alcove & Right Skirting: Woad
To begin your accent wall project, order paint sample pots in your chosen shades. Or consider using wallpaper in your scheme, you can request A4 wallpaper samples on our website to test your chosen designs.
