Accent Wall Do’s and Don’ts

Wondering if an accent wall is a good idea?

 

 

We often get asked to weigh in on this, since we’re asked to paint them!  Here are my do’s and don’ts for accent walls, from an interior design perspective.

 

 

First, the most important thing to understand about accent walls is that they provide contrast.  This is their main design contribution – even more than color.

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Therefore, the “shape” of that contrasting area is the main factor in the success (or failure) of your accent wall.   The shape of the space is what you have to evaluate, more than anything else.

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We know that color choice is important, but the human eye will pick up on a strong contrast first.  Most of the time, an accent wall will “read” as darker than the surrounding area, and because it’s a wall, there’s a lot of it.  Since it’s essentially a large contrasting surface, the “shape” of the accent wall is critical.  Your eye will go right to the darker area and quickly read its shape, and if that shape or contour isn’t pleasing, design-wise, your accent wall will make your space look busy or disjointed.

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Here are cases where accent walls work well, or the design “Do’s”:

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• A wall that is a largely uninterrupted rectangle.

 

Sounds like most walls, right?

What we mean is a wall where there is minimal interference from doors or windows.

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Classic examples:  the “headboard wall” in a bedroom, or the TV wall in your living room.

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A perfect example is this accent wall by House of Hanes Interiors in San Diego:

 

 

 

 

This is also the featured interior in our title block.  Note how the wall is a simple rectangle with small windows.  Extra points for the board-and-batten woodwork!

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Why are doors and windows a factor?

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Your wall can have doors and windows, of course, but your windows will be very contrast-y pockets of light against your dark accent wall.  Remember how your eye reads shapes of contrast first, before color?  If you have a row of three windows in the center of your wall, or one narrow window at each end, the symmetry makes it all work as an accent wall.  The dark color “frames” the windows nicely.   However, if you have a door at one end of the wall and a large window at the other, your accent wall will feel like it has random shapes cut out of it, and that may not be as pleasing to the eye.

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Here’s a nice dining room accent wall by Laura Stein Interiors, which follows the “symmetrical windows” guideline:

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Sometimes the wall is a small area but a natural focal point, as here:

 

The homeowner is still going to stage this space with a console and artwork, but you get the idea.

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And sometimes the feature wall is almost entirely cabinetry and woodwork, as here:

 

 

 

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Sheer gorgeousness!

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What about wallpapered feature walls?

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We love those!  The rules are a little more relaxed, since a wallpaper feature wall is different from its surroundings not due to contrast, but to pattern.  But the basic rules still apply!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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• A wall with strict symmetry.

 

Classic example:  an accent color painted on each side of a fireplace that’s centered on the wall.

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In this case, the accent colors form two tall rectangles on either side of the fireplace, which is a simple, pleasing design.

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We love this image by Carol Estes in San Diego, CA.  Even though the black accent area isn’t a true rectangle, the shape is solid enough to make it work.

 

 

 

If you’re thinking about doing this, just make sure those tall rectangles are substantial enough.  In this photo below, painting the areas on either side of the fireplace would just look choppy.  Because the windows take up so much space, there isn’t enough wall, and the shapes are irregular.

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(This is just an old phone shot, forgive the poor quality!  I had fun with this one, though – this was a brick fireplace that the homeowner covered in sheetrock, and then I plastered it with Venetian plaster to look like Calacutta gold marble.  Feels like it, too!)

 

 

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• An inset area that is large enough to carry a strong contrast without getting “fussy” or “busy”

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Classic example:  a breakfast area, reading nook, or a large window seat niche.

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I love everything about this space by Molly Britt:

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Just make sure your accent area isn’t so small that it looks out-of-place or confusing to the eye!

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• A ceiling, especially in a smaller space

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Classic example:  a powder bath ceiling painted in a strong color

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Or this master bath by Nate Berkus:

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We know, this isn’t a rectangle!  But it still meets the “unbroken shape” test.

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You could go even bolder on the color in your own space, of course, like bright fuchsia or cobalt blue.  Powder baths are perfect for this.  They’re confined boxes without much architectural character, so an accent color is a fun way to inject color and personality into a small space, where it’s safe to experiment.

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Here we installed a dark blue grasscloth on this inset ceiling in a master bedroom.  We’re often asked to paint these inset ceilings as well.  They certainly adhere to the “unbroken rectangle” guideline.

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Be careful about trying this on larger ceilings, though.  It works in the master bedroom above because the ceiling is high enough, and just the inset of the ceiling has been done.  If you’re thinking about doing a whole accent ceiling, we’d suggest calling on an interior designer for his or her advice!

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• The backs of bookshelves.

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Technically, this wouldn’t be an “accent wall” at all, but the back wall of built-in bookshelves forms a nice large “rectangle” of space that could look nice with a contrasting color.  (Similar to the photo above by Carol Estes.)

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We often apply wallpaper to the backs of bookshelves, for a rich effect:

 

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What about scenarios where an accent wall is NOT a good idea?

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Our accent wall “Don’ts”:

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• Kitchens or master baths.

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I made this mistake myself, years ago.  My kitchen had light-colored cabinets, a light backsplash, and light counters.  I thought I’d inject some color by painting the kitchen walls a rich, dark green.  While I loved the color, this did not work in my kitchen!

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The reason?  Kitchens and master baths are too full of large “interruptions” on the walls:  cabinets, bathroom mirrors, pantry doors.  By the time you paint your kitchen walls a contrasting color, your eye just sees horizontal and vertical strips of light and dark.

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In my case, my light upper cabinets had a horizontal band of dark color above them, then narrow vertical strips of color around my window over the sink, then a skinny side wall of color, then narrow strips of color around my pantry door…. you get the picture.  Not cohesive or pleasing at all!

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I promptly painted my kitchen walls back to their original pale color.  However, I did paint the adjoining breakfast area in that same rich green, and it was perfect!  The breakfast area had large walls with centered windows, so the pattern formed by the contrast was nice.

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• Niches, unless they’re very large.

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Painting niches an accent color was a big thing in the 90’s, when builders installed niches on virtually every surface (especially in hallways and transition areas like vestibules).  Unfortunately, most niches are fairly small (say, 3 x 5 feet).  If you paint them a dark color, the contrast in the middle of the wall just looks choppy.

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In my perfect world, all those niches would be sheetrocked over so that you had a nice, expansive “blank canvas” wall.  That way you aren’t limited in the size of artwork or furnishings you put there.  But if you’re stuck with your niches, I wouldn’t paint them.  Let whatever artwork or piece of sculpture you have there take center stage.

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The only exception to this would be niches that are so large, they occupy a significant portion of the wall.  (And hopefully they’re not arched!)  Even then, the effect can look contrived, like you knew you had a niche and felt you just had to do something with it.

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Here’s an example where the homeowner’s contractor squared off the arched top of these large hallway niches, then installed shiplap, which we painted in a soft charcoal gray.  It works because the niches are basically large rectangles:

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Those are my main do’s and don’ts, but what if you’re having a hard time visualizing all this?

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Want to know my cheesy little hack to know if an accent wall will be a good idea?

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Take a photo of the space.  Then use the “Markup” tool on your phone, or an app like Skitch, or Photoshop if you have time.   Use the app and a stylus (or your fingertip, in a pinch) to color the potential accent area in the photo.  It doesn’t have to be the perfect shade or stay exactly “within the lines” – you just want a rough idea of what the area would look like in a contrasting color.  It’ll help you visualize your accent wall before you paint it.  (The old-school way to do this is to print out your photo on a piece of paper, and take a highlighter or marker to the area in question.)

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Here’s a quick, 2-minute mock-up of a kitchen I did on Photoshop, showing what the window wall would look like as an accent wall.  These are not high-quality photos!  Just wanted to illustrate the concept:

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Remember, an accent wall is basically a large block of contrast against whatever is around it.  

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Therefore you want that “block” to be a pleasing overall shape that makes sense in your space.  Try to avoid a hodgepodge effect of dark contrasting color that surrounds your cabinets, mirrors or doors in a series of helter-skelter strips!

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Hope that helps!  And if you want us to paint your accent wall – or any space – feel free to book a free in-home estimate with either our Austin or San Antonio branches.