An accent wall can change the look and feel of a room. Try one of these incredible ideas to create a focal point in your home.
Painting all of your walls the same color is boring. Having an accent wall can create a bold statement and a focal point in the room. The old school method of creating an accent wall is to paint one of the walls a second color. But with today’s modern design trends, there are plenty of other options available.
Consider one of these accent wall ideas for your home. Choosing the right accent can enhance the overall feel of your home, whether it be rustic, elegant, playful, or modern.
1. Brick or Stone Accent Wall Ideas
Adding a brick or stone accent wall to your room can add texture, neutral color, and warmth to the room. It’s perfect for creating a rustic feel. There are three ways you can go about adding this type of accent wall.
The first way is to expose the stone or brick used in the construction of your home. You can expose it on one wall and create an authentic accent wall. Embrace the imperfections and authenticity of the bricks and stone.
If your home isn’t brick or stone, another way to create the look is with either faux brick or wallpaper. Both of these let you create a realistic look without the expense of using actual bricks or stone.
Faux brick and stone come as a series of panels made of cement board. The high-quality versions of faux panels come with patterns to create a realistic look. Some only require adhesive, and others require thinset to mount the panels on the wall.
If this is too much work, the easiest way is to use a wallpaper printed with a brick wall or stone pattern instead. While it will lack the texture and three-dimensional aspect that the faux panels have, it’ll still give you the same visual effect.
2. Geometric Pattern Accent Wall Ideas
If you like the idea of an accent wall, but want something subtler, try geometric accenting. This is a modern take on wainscoting. You’ll use thin wood strips to create a geometric pattern across the entire wall.
What’s nice about this is that you can paint the wall any accent color you want and still create the geometric pattern. So you could have a bold and bright color or a black accent wall.
You don’t have to get fancy with the design; a simple square pattern is achievable by anyone. Place evenly spaced rows both horizontally and vertically across the wall. For something slightly more elegant, you can place these two sets of rows at 45-degree angles to create a diamond pattern.
Don’t be afraid to get creative with the shapes you make. You could create lines going in multiple directions. This will create a variety of geometric shapes.
When creating your shapes, consider the size of the wall. The width of the wood trim strips that you use needs to be proportional. The same goes for the size of the geometric shapes you create with the strips.
If you have art you’d like to hang, you can create subtle “frames” around each piece to create a gallery wall effect. If you plan to do this, keep the accent wall color neutral so that it doesn’t conflict with the art you’re hanging.
3. Wall Mural & Stencil Accent Wall Ideas
A mural is a great way to create an impressive focal point in a room. The most common place for a mural is in a child’s bedroom or playroom. But this isn’t the only place you can use a mural to create a statement wall. They can also look beautiful in your living room, office, hallway, or bathroom.
If you’re especially creative and crafty, then you could paint the mural yourself. There are also plenty of tutorials online to show you DIY accent wall ideas for murals.
A stencil is even easier to do yourself. Buy a stencil that will create a pattern that you like. Then work in sections across your wall as you tape the stencil, paint, and then move the stencil to the next position.
However, not all of us have the creativity, skills, or time to create a custom mural. Don’t fret, you can still enjoy the benefits of a wall stencil or mural. Some websites sell wallpaper specifically designed to be an accent wall. You’ll select the size of your wall, and they’ll show you what your mural will look like. All you’ll have to do is install the wallpaper in the correct order.
4. Painted Wall Accent Ideas
The easiest way to breathe life into a plain white wall is to paint it. The best part about painting an accent wall is that you only need enough paint for a single wall and not the entire room. Think about the color scheme of the room when deciding on your paint color.
The simplest approach is to paint the entire accent wall one color. But this isn’t your only option when it comes to painting your feature wall. Another simple option is to create stripes. They could be wide and few of them or skinny and numerous.
If you’re painting an accent wall in your master bedroom, you could paint a shape on the wall to frame your headboard. This could be a larger rectangle or a half-circle creating a halo effect around your bed.
One creative option is to create geometric shapes with paint. A simple method is to take masking tape and create your desired shapes. Then paint the empty spaces around the tape with different paint colors. Finish by pulling the tape off and enjoying your new wall.
If you decide to create vertical or horizontal lines, be sure to use a level. This will ensure you have straight and level lines. If your lines are off, this will become even more noticeable once you’ve painted.
5. Sticker or Decal Accent Wall Ideas
Decals and stickers are easy, quick, and temporary accent wall ideas for creating a beautiful focal point. Both are made out of vinyl material with adhesive on the back. To install them, you’ll peel the paper backing off of the decals and stick them onto the wall. You’ll need to smooth them out by rubbing from the center outward to push the air bubbles out.
There are thousands of decal options ranging from large designs that take up the entire wall to small one inch dots. They come in every color possible and come in themes from geometric to floral and everything in between.
Don’t be afraid to be creative in how you apply your decals and stickers. You could take a systematic approach and evenly place the decals across the wall to create a pattern. Or you could take a free form approach and randomly place them on the wall for a scattered look.
6. Textured Accent Wall Ideas
Textured walls create a subtle effect on your wall. They add detail to the decor of the room without taking away from the other features of the room. This makes an excellent option for dining rooms, where the focus of the room is the table.
The other great thing about a textured wall is that you can easily hang wall decor on the wall without it looking too cluttered or busy.
The easiest way to create texture on the wall is to use a three-dimensional tile. Another option is to use premade wall panels. You’ll mount them on the wall in a similar manner as the faux brick and stone panels. A third option is to use concrete. This could be either a natural texture or one that’s molded into shapes.
7. Tile Accent Wall Ideas
You may find that some of the other accent wall ideas on this list won’t work well in a bathroom. The increased humidity can have a negative effect on your accent wall application. This is when tile becomes the ideal choice. Keep your other tile choice neutral and then choose one wall to create a bold pattern. You could do this with either a bold color or tile.
You could choose one wall of your shower to create the accent. This will add detail and interest to the shower, which makes it the focal point of the bathroom.
If the shower is less than attractive, then consider making the vanity wall the accent wall. This wall typically isn’t tiled, so tiling it will make it stand out even more.
You aren’t limited to the bathroom when it comes to using tile. If you have a fireplace, consider using tile around it. This will enhance this natural focal point of the room. Start the tile on the floor and extend it up the living room wall to the ceiling.
8. Wall Paneling Accent Wall Ideas
Having a natural wood accent wall can add warmth and natural color to your room. It also creates natural texture from the grain in the wood. The easiest wood paneling to install is shiplap. This comes in sheets and has the look of multiple long planks of wood with a slight gap between each plank.
You can also create a wood wall from reclaimed wood. This will add more color and variety.
If you want to create a less rustic look, consider using high-quality wood or paint. You should also try mounting the wood in a more artful design. A herringbone pattern can elevate the look of your wood wall for a modern or luxury home.
9. Wallpaper Accent Wall Ideas
Modern wallpaper today is nothing like the messy stuff of yesteryears. The process is easier and goes smoother. There’s even temporary wallpaper that sticks to the wall and removes easily later on.
What’s nice about modern wallpaper is that the colors are more vibrant, and the printing is sharper. There are repeating patterns and modern mural style patterns and everything in between.
You can use wallpaper in any room in the house. For example, try creating a bedroom accent wall behind the headboard of your bed.
Or create an accent wall in your bathroom if your toilet is in a separate area that sees less moisture. The wall behind your couch in the living room is another perfect wall for wallpaper.
Accent Wall FAQs
How do I choose which wall I should make the accent?
There are three things you need to consider when choosing your accent wall; focal point, symmetry, and inside corners. Think about where your eye naturally travels in the room. The wall where your eye goes naturally is a good choice. Next, consider the symmetry of that wall. It needs to have a balance for it to look good visually. Finally, make sure where you start and stop colors is on the inside corner. This will make it look purposeful.
Can I have multiple accent walls in my house?
Of course, you can! Just keep in mind that you shouldn’t be able to see multiple accent walls at the same time. This defeats the purpose. Another thing to think about is the decor in the rest of the room. There might be a different focal point in there already. You don’t want an accent wall to take away from that.
Can I make my accent wall functional?
You can use paint to create a chalkboard wall in your kitchen or gym. It will look like a black wall, but you can use chalk on it like you would a chalkboard. You can then write notes, recipes, a shopping list, or gym progress. The great part about this kind of accent wall is that you can erase it and start over. This makes your accent wall both functional and beautiful.
