Accent Walls in Your Home

Glossy magazines show beautiful accent walls in vibrant colors and interesting room arrangements, but they seldom turn out that way when the home owner attempts to achieve the same results.  Why?  Mostly it's great photography and architectural attributes found in the staged scenes for the magazines are factors that effect the result.

You too, however, can achieve success on a more modest scale with a few good choices adapted to your home.  First of all, if you want to bring attention to a wall in need of a focal point, and paint is your choice to make a statement, take your cues from something in the room that you especially love; a painting, print, area rug or some meaningful object 'd art.  If your particular piece is colorful, choose a color from that object to paint your wall, so that the piece will be enhanced by the background color.  You may be surprised at the number of objects that you possess with the same color, as you naturally gravitate to colors that please your eye.

Once you find a color that you think you'd like to try, buy a quart or a sample--sized can in that color and paint it on the wall in a fairly large section; then live with it for awhile, along with the object or painting you are highlighting.  Lighting will be key to your satisfaction, so determine if you need more light to bring your accent wall to life; if so, how can you add light?  Perhaps a pair of lamps on a console, table, or counter would work.  If you don't have a structure on which to set lamps, consider a floor lamp or small upward--pointing lights that can be hidden behind a potted fern or palm, which will add an interesting shadow from the plant as well.

If you have a window nearby, you may be able to enhance the light coming into the area by removing heaving drapes or curtains and  adding a shade in a natural grass or lighter fabric.  The latter still affords privacy, if needed-- for instance at an entry.

Accent walls need not be large; a small part of a large wall can create an interesting focal point by using simple molding to "frame" in a section or a series of panels across a wall with the centers painted a different color; either with a high contrast or a low contrast color depending on what you wish to focus on in your room.  You may want to experiment with some wall covering, either paper or fabric, since a small area is not as great a commitment as an entire room.

Take a look around your home; find an area you'd like to focus on and try something new.   You never know what you can achieve until you try, and you can always change.   Remember my favorite saying is, "'It's only paint", not a major expense in time or money.