Stunning Accent Wall Ideas that anyone can do! Unique feature wall ideas including moulding walls, wallpaper, paint, sharpies, and more!
Do you ever look at room in your home and think, “it’s just missing something…”. A lot of the time that room is just missing is a little bit of visual interest, and many times that can be solved with a simple accent wall! The number one design question I get is about accent walls. Which wall should I accent? What paint colours should I use? Do you have any accent wall ideas? So I’m spilling all of my accent wall ideas and knowledge today! Hopefully it will help make some design decisions a bit easier for you.
What is an Accent Wall?
An accent wall is simply a wall that has a different paint colour or decoration than the other walls in the space. It can bring depth and visual interest to the space, and can add personality to your home.
Do I Even Need an Accent Wall?
I have a few accent walls in my home, but accent walls aren’t right for every room or even every home. The first question to ask is about your own design preferences. Do you whether or not you want the paint or wall design to stand out in your space, or do you want your furniture and home decor to be the real design features.
If you have a beautiful art collection to display, or a beautiful wall of windows with a beautiful view, or even beautiful architectural details, for example, they may act as an accent wall on their own and you may not need an additional feature wall.
Where Should You Put an Accent Wall?
Your accent wall should be a wall that is the focal point of the room. Where does your eye naturally go when you walk into a space? The fireplace? The headboard of the bed? The high peak of your vaulted ceiling? Accenting the wall that naturally draws your eye to it, is the obvious choice.
Although there are also times, as in my entry, where there was no clear focal point, and we “fixed” that by creating a wall that drew your eye and attention as soon as you entered the space (And I have tons of great accent wall ideas below!)
What Colour Should My Accent Wall Be?
Colour and texture is all about personal preference in a space. My home, for example, is filled with high-contrast walls – deep moody colours beside bright, white walls. But I definitely wouldn’t recommend that for everyone if it’s not close to their personal style or taste. Overall there are two main camps for accent wall colours:
Staying Neutral – Many people have the majority of their homes is neutral colour, such as a bright white, warm beige, or soft grey. When choosing accent wall colours, it’s common to keep with that neutral theme and just add a bit of interest in colour or texture. You can do this by keeping the colour the same, and adding shiplap or a moulding feature wall. Alternatively, you can just move a few shades off your current colour to add an accented paint colour or wallpaper.
Adding a “Pop” – The other common approach is to add a”pop” in colour, design or texture to the space. Add a paint colour that speaks to you, and will really be accented against your other neutral walls. Some of my current favourites are navy blues, deep greens and blacks.
How Do I Make an Accent Wall?
If you’re looking for something more than just paint, here’s a whole playlist of accent wall ideas to check out! There are several tutorials in this video playlist, for geometric walls, slat walls, wall murals, and more!
You can find these tutorials and more below as well, but here’s a great place to start if you want to see the tools and paint brushes in action!
20+ Stunning Accent Wall Ideas
Moulding Accent Wall Ideas
DIY Moulding Accent walls ideas are everywhere now, and they are not going away anytime soon! They can be personalized to suit your own style and add a ton of personality to a space!
This moulding accent wall is the star of this space! It grabs your attention right away because of the moody colours and the interesting visual. The way the light plays off the lines from the moulding give it even more character!
This geometric moulding wall was one of the first tutorials to grace Pinterest's presence. I love everything about this modern moulding accent wall, from the bold design to the deep colour.
The juxtaposition of the light wood against the dark wall has a beautiful effect in this space! Love the bold patterns and modern lines used for this molding wall.
This modern board and batten design takes mouldings 2/3rds up the wall to create a tall, contemporary look! This room uses the board and batten on all walls of this small powder room, but you can easily make this a single accent wall by following the video tutorial!
Black is back and here to stay! I love every dark wall I see, and the addition of these thin black mouldings give this wall a dramatic flare.
Board and batten has been around for a long time, but new contemporary designs, like this one with off-set slats, are taking centre stage.
Shiplap Accent Wall Ideas
Typically people using shiplap across all of the walls in a room or space. When you're looking at using shiplap as an accent wall, there are a couple of beautiful modern ways to do it!
If you're looking for a new modern twist on the traditional shiplap, look no further than flipping it vertically! By varying the width and changing the orientation, it gives this trend new life!
By steering away from the traditional neutrals colours, you can really steer a beautiful accent wall away from "farmhousy" and into "contemporary".
Painted and Drawn On Accent Wall Ideas
One of the most affordable ways to create an accent wall, is hand-drawn designs with paint and markers! Designers are getting more and more creative with these affordable accent wall ideas.
Everyone pull our your sharpies, because you're going to want to recreate this masterpiece! Looks like contemporary wallpaper, but costs a fraction of the price! Love this hand-drawn design!
I'm in awe of these marker designs. This was drawn onto the wall with a paint pen! Although it was probably a bit more time consuming than wallpaper, you'll save a bundle, and a guest would never spot the difference!
Painting doesn't have to involve rollers and gallons of paint! Love this approach to stamping your own beautiful accent wall.
Wall murals are creeping up more and more, and it's no surprise because the results are stunning. This paint by numbers piece is one that anyone could do, but truly looks custom made!
Adding a design to your wall is no harder than a couple colours of paint and some frog tape! The results of this buffalo check wall are beautiful!
Wooden Accent Wall Ideas
Remember all of that wood panelling? Well... they say what goes around, comes around! Wood slats are becoming more and more popular. They are taking on a more modern edge than the traditional panelling did though!
These thin vertical lines create a stunning focal point around the television in this space. I've seen more and more of these vertical patterns popping up, and I'm loving the trend!
You don't have to leave the wood raw to have a beautiful slat accent wall! This DIY tutorial gives a step-by-step guide for creating your own slat wall and customizing the design for your space!
The classic herringbone is moving from floors to walls. Love the texture and pattern of this wooden feature wall.
Another wood slat wall, but this time with horizontal lines. The natural wood breaths so much life into this space, and the design creates a focal point for the art.
I don't know weather to categorize this as a moulding wall, a wood slat wall, or art! But I think it fits into all three categories. This is a great example of how an accent wall doesn't have to take up the entire wall to make a statement.
Wallpaper Accent Wall Ideas
Wallpaper is more versatile now than it ever has been! With options ranging from removable options to decals that are easy to take on and off, it's never been easier to transform a room. Wallpaper is a great way to add personality or playfulness to a space.
With all of the removable and peel 'n stick options, it's super easy to go bold with your wallpaper designs! Choose a design that speaks to you, like this beautiful shibori print!
A more subtle print can do wonders for a blank white wall too! Never underestimate the power of a pattern, like this simple geometric one in this Dining Room Wallpaper.
I love the way that this accent mural wallpaper runs behind the shelves creating it's own accent wall. The scandinavian design (and that herringbone again!), really pops agains the sleek straight edges of the shelving.
Gallery Wall and Artwork Accent Wall Ideas
Accent walls can also be created by adding visuals to the space! My favourite way to do this is through a modern gallery wall, or with large scale artwork. Both can help create a focal point where there wasn't one before and transform a blank wall.
When you're not sure what do to with that blank wall, start by adding some picture frames! A simple gallery wall, like this one with nine square frames accents the hallway beautifully.
Add a little paint behind your gallery wall for an even bigger visual impact. Love the large scale of these poster sized images!
Artwork can easily become the focal point of a space, so why not allow it to be your accent wall! The combination of paint and a large-scale vintage map here can inspire so many beautiful accent wall ideas!
If you won't want to commit to wallpaper, why not frame those bold patterns! This large scale artwork makes for a stunning feature wall.
Shreya Dalela
Monday 22nd of November 2021
Love how these modern wall accent ideas are soo simple yet inspiring. Perfect activity for home decor!
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brian
Tuesday 3rd of November 2020
hi! what paint color or code is that wall, the one with golden wood accent?
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