Spring into Color!

A change of season calls for a special round of cleaning, and sometimes seeing your home in new light makes you want to do something different. If you’re looking for a change but aren’t ready to commit to a large-scale renovation project, painting an accent wall is an easy way to freshen up a room. Accent walls contrast against the other three walls in a room to create a powerful sightline that can easily make a room feel bigger and more dramatic.

However, achieving a successful accent wall isn’t quite as easy as slapping your favorite color of paint on the wall of your choosing. Talk to other homeowners and you’re sure to meet a few who found that their accent wall attempts were met with disaster. Getting an accent wall exactly right requires paying close attention to color, design and layout, and without taking the time to plan your wall, you’ll find yourself with a room that loses its sense of theme.

For finding success with your accent wall, follow the suggestions in this guide.

Easy Accent Wall Mistakes to Avoid

The first step in painting an accent wall is choosing which wall to paint. Many people make the mistake of automatically choosing the first wall they see when walking in a room. While this strategy often works, it’s important to take other factors into consideration, too. For example, it’s not smart to have an accent wall if it’s going to have visual competition from another wall. If you have a fireplace or large picture frames on one of your walls, making another wall an accent wall will only make the room feel busy.

It’s also important to ensure your accent wall fits the color theme of the surrounding room. Without simple ways of tying the color theme into the rest of the décor, it will get lost in the overall design. Sometimes it helps to review a sample gallery to gather design ideas for your own home.

Best Tips for Success

To successfully choose which wall to make an accent wall, you can follow these suggestions.

• Choose a solid wall: Accent walls are typically solid without any windows or doors. It’s okay to make an exception for a truly stunning view or window frame, though.
• Make sure it’s the natural focal point: Look around the room for what first captures your attention. Do you have a plant, painting or even piece of furniture you want to highlight? Making the wall behind it an accent wall will ensure it stands out.
• Don’t let the wall be too bare: A well-balanced design requires proper furniture placement around your accent wall. Make sure your furniture arrangement fits the flow of the room without leaving your accent wall looking like an island on its own.
• Choose a short wall: To make a rectangular room look longer, make the short wall farthest from the entry the accent wall. This draws attention and makes the room feel more square.

Choosing the right Color for an Accent Wall

When it comes to designing an accent wall, color can make all the difference. If your room is naturally a little featureless, making one wall a vivid color can add visual interest. Conversely, if you’re looking to keep a soft and unobtrusive vibe, you can paint one wall a few shades darker than the room’s main color.

It’s also important to decide if you want your accent wall to be a warm or cool color. Warm colors (like orange, yellow and red) tend to pull the wall towards your eye, which makes a space feel smaller and cozier- a good choice for long, narrow rooms. In contrast, cool colors like green, blue and purple pull the eye away and make rooms feel larger, an easy trick to trick yourself into thinking you have more square footage than you do!

Getting an Expert on the Paint Job

An accent wall may be an easy way to give your house an update, but you don’t need to be the one doing the dirty work. If you’re ready to call in the services of a professional painting company, FCI Painting can do the job for you. To find out more and get a free quote, call (239) 435-1001.