The accent wall is an interesting or bright design of a large section of a wall. Oftentimes, the entire wall is used as a canvas for the eye-catching decorations. USA and UK designers have two major requirement to such a solution: it should comply with the overall concept of the living room, and stand out against the main colors of the horizontal and vertical surfaces. Your parlor will benefit from such an interior component, because:

  • The accent wall allows to cheer up a rather monotonous interior through the introduction of a moderately bright and attention-getting vertical surface;
  • Such an interior constituent immediately attracts the attention of guests who visit your home for the first time. Be sure, they will spend the first 5-10 minutes admiring the accentuating arrangement the wall features.
  • The strong emphasis will distract the guests’ attention from any nearby unsightly interior element, thus improving your friends’ impression from the design concept of your living room.

Basics of accentuating a wall in the drawing room.

Designing an accent wall in your living room is a rather difficult task; it requires an intelligent, circumspect approach. If you treat this challenge lightly, you may make a real mess of things, and redoing everything will require additional money and work. In order to simplify the task for amateurs, professional USA and UK designers have defined several basic principles of creating such an interior element in the sitting room. Familiarize yourself with them, so that you have a general understanding of the conceptual aspects of designing an accent wall and its role in the interior environment.

  1. The accentuated area should be considerably less than the total area of vertical surfaces in the parlor. In other words, emphasizing two out of the four walls is the maximum. However, it’s a task within the power of experienced designers only; if you’re a beginner, it’s safer to start with one wall or just a section thereof. Otherwise, instead of a beautiful highlight that elevates the space, you’ll obtain a heavy, over-saturated interior.
  2. No one obliges you to use the accentuated wall as a stand-alone emphasis. You could employ two design zests simultaneously. For instance, replace the door from the kitchen to the living room with an arch and highlight a part of the wall around it.
  3. Different approaches are possible in finishing the accent wall. You may rely on brighter colors or highlight the surface with an unusual, attractive texture. Just remember to make sure the result of your efforts fits well in the overall design picture.
  4. Opting for bright colors as the foundation of your accentuation, think about how they are perceived. In other words, in addition to relying on your own taste and preferences, consider what psychologists say about this or that color. Thus, you will be sure the interior solution will not cause annoyance or discomfort in the long run.
  5. Choose the location of the highlight deliberately. This determines what impression the living room will produce on your home-mates and guests.
  6. Consider using the accent wall to emphasize the presence of one or another functional zone in your living room. Designers believe this solution is most suitable for highlighting the leisure area.
  7. Keep in mind the emphasized wall is a trick used to achieve a balanced design of the living room. Although it’s meant to improve the interior and make it more harmonious, this solution may cause an imbalance if you fail to execute it properly. Spare some time to learn more about the nuances of creating this interior element for achieving the best result.

Choosing the location of the accent wall.

Choosing an appropriate location for the highlight is crucial. It will harmonize the interior arrangement, and enable the accent to successfully perform all the functions the designer imposes on it. US Professionals with a solid experience in creating such focal points have a range of hints for novices.

  • If it doesn’t go against the overall design concept, place the emphasis on the wall opposite to the entrance. This variant is the most spectacular, as the highlight catches the eyes of your guests as soon as they enter the living room.
  • Place the accent in such a way that it separates one functional zone from another. This solution is especially welcome in open layouts that combine drastically different areas (living room/kitchen, living room/bedroom, etc.) within one space. Such a combined interior needs visual dividers badly.
  • Oftentimes, the accent wall is located behind a beautiful attention-grabbing element, such as a fireplace. The focal point will only benefit from the highlighted vertical surface behind it.
  • Some people prefer to accentuate the wall behind the TV. In this case, avoid very bright colors, as the abundance of saturated colors or eye-catching decorations might distract you from watching your favorite TV shows.

Color Scheme ideas for the accent wall in your parlor.

Painting the wall with a bright color is believed by many amateur designers to be the best way to form a focal point. Although it’s perfect for some cases, the colorful spots solution may fail to emphasize the majesty and intricacy or the design concept in a sophisticated contemporary living room. Elegant parlor interiors require more complicated accent wall ideas. To succeed, use the following guidance:

  • Warm tones tend to narrow down the space, so avoid their abundance in a small living room. However, you can’t go without any warmth in the palette at all, lest the space will be too cold and devoid of coziness. Opt for a warm shade if you place the accent on one of the shorter walls.
  • Cold tones are said to expand the space, so employ blue, violet, green or gray to emphasize one of the longer walls in your living room.
  • Pastel tones of any color are unable to attract attention on their own. If you want to use a pastel shade in the accent wall finishing, add several bright, juicy spots and unusual textures.

Similar Posts