Merchandising and Interior Design Tips

Adding Zing with Accent Paint

October 22, 2014

Accent painted walls are a great way to add color to a space. They let you experiment with small doses of a bright, bold hue or give you a chance to add a subtle contrast to your existing palette.

Accent walls can also help create color flow throughout your home. By bringing in variations of the colors in paint, fabrics and accessories in adjoining rooms, you can create a clear visual flow from space to space.

Using bold, colorful shades in moderation is a great way to try out a strong color if you aren’t sure how you will like it. A lively splash of color on one wall is an instant pick-me-up for a ho-hum space without committing to the color on all walls or the entire house.

If you want more color in your space but prefer a more subdued contrast, try using a deeper version of your existing wall color on one strategic wall — or even on the ceiling.

A pop of color can change your entire mood and may be just enough to provide the fresh look you are hoping to achieve.

Choosing the Right Color and the Right Wall

Color theory teaches us that warm colors — reds, oranges and yellows — tend to pull a wall towards the eye. For example, if you paint a wall bright red, that wall will seem closer to you than a white wall. Therefore, in a long, narrow room, painting a side wall red can make the room feel tight, while painting the end wall may add balance to the space.

Cool colors — blues, greens and purples — have the opposite effect of warm colors, pushing walls away from the eye. Consequently, you can make a short room seem longer or a skinny room feel wider by painting an end wall or a side wall in a cool hue.

Carefully choose which wall to accent paint. A dramatic accent wall will lose much of its impact if it’s hidden behind floor-to-ceiling drapes or large furniture pieces. In contrast, a bare accent wall can potentially bring more pop to a room than you planned for.

Discover your ideal accent wall. Dramatic features like a fireplace or a prized piece of furniture may be a good reason to make that wall stand out with color. Ask friends to quickly tell you which wall attracts their eye first when they come into a room. In most cases, that wall will be the natural choice to accent paint.