How Do I Choose the Right Accent Wall Color?

There are many ways to highlight an interior. You might purchase new furniture and arrange it in unexpected ways, or invest in finish carpentry and moldings to ornament your once box-like room.
Adding an accent wall to your interior is another bold choice. Of course, you must put a lot of thought into the location and look of your accent wall, or else you risk throwing the room off balance. How do you make these decisions?
Here are some tips for choosing the right accent wall color for your interior.
How to Choose the Right Accent Wall
What’s an Accent Wall?
No, an accent wall doesn’t speak with a foreign inflection. Here, the term “accent” refers to contrast and separation. An accent wall stands out from the other walls in a room by boasting a unique design and/or color. This difference may be subtle or stark depending on your preference. Nevertheless, the purpose of an accent wall is to call attention to itself, serving as a focal point for the eye.
Which Wall Works?
The first step in designing your accent wall is deciding which wall should bear this title. At first, the choice might seem arbitrary. However, this is not the case. You want to choose the wall that’s already interesting or unique in some way. For instance, do any of your walls feature a decorative and/or functional aspect that already draws attention, such as a fireplace or shelving unit?
You might also consider the direction each wall faces, or which wall can be most easily seen from another room. For maximum impact, try picking a solid wall without doors or windows so it can make its own statement. The room’s shape might also inform your decision. If it’s rectangular, for instance, consider choosing one of the shorter walls for your accent wall to balance the interior.
Of course, you might find that none of your walls are particularly interesting. If that’s the case, choosing an accent wall is more of a gut decision. If you’re feeling unsure, your Raleigh painting service can help.
Choosing the Right Color for Your Accent Wall
Once you’ve selected the wall you want to accent, it’s time to figure out how you want it to look. Accent walls might differ from other walls in texture and overall design, but color is typically the main distinction. And in some ways, it’s the hardest choice to make. Here are some things to consider when choosing your color.
When in Doubt, Go Darker
An accent wall can be any color, so long as it’s not the same as the rest of the walls around it. That said, painting your accent wall a lighter color than the surrounding walls may throw the room off balance, as our eyes tend to gravitate toward the darkest hues. So, if you want your accent wall to truly capture one’s attention, make it darker than the rest.
Complement the Color Scheme
If you’ve already chosen colors for (or painted) your standard walls, choosing an accent wall color is a bit easier. The same goes if you already have furniture, accessories, and artwork in place. All of these colors and designs give you a reference point to aid you in painting a room two colors. Your accent wall should work with the interior’s existing color scheme, which will narrow down your options.
Of course, if your room already has a dominant color, you’ll want your accent wall to act as a contrast, or else it will simply blend in.
Bright and Bold Aren’t Necessarily Better
We often associate the term “accentuate” with “bold” and even “flashy.” However, an accent wall doesn’t need to wake the dead to make a statement.
Sure, you’re free to have your Raleigh house painters coat your accent wall in a bright, heavily saturated color, and in some cases, this choice might fit your room’s overall atmosphere, temperature, and scheme. But oftentimes less is more. Neutral or muted accent colors will stand the test of time and still serve their purpose.
Let Anderson Painting Accentuate Your Interiors
Choosing paint colors may not be the most significant decision of your life, but it still matters. Making this choice on your own can be stressful, to say the least.
Reaching out to professional painters like Anderson Painting contractors can lighten your load and help you make the right choice for your accent wall. At Anderson Painting, we’ll work with you to pick the best colors for your home and then do the job right and on time. For more about us and everything we do, call us today at 919-610-1855 or email us at info@andersonpaintingnc.com!