Do you need an Accent Wall? Take this Test

I am not an accent-wall-happy colourist. Personally I think they are mostly dated (from the 80’s & 90’s). The minute I say this, I know I’ll get emails with questions starting with, ‘I know you don’t like accent walls, but what do you think. . . ?’ So I’m starting this post with a disclaimer; I don’t entirely dislike accent walls when they are tastefully done There are times when I suggest them and times when they don’t work at all. Here are 10 ways to know if an accent wall is right for your home:

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1. Are you decor challenged? Or is your decorating budget small? At a colour consultation a few months ago I had a client say to me “I don’t have a big budget for decor so I would like some accent walls to bring in some extra punch and colour”. If this is where you find yourself, then by all means, get the colour somewhere in your home cause it’ll make you happy :)

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2. Do you have children’s rooms to decorate? I love choosing two colours (or even more, depending on the space) to go with the bedding or furniture in the room. Remember a kid’s room is their personal space where the rest of the house is yours so here’s where I ignore colour flow.

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Love the pink and coral in this room (above)!

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Here the gold accent wall (above) was repeated in the fancy dresser/change table!

3. Do you have a small character home with heavy molding everywhere (base and crown) small square rooms? Then mostly I would say no. In this room below, the accent wall works because it’s a totally symmetrical room, and you can see that they’ve taken a paler shade of lavender and continued that along the rest of the walls.

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4. Do you have a contemporary or modern home? If your answer is yes, than an accent wall on a focal point wall (below) could be completely appropriate and fabulous!

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5. Do you love wallpaper or stripes? If you love it but don’t want to commit to an entire room, the focal point wall (below) is a great place for it!

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Just make sure you continue the background colour of the wallpaper on the surrounding walls! I really dislike the look of white walls with only one wall of colourful paper! The walls in the room below (in my opinion) should have been painted in the greeny beige of the background to really finish this room properly.

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6. Do you have bookshelves or a niche to paint? Accent colours can look fabulous inside them!



7. Does your dining room need to be defined by another colour? If your dining room is simply on the other side of the living room, painting that wall (below) can be a great way to make a statement! (But only if it doesn’t have a window, if you have a 50’s house with an L shaped room – this doesn’t apply to you!).

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8. Do you have a stairwell that needs some life? Here’s a way to do it, just make sure you paint the rest of the walls a colour that coordinates with the rest of your decor—personally I think the white is way to stark here (but of course I would say that :).

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9. Are you missing a headboard or have too much white [bedding] in your Bedroom? Then an accent wall could be the way to create the feeling of drama and colour that you are looking for. Just don’t leave the other 3 walls out!

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10. Does your fireplace stone go right up to the ceiling? If it does then don’t even think about painting that wall! It just cuts the colour in half and doesn’t look good!

Hopefully these guidelines (remember they are not rules which are meant to be broken) will help you when considering if an accent wall would work in your home!

If you want your home to have atmosphere including colours that flow to fill you with happiness every time you walk in. Contact me by email for on-line rates or call me directly if you are local.

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