Adding Pizzazz to
Your Home with Accent Walls
By Guest Blogger,
Stephanie Platt
I am a sucker for old houses, there is just something about
walking into a home that is unique and has lots of character. When my husband
and I went searching for a house I really wanted to choose one that oozed
character, but they were either out of my price range or needed way to much
work for us. So we ended up settling for a builder’s grade duplex that needed
some work. I wanted to punch up the
character and charm without going overboard on the budget. Accent walls are a great way to introduce some
character into your home.
An accent wall, or feature wall, is a
wall whose design differs from the design of the other walls in the room. The
accent wall's color can simply be a different shade of the color of the other
walls, or have a completely different design in terms of the color and material.
Accent walls are a great way to break up large spaces or to highlight an area
of interest, such as a fireplace or a nook. By using color or different
materials you can create an accent wall and most treatments are relatively easy
for any do-it-yourselfer.
Paint: Paint is
the easiest and cheapest way to add interest to a space. By choosing an accent wall you can go bold
and use darker, richer colors. You can also do patterns and stencil with
paint. In the picture you can see they
used and arabesque pattern in the same grey color, but to create contrast the
background is done in flat paint and the pattern is done in a semi-gloss or
gloss finish. This creates a look that is more subtle but still interesting.
Wallpaper: I
think that wall paper has gotten a bad rap over the years. Wallpaper can give you the opportunity to add
not only color to a wall but pattern as well. If you are not daring enough to
wall paper the whole wall you can section off your wall with trim. In the picture the wallpaper used is really
bold, but contained within the trim it almost looks like art work.
Stacked Stone/Brick (see picture above): Both
of these will add instant interest and character to any space. You can get a
wide range of styles, ranging from modern to rustic. You really want to choose a product/color
that works with your design aesthetic.
Do-it-yourself places sell these in faux and veneer styles that are easy
to install, light weight and budget friendly.
Wood (see picture above): Wood walls
have been growing in popularity over the last couple of years. There are some many different wood wall
styles that it would take another entire blog post to describe them. My favorite by far is the ship lap treatment.
This construction style was typically used in barns, sheds and other out
buildings. It gives a rustic, homey
feel. You can stain them or paint them, white is the most popular but adding
color really brings out the texture.
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