Decorating with accent walls

If you feel your home is beginning to feel a little bit bland to the eye, maybe it is time to redecorate. The easiest way to make a room look like it has had a major makeover is to introduce an accent wall. “An accent wall is loosely defined as the use of different material, colour, or texture in a room that adds aesthetic value,” defines Joash Yose, a technical director at Guru Concepts.

An accent wall is great for correcting architectural challenges, for instance if you have a room that is awkward in shape, you may be able to even out the space by turning the right wall into an accent wall. An accent wall can also help to make colours or designs used in the furniture in the room really pop according to Faith Tusiime, a home owner.  She says, “We opted for mink for our accent wall following advice from a paint technician. The colour makes our floor tiles that are grey and brown pop.”

She uses a blend of colour and ornaments to make her wall stand out and make the room more inviting and cosier. 
“At the top of my accent wall, are a set of plastic circles painted in gold and brown. The colour runs throughout the rest of the house, including the furniture, curtains and floor,” she explains.

Types
Accent walls are distinguished by colour preferences, trends, and ornamental attachments or accessories. It is common to come across an accent painted in a specific colour shade which is distinctively set apart from the other walls in a room.
Yose tips homeowners to explore other unique patterns for designing wall accents.
He explains, “Wall accents should hold a sense of design away from the ordinary touch. They should be more than just a wall shade and can come in different designs.”

The expert says there are a number of ways to make accent walls stand out. He says, “Users can opt for flower pockets evenly spaced on the wall, or wood and stone work. Lighting is also trendy and can be incorporated either as spot lights or strip lights.”
Additionally, home owners can opt for wall paper just in case they prefer temporary mechanisms for their wall accents. “If you prefer minimalism, avoid designs that will not clutter the space such as too much wood work or too many ornaments,” he says.

Costs
According to Yose, the choice of material used is definitive of the cost of the project. The style or technique used he adds, also varies within pricing.
“ In case a client opted for simple wooden accents, that would entirely include items such as paint at Shs 20,000, finishes such as sanding sealer at Shs18,000 per litre, thinner at Shs9,000 per litre, ply wood at Shs65,000, packet of screws at Shs20,000, medium density fibre (mdf) both white and brown at Shs400,000,” says Yose.
Machine work, he explains is required which involves cutting, smoothing and adding edges to corners of boards which is a 10 percent fee off cost of materials.
“The cost of craftsmanship is usually 28 percent of the cost of materials used, hence bringing the average cost to between Shs650,000 and Shs1,000,000,” he says.

Essential do’s and don’ts
You have unlimited paint options for your accent wall, as well as other surfaces and materials. Even the location of your accent wall is purely personal.  Your home is unique, so your accent wall should be just as special.  Accent walls can be used in any room if you know the essential do’s and don’ts.
Do not shy away from using bold colour for your accent wall. As long as you have the right accents around the room to coordinate with your new colour, you can choose whatever colour makes you happy.

Think outside the box when you are considering your new accent wall. You are not limited to simple wall paint covering the wall. Think about other ways to use paint colour. Your accent wall may be perfect for stripes or for a specialty paint finish. Metallics are powerful style statements for an accent wall.
Do not forget that there is more to accent walls than just paint. Have you considered stone or tile for your accent wall?  Extensive shelving can also work as an accent wall in a room that lacks an architectural feature and lacks storage. 

Your accent wall can also include a gallery of photos or artwork or even a fabric-draped wall. The secret to accent walls is that they are the most flexible decorating secret weapon you can have. The only rule for accent walls is that they accent a wall. That is it.
Take into account the colour on your other walls.  Most accent walls look best when they adjoin walls in a light to medium shade. Accent walls in an all-white room are stunning but tricky. The contrast of a bright accent wall against white walls can look very modern and even stark.
 
Balance your strong accent wall colour with neutral wall colours on the other walls. Your neutral walls can be grey or beige, whatever works best with your accent colour. If you choose to accent a wall in a white room, soften the contrast with mid-tone accent colours to bridge the difference.