How To Create The Ultimate Feature Wall

Looking to create the ultimate feature wall in your home?

Well, a feature wall, also known as an accent wall, is an interior wall that stands out from the other walls in the room by design.

This wall adds personality, interest, and energy to any room, through color, texture, and contrast.

Thanks to its uniqueness, a feature wall can largely impact the look and feel of any space, thus, its significant visual impact.

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How To Create The Ultimate Feature Wall

While painting all your walls in one color can be very unifying, it can get boring, especially if your walls are plain and blank.

Thus, by identifying one wall and giving it a whole different look, you can change the mood and personality of a room.

If you’re convinced about making such a statement in your interiors, it’s time to create a feature wall.

RadDadBuilds created this feature wall. Check out the step-by-step DIY video tutorial here. 

In this article, we explore some quick dos and don’ts of creating a feature wall, as well as amazing feature wall ideas to employ around your home.

Here is what to keep in mind:

1. Choose A Wall With No Obstruction

The wall you choose needs to be large enough to take the color or the effect that you’ve chosen.

This wall should be in an ideal location, preferably, away from any obstructions. This ensures that your eye is first drawn up to this wall when you enter the room.

Also, it’s wise to pick a wall with no doors or windows if it really has to stand out.

You also want to strategically place the furniture to avoid obscuring the wall with too many items– the aim of a feature wall is to guide the eye towards a room’s best assets and design features without overwhelming.

2. Highlight Your Focal Point

Allowing your feature wall to stand out is key.

Then again, do not randomly select a wall to highlight, even if it has no obstructions.

The feature wall should be used to highlight the room’s existing focal point. This could mean an Insta-worthy dining area, a majestic headboard in the bedroom, or the wall where the TV is.

Consider using dark paint to create a strong feature wall that creates a perfect backdrop for special possessions. 

The point is that the eye should be drawn to one spot and if the feature wall is anywhere other than the focal area, the eye will not have a place to rest. Instead, you will be distracted by the much going on.

 

Pro tip: Before deciding what should be your accent wall, look at the architectural elements of your home. Got a fireplace? Then you already have a feature wall. Just dress it up and you’ll be good to go!

Draw attention to an existing focal point through color, paneling, artistic stonework or even, built-in shelves and bookcases.

Ideally, let the architecture of the room be your guide.

3. Think Bold Colors

When choosing a feature wall color, consider the rest of the room and the impact you want to have on the space.

Normally, most rooms are painted in a neutral color. And since a feature wall should stand out from the rest of the walls around the room, you want to be brave with your color choices. This can be a bold paint color or wallpaper too.

A strong contrasting shade would inject so much energy and depth to the room.

However, if you’re a maximalist and already have your walls painted brightly, try a complementary color that is a few shades darker or lighter on the feature wall.

Pro Tip…

It’s important to remember that a feature wall doesn’t need to be overly bright or dramatically dark to have an impact. As a general rule, choose a slightly darker shade to the other walls to create a clear focus.

4. Compliment Your Colors

Ideally, you want to create a feature wall that stands out, thus, the bright color choices.

However, make sure that whatever color or pattern you choose for your feature wall complements the rest of the room to ensure the room is well tied together.

Your feature wall should work within the grander scheme of the room.

To ensure you achieve this, draw out two or three colours from the design that you can use elsewhere.

Either choose a fairly neutral color to use on the three remaining walls or the main background color for the accessories around the room.

For instance, in plain wallpaper. For instance, a few green throw pillows on the sofa would complement a mountain green feature wall.

It’s not a good idea to just go for bold colors just for the sake of bold.

5. Explore Materials

While paint and wallpaper are the most common ways of creating a feature wall, you don’t have to be limited to these choices alone.

You can also create feature walls out of tile, stunning stone, and reclaimed wood, just to name a few materials. Other alternatives include patterned paper, timber, brick, or pressed metal.

Board and batten is becoming more and more popular for both interior and exterior walls. 

You can also go for wall murals instead of wallpaper. Murals are easier to hang compared with regular wallpaper as they can be printed to your wall size, blown up, scaled-down, and customized as you prefer.

These will all create a dynamic feature wall that adds real personality and interest to your space.

6. Go Big

You want to create a feature wall that makes a statement. Since feature walls are so bold, the room needs to breathe to ensure it doesn’t come off as constricting.

That’s why it’s advisable to steer away from creature feature walls in small rooms as they only make the room look smaller, thus, uncomfortable.

Also, if the room is crowded and has so much going on already, it can be confusing to the eye and create a sense of chaos. 

7. Accessorize Your Wall

Where you choose to create a feature wall depends on what you’re showcasing. It could be the existing focal point of the room.

However, some rooms have no existing focal points. The good news is that you can create your own focal points in such rooms, and one way to do this is by accessorizing the feature wall you just created.

While wallpaper stands out easily without accessorizing, it would be wise to decorate a painted wall.

Create a gallery wall by hanging photos, hats, decorative plates, or rattan baskets. You can also add a wall sconce, a statement piece of artwork, or a sunburst mirror.

The goal is to add detail to your wall, but remember to do it well enough to ensure your feature wall is not too busy and destructive.

You May Also Like: 15 Ideas of Decorating your Walls- No Repainting Necessary

Feature Wall Ideas To Try

1. Go Bold & Solid

Bold and solid paint choices are popular and make the perfect backdrop to more elaborate designs.

While you can just slap one bold color on an accent wall, create more drama by painting in stripes or circles.

2. Display Those Photos

A photo collage wall is a perfect way to create a feature wall without spending much. You can mix frame sizes to add interest to the walls

3. Or Some Fine China

Wondering what to do with your old Fina china sitting in the box? Create a unique feature wall. Decorate platters and china dishes of all shapes, sizes and colors can really pull of an artistic feature wall.

4. Add Dramatic Wallpaper

For a truly dramatic look, go for patterned wallpaper with a large scale design in contrasting colors.

Using wallpaper on a single wall is a fabulous way to create instant impact.

There are a lot of great patterns, bold colors, and textures of wallpaper that can really make a statement in a room.

Play around with strong patterns, colors, and textures or, if a subtle effect is more your style, choose neutral tones with a textured finish or a simple yet striking pattern such as damask or floral to add interest.

You May Also Like: 15 Creative Ways of Decorating with Wallpaper

5. Create A Feature Backsplash

You might be wondering where to add a feature wall in your kitchen, but your backsplash is there!

A simple, pared-back kitchen with a feature splashback will have an instant visual impact. It even works well in small spaces.

6. Accentuate Your Headboard

The best way to create a feature wall in your bedroom is by accentuating the wall behind the head of the bed.

This area is perfect for accentuating a statement or upholstered headboard, or beautiful bedding.

You can go as big and bold as you like without disturbing your line of sight with bright colors or busy patterns whilst relaxing in bed. 

You May Also Like: 15 Makeover Ideas to Transform your Bedroom

7. Intrigue!

Position an intriguing feature wall at the farthest point, particularly in the line of sight from the entrance. This invites you to into the room, luring you to explore further.

8. Extend Your Outdoors

A feature wall is a great way to bring the outdoors in, particularly, if you’re unsure about the exact choice of wall color to go for.

A good example would be using a dark green color on your feature wall to enhance an outdoor garden connection without overdoing it.

A blue feature wall would be a great choice for your space if you leave close to the beach and would want to bring the vibe inside.

9. Tie It To The Rest of the Room

When creating a feature wall, be prepared to swap in accessories to echo your new wall color to tie the palette together.

10. Go Multi-Colored!

Why stop at one shade when you can inject more colors to your feature wall?

Remember to keep things cohesive by picking the colors from different elements around the room-think the couch, throw pillows, or lamp. This creates a unifying effect that’s much desired.

Unless you have the skills to cut in a straight line, a painter’s tape is essential for not only achieving sharp, crisp lines but protecting trim or baseboard from paint splatter and paint bleeding when rolling walls.

Thus, be sure to invest in proper paint-blocking masking tape, which will ensure crisp edges to your paintwork.

11. Or Geometric!

A geometric print, when used on just one wall, creates a visually arresting feature wall. Be sure to not overwhelm the room by using geometry on all walls as it can make you feel like you’re living in a giant optical illusion.

12. Prints Are Amazing!

Have you tried showcasing something you love through prints? Use an oversized print! A leafy print would perfectly reflect nature.

13. Don’t Forget The Hallway

By design, the hallway links many parts of the house.

However, many homeowners have forgotten this area and some have left it blank and boring.

Spice things us a little by accenting one wall. And, consider the flow of color throughout the home as a whole to ensure the area doesn’t seem in isolation.

You May Also Like: 18 Creative Ways to Decorate your Entryway

14. Try A Feature Corner

You not only need a feature wall to add drama to your interiors, a feature corner can also stand-out beautifully, ensuring you enjoy the beauty of your wallpaper or bold paint from two different angles!

Pro Tip: Remember that not every room in your home should have a feature wall. Thus, take your time to identify the potential for a feature wall to create a wall that will enhance your space, and not an epic fail.

You May Also Like: 10 Home Decorating Ideas For Your Home-Even on a Budget

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