When considering your interior décor, it is important to know what paint color(s) you want to surround yourself with and what looks best with your furnishings. The wall color is 60% of the overall design theme. Color evokes emotional responses in all of us. It can bring instant tranquility, remind us of an era gone by, or transport us to a romantic trip to Italy. Let’s take a closer look at how we can use paint color in one specific way: accent walls.
What About Accent Walls?
Use accent walls to highlight your decor, evoke emotional responses, or even compliment and contrast the ambient light.
I am often asked, “Are accent walls in?” The word “accent” means accentuate, or “look here.” I am all for drawing attention to a beautiful piece of art by using a carefully selected paint color that greatly compliments the art. There are architectural elements that benefit from a strategic placement of an accent wall. Considering elements that bring weight to a space, could benefit from a balancing effect of an accent wall. The objective is to generate your desired feeling and stay in your design lane.
Design Themes
If your design theme is modern, one could choose white walls with splashes of brighter colors for accent walls. The chosen color would determine the feeling. For instance, a tangerine wall has an upbeat lively feel when compared to a tranquil blue aqua wall. If your preference is more traditional, one thinks of saturated colors. Benjamin Moore’s Hale Navy, and Van Deusen Blue are very popular choices.
Accent walls do not always need to be a contrast to surroundings. They can also be subtle, light, barely-there colors. It all depends on what the desired feel is, and what the space calls for.
Special Cases for Accent Walls
Sometimes there is an undesired effect on a paint color in a space. For example, the reflection of the golf green on a living room wall turning your favorite shade of tan into brassy green. Selecting an accent color for this wall that is not affected by the grass tone bouncing of the golf green can be a benefit.
Bright sunlight and the absence of natural light in a room may require a monochromatic color selection. This can help achieve the balanced look of all walls appearing the same, instead of a washed out wall from sunlight, and a blah-feeling room.
Wall Colors Can Accentuate Art, Décor, and Even Nature
The careful placement of art and accent walls adds interest and tells a story about you. When considering the placement of an accent color, ask yourself, do I want to draw the eye to this location? Why? I believe that the eye should be drawn to the most important element.
If the view outside is the focus, then the wall color that the eye sees needs to compliment the colors of nature, not compete. Accentuate and enhance the colors of nature by allowing them to come into your space.
Color Consultation is Available
Getting it right can seem daunting. Our color consultation service is designed to assist the client in understanding what their design preferences are, their emotional reaction to colors and addresses the myriad of questions that come with a home make over. Before embarking on any kind of remodel, it is most beneficial to decide what color everything is going to be, before you start the demo process. If you have a clear vision, with color map in hand, your decision process when selecting counters, tile, carpet, fixtures, and finally paint colors will be stress free. Contact us at Painting America for expert color consulation for your next project.
