February 09, 2023

5 Paint Ideas for Stunning Living Room Accent Walls

Everyone wants to change up their living space from time to time. But we can’t always find the time (or cash!) to completely redecorate. Sound familiar? An accent wall may well be the decorating trick of your dreams.

Painting a single wall in your room is much less disruptive than redecorating the entire space. There’s no need to cover everything you own with dustsheets or lug every piece of furniture around.

That means you can carry on with normal life around the project. But most importantly, you can keep your home looking stylish and on point with the latest colour trends with minimal bother.

If you’re convinced on the accent wall front, all that’s left to do is choose which living room wall to paint, then select your colour. Read on as we discuss some great paint ideas for your living room accent wall.

1. Pick your favourite colour!

It’s easy to get bogged down in what’s hot and what’s not. Perhaps the purest, simplest thing to do is to add a colour you like! It’s much harder to get bored of an accent wall when it’s graced by a colour that simply makes you happy. And what better way to make your home a little bit more ‘you’?

Below, Victory Lane has been used on a single wall. The fabulous British racing green brings an easy botanical vibe to the room which leads out to the garden…

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2. Draw attention with an accent wall

By definition, accent walls are all about attention or ‘accentuating’. In its basic form, that means accentuating one wall to give a room more depth or character. But it can also be used to accentuate certain aspects of your living room.

Sometimes, architectural characteristics or features of a space can become a little lost or overlooked if they are all painted the same colour. Using multiple colours on an accent wall can right that wrong to put a spotlight on the most interesting parts of a room.

Here, the deep, dark, teal blue tones of After Midnight have been added to the main elements along one side of the room, while the fireplace and trims are pale – highlighting their character and detail.

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3. Or don’t…

The reverse is also true if you want to lessen the effect of something like radiators or doors and woodwork. You can paint them the same colour as your accent wall, so they don’t stand out. Learn more about this effect in our blog post on painting radiators.

4. Add a strong or dark colour without overpowering

Bold, dark colours can look amazing in your living room. But they might be too much for all four walls, depending on the size of the room, its aspect or orientation and the amount of natural light being let in.

An accent wall allows you to incorporate bold, dark colours while contrasting other parts of the room. Doing so adds interest, drama and – as below – a luxe feel.

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In this case, Black Forest is used for the accent wall in both the bedroom and ensuite bathroom – tying in the spaces beautifully. Because the rest of the room is pale and neutral, the striking off-black with a green tone does not overpower or darken the space.

5. Tie things together

It’s not just different rooms that can be tied together using an accent wall. In many living rooms, walls are left the same colour with furniture adding interest to a space. If this sounds familiar, adding a feature wall in a complementary hue (similar to the furniture) can really bring everything together.

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Above, you can see how the addition of mid-grey Spitfire on the accent wall has a grounding effect, adding interest while maintaining the muted palette from the sofa, rug and other smaller features.

Start loving your living room

There’s nothing better than transforming your living room into somewhere that you love to spend time. As we’ve shown above, it’s not as hard as you think. For more simple ideas on how to add colour in creative ways, without painting the whole room, see our blog post on colour blocking.

Or, if you’re ready to grab your brush or roller, browse our collection of Chalk Wall Paint. It’s specially formulated to provide an ultra-matte finish that’s highly durable and scrubbable. That’s paired with self-priming and self-sealing qualities to minimise preparation and aftercare.

With 150 colours to choose from, you’ll be spoilt for choice on your living room accent wall!

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