A feature wall is a great way to easily spruce up your home and give it a fresh look. When done right, feature walls (also known as accent wall designs) not only give you a beautiful wall to feast your eyes on, but also allows you to create cool optical illusions!
When it comes to feature walls, there are many reasons why you might want to have one. Maybe you’ve seen a beautiful one on Pinterest that you would like to recreate in your bedroom, or maybe you want to add an artistic touch to your living room.
Why You May Want A Feature Wall
Playing with colours and lighting can create an optical illusion that is able to provide some appealing effects you may want in your room.
A good feature wall design has the potential to make a small room feel bigger, a big room feel cosier, or even give a room the illusion of having a higher ceiling.
If you choose correctly, it can also help personalise your home by tying together mismatched furniture and decorative pieces in a room.
The process of designing one that fits your home is a great opportunity to experiment with different textures, shapes, colours, and patterns.
It can actually be a therapeutic process that helps you identify and embrace the evolution of your own sense of style.
Accent walls are an affordable, quick, and easy way to liven up any space. Depending on the type of material you choose, they can be very low cost to create, and you can even attempt to DIY an accent wall yourself!
Where Is A Good Place For A Feature Wall?
The short answer is that, as the master of your habitat, YOU get to decide which wall you want to be highlighted!
However, the general rule of thumb is that the focal point in a room is typically where most people design a feature wall. Let’s take a look at a few examples.
The focal point when you enter your main door is the first wall you see. Decorating that wall sets the tone for a good first impression, and has the ability to positively affect your mood as you return from a long day at work.
The dining room is where we spend a lot of our meal times with family, or while entertaining guests. Now, a feature wall design here can be a great place to really stamp your mark!
A fantastic place for a feature wall in the hall is behind the sofa or TV, which also makes for great eye candy or conversation starter for anyone who enters your home.
The bedroom feature wall is usually behind the bed’s headboard or the wall facing your bed. Depending on the lighting in your room and the effect you want to achieve, remember to use neutral/cool tones that help calm you and improve sleep.
Thinking of giving your home office a makeover? Why not give yourself a cool backdrop for all those video calls at the same time?
Besides being a great go-to spot for selfies, an accent wall in your home office using the right colours can potentially improve your productivity levels.
Choose The Effect And Designs You Want
Now that you have identified which wall you want to feature, you’ll need to consider how you want to design it, elements in the room you want to be accentuated, as well as the overall effect you want to go for.
In addition, you also need to remember about the size of the room you’re decorating, and the amount of natural light that the space typically receives.
For example, you probably want to avoid painting the feature wall a dark shade of red in a small room that receives little sunlight.
In this scenario, you run the risk of making the room look smaller and cramped, especially if you have one or two large pieces of furniture in the room.
The type of material used is also key to the design you want to create, as all the different materials available boast a huge variety of beautiful designs.
The best part is that the usage of certain materials, like natural stone, have the ability to keep your room cooler on extremely hot days.
According to Vincent Lim, chief sales officer of The Makeover Guys, the golden ratio to remember when designing a space is:
Choose three colours and use them in a ratio of 60:30:10. The primary colour should be 60% of the house, the secondary colour is 30% and the remaining 10% is for highlights or a complementary colour.
With that golden ratio in mind, let’s take a look at some wall decorating ideas using a variety of materials to beautify the interior of your home!
1) Paint
This might seem like the obvious choice for most people, but it doesn’t mean you need to follow the herd and paint your feature wall one solid colour.
You can take it a step further and create a unique masterpiece, all by splashing paint on for an artsy colour-splattered effect.
Even kids will love the idea of being able to express themselves using feature wall paint, to create a family mural achieved through messy play on a large scale!
2) Wallpaper
With an array of design options and the fact that it is easy to DIY, wallpapering can be a fun project for young couples looking for some shared design fun.
Unlike conventional wallpapers that can be messy to apply, these days you can easily get peel-and-stick wallpapers that also makes removal a breeze.
Wallpapers also make changing the look of your room every few years a lot easier, allowing you to experiment with new design styles once you get bored.
3) Wood panelling
This is another great way to add a touch of nature and some warmth to any room in your home. Turn your bedroom into a cabin in the forest by doing away with the headboard, and panelling the wall behind the bed with wood.
If you (or your neighbours) are in the process of renovating, salvage some good pieces of treated wood to be repurposed into a feature wall.
A huge win for your home, and the environment! Alternatively, you could also use wood grain vinyl wall coverings to achieve the same effect.
4) Tiles
Not only are tiles cooling (especially the ceramic or concrete kinds), but they are also long-lasting and very easy to clean.
A tiled feature wall in the living room or kitchen is easy to maintain and also cools down your home. Natural stone tiles like a marble accent wall can be both calming and feel extremely luxurious at the same time.
5) Washi tape
Want to get clean wall geometric designs easily? Then the answer is washi tape! It is a great solution for rental properties because washi tape is easy to put up, and just as easy to adjust or remove without damaging the walls.
Unlike masking tape which can strip away paint layers upon removal, using washi tape is very forgiving and you wouldn’t need to spend extra money repainting walls.
Washi tape also comes in many different designs, colours, patterns, and widths, giving you options to express your creativity in a way that is uniquely you.
An accent wall design done incorrectly can be distracting, or even make the room look cluttered, if it doesn’t work in harmony with the rest of your furniture.
Some designs can also be perceived as old and dated after a few years, instead of looking fresh and fun (timeless style, anybody?).
A badly designed feature wall can also end up costing you money if you’re planning to sell your property in a few years, as too much personalisation can affect the price of your property.
If this is your forever home, feature walls are a great way to add some personal charm to a room where you can be the master of designing the space.
Done right, it can also be used to separate two spaces within an open-plan concept abode, like you’d find in a studio apartment.
The best part is, that you will have a very interesting story to tell visitors about your beautiful personalised space, so the sky is the limit!
Relevant Guides:
Disclaimer: The information is provided for general information only. PropertyGuru International (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd makes no representations or warranties in relation to the information, including but not limited to any representation or warranty as to the fitness for any particular purpose of the information to the fullest extent permitted by law. While every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided in this article is accurate, reliable, and complete as of the time of writing, the information provided in this article should not be relied upon to make any financial, investment, real estate or legal decisions. Additionally, the information should not substitute advice from a trained professional who can take into account your personal facts and circumstances, and we accept no liability if you use the information to form decisions.