Creating the perfect feature wall: 5 terrific tips to follow
(5 min read) Colorful and mind-boggling eco-conscious mosaic, Harry Styles’ Watermelon Sugar video, the smell of coffee in the morning, Junji Ito’s upcoming release, summer petrichor (google ppl), my new red converse, this magnificent blog and all of the people and effort behind it… Done. Once upon a time, my boss told me that it is very important to start every article with a positive note, otherwise readers will just move on to something lighter and fluffier. So there you go. I started with a positive note. Actually, several of them. Now here’s how I wanted to start…
So far 2020 has been one tough (*insert most frequently used cuss-word) to most of us. We’re still staying indoors, scared to go out into the “real world” because someone might sneeze in our general direction. In such an atmosphere, it is only normal that we want to make some changes in our homes. Needless to say, most of us are on a budget due to the whole economic situation, so some huge renovations might be impossible at the moment. However, you don’t have to buy new furniture or redesign your whole home interior to get a new vibe (millennial lingo — checked)) out of it. Creating a feature wall will be enough to freshen up your space and make it look brand new and eye-catching.
A feature wall is also known as the accent wall and it provides some awesome opportunities to experiment with shapes, textures, patterns, colors, and ideas in general. Depending on your sensibility and what you are trying to achieve with your space, your feature wall can be either subtle or high impact. We will mention some general rules you should try and follow when choosing and designing the feature wall regardless of the type of effect you are going for.
1. Choosing your wall
First of all, as much as you would like to make a feature wall you should really consider refraining from it if your living room is really small. An accent wall will only make your room look smaller and crowded. If you want to do something bold with your walls, like going for a flashy color or pattern, you will be better off painting all walls, rather than just choosing one. Furthermore, when creating a feature wall, you should use the one the sofa or your couch is in front of. Also, depending on the style of your living room, you can use the wall where your mantel sits or where the TV is placed. You should avoid using the wall with the window on it, because it may end up looking unfinished.
2. Mixed materials
Now in all seriousness, if you are creating a feature wall opting for a mosaic is truly a no-brainer. You can’t go wrong with a piece of mosaic art there. Whether you decide to put a subtle artwork in the middle of your wall and make a minimalistic statement, or you go all out and cover your whole wall with a gorgeous piece of mosaic art, you will be doing the right thing. Mosaic is an accent in its own right and nothing speaks to change and evolution more than an attention-grabbing intricate artwork on your wall.
3. When on a tight budget — work with what you’ve got
Hmmmm, tight budget advice… let me just throw some out there and if we’re lucky, you will be inspired to create a great accent wall on your own.
- Stripes. Navy-blue and white ones for example.
- Bunch of different frames with your favorite movie-poster photographs.
- Get some sturdy cardboard, cut it into equal squares, and wrap it into different fabrics. Affix it to your wall and ta-daaa — you’ve got yourself a patchwork wall.
4. Stop being a drama queen
Meaning, don’t be dramatic with your wall. The feature wall shouldn’t be gloomy and dark or overly bright to have a proper impact. Trust me. I’m that girl who painted her living room wall lime-green and red and had to live with it for 7 months. I know what I’m talking about. As a general rule, just opt for a slightly darker shade for that one wall to create a clear focus. That would be enough.
5. Don’t lose the grand scheme of things
Don’t forget the rest of the room. You want your wall to stand out, but you also want to make it part of the room, not an anecdote of its own. One of the ways you can do that is to take two or three colors from your feature-wall design that you can insert elsewhere in the room. The other way to do that is to down-play the other walls by painting them in fairly neutral tones. That way your feature wall will be accentuated, but you will avoid the danger of making it look like “too much”.
All in all, you are creating your feature wall for you. Accentuate it so that it makes you feel good about yourself and your every-day life. Make it enjoyable for yourself and don’t forget to enjoy yourself while making it. Have fun!
72 Comments
I love the idea of putting a mosaic on a wall as a feature that would be so striking. Some really useful tips here.
These are some great feature walls! I love the bold colors.
These give me some great ideas. I really like the first wall.
Really loving all the bright pops of color int he second one. The first one is so cool too!
Omgsh some of these are so beautiful! I do like the budget stripes version even. 🙂 Thanks for offering that!
I’d love a wall like this one day. It would be perfect for photos!
I LIVE for accent walls. I literally just moved in to my new place during the “global lock-down” so I’ve been staring at the wall where my tiny studio space rests against for days. I was brainstorming some ideas myself. I want to give it an exhibition feel that evokes nostalgia while blending, like you said, with the room.
I love the pop out colors, they really do transform a room. I actually have a stone fireplace wall in one room that draws in the attention.
We painted an accent wall in my living room and I love it! The color matches the pattern on the couch pillows almost exactly so it all comes together really well.
I like wall decorating to enhance the insides of our house.
I love the ideas. The colored brick walls and the nature mosaic looks so relaxing to me.
Wow I love how unique each of these designs are. There’s so many different ways to decorate a house! can’t wait to do some decorating of my own soon!
Wow these are some beautiful feature walls! I love mosaique
Awesome tips! I am positively crazy about the first interior! It looks fantastic, absolutely fantastic!
Love this! I would love to do a feature wall in my downstairs bedroom!
Wow these all look amazing! a wall feature really can make a room look super fab x
Oh God they are so minimal yet lovely. As usual Chad you tips and ideas are fabulous!
Awesome tips for interior designing, I’ve totally agree with everything you’ve cited. It’s very detail and on point. I loved the way that it’s a minimalist in the essence but definitely a mesmerizing to see.
My dream would be to have walls so bright and creative but obviously and unfortunately they wouldn’t fit in the context of my home. But I love them! ^_^ee
Haha what a great way to start a blog post. You definitely got my attention. And I learned a thing 😉 Also: any wall featuring a picture of the Brooklyn Bridge is a winner for me.
Love love love the turquoise walls. They look so neat and clean. It’s calming.
This is a great idea and totally new to me. I’ve never seen a feature wall design before but I love the concept of it. Perfect for large spaces that need a pop!
I really love that red wall and the one with the stripes is also very pretty 🙂
I have a ton of small prints that need framed to make a feature wall but I’m saving them for my forever home.
Great idea for feature walls! I have one in my bedroom, it looks really amazing! Cleopatra by Beckers, I’m really satisfied with the final effect! 🙂
I’m a big fan of the feature wall. It is so easy to do and makes a massive difference. Some great ideas there.
What a great ideas. And that wall with scene from nature mosaic art lopks awesome
Glad you shared these designs with us..really found it very useful and helpful..Thanks indeed..these looks so fabulous…
These are such great tips, I love the walls they are so detailed and so pretty! Thanks for sharing these
Those are all amazing selections to choose from and beautiful looking as well. I love the design and color of that nature mosaic art with the birds.
Our feature wall mostly just have family pictures in plain background.
I love having an accent wall, it’s such a great way to change up the feel of a room. You have some amazing wall feature photos, makes me want to change things up in my place again : )
Loved the tips and tricks. Amazing blog.
My favorite is your first photo. Our feature walls are done with architectural details!
These are really great tips and they look really pretty! Thanks for sharing this with us!
I can’t wait until we buy our home. We are already making plans for a feature wall or two!
These feature walls are awesome and these are great tips.
Ahh! So fun! I’ve always wanted to do something like this. Instant bookmark as I’m sure one day when I get a chance, this will be the project I start with.
These are some great ideas! I am definitely going to have to create a feature wall in my home for sure. It definitely will give a home some character.
The one with all the frames is so amazing.
These wall features are so fun and funky! I’ve never considered getting one ! But since we have such a boring and plain wall at home…perhaps I should.
I really love those wall ideas. I like combining contrast colors and matching it up with patterns.
These walls are all so beautiful! I’d love to do something like this in my house. I have the perfect wall.
I love those crazy beautiful ideas! I should totally try redesigning my home.
These all look great! I am so indecisive. We have lived in our house for almost two years and I JUST put our first piece of wall art up.
loved the colors…These designs and ideas looks stunning and amazing..glad you shared this with us…Thanks indeed…
Super cool! such great ideas to jazz up a room.
Thank you for the budget-friendly ideas for a beautiful accent wall.
Wow, these are beautiful. I love the painted bricks the most
These are some really great ideas! Now I know what I am going to do with that wall in the living room.
I can’t wait to move into my new place so I can do a feature wall. With these ideas I might have to do a few more.
This is so cool. Love the colors.
Mosaic wall is something I would really like to have in my home. Thanks to your blog, I have learned so much.
The colorful mosaic on the feature wall is a classic for me. Awesome tips!
An amazing designs, most important is that are cost effective ideas. Thanks for sharing these perfect wall features.
Thanks for these practical tips and I will like to follow them and put them to practice whenver I can.
Those were a really awesome design. Planing to have a quick remodelling and this could help me so much.
Besides being an educator, I am an architect too. I personally love accent walls. It gives meaning to a space. The article is extremely informative
These feature walls are indeed perfect. The designs are so beautiful and colourful. Love them.
These are beautiful! Thanks for the tips, I might put up one of these soon!
These are great tips for feature walls. I personally like the patchwork idea.
Great ideas for accent walls. Loved the beautiful pics.
This was a very interesting read because I am actually looking for inspiration for my feature wall. I can’t decide on a style yet.
These all walls look like movie set ones. Simple hacks but beautiful..
These feature walls look so gorgeous. These ideas will come in handy when I want to renovate my house!
great way to raise the vibe in your room!
I’ve been thinking about creating a feature wall in the living room and you’ve given me lots of great inspiration as usual!
These are such creative ideas! Thanks for the tips.
I love it…. I like the thought of having a featured wall. That would enhance the beauty and decor of the room
These are all neat ideas for a feature wall. Accent walls are so popular, and it is nice to do something unique.
All these ideas are beautiful. If we do push through with our home renovation, I would love to have a feature wall. I like it to be in a bold color, just like the one in the 2nd photo.
Wow! I just loved it! Hope I can design my own wall too.