How to Create a Feature Wall (Without Going Back to the ’90s)
Paint can be your friend in creating the feature wall 2.0
The feature wall found favor in the 1990s, when a slew of home renovation TV shows started adding this decorative device to made-over homes week in and week out. Perhaps as a result of this overkill, the idea eventually fell out of favor — until recently. But this time, it’s all about using paint and texture strategically. See what a modern feature wall could do for one of your rooms.
Max out the monochrome. Isn’t it interesting how much difference a few shades can make? This sleep space effectively takes exactly the same idea — a dark feature wall behind the bed in an otherwise white room with wood accents — and yet here the atmosphere is even crisper (although with interesting artwork, rumpled bedcovers and smooth, pale floors it’s incredibly inviting). A restricted color palette and the inky black hue chosen for the accent wall do the trick — one often used in Scandinavian style to great effect.
Add a hint of pink. Pale neutrals — oat-colored upholstery, woven natural rug, various different woods — already work well to add texture and depth to this white-painted room. But that gently glowing wall behind the dining table is quite unexpected and really lifts the whole feel of the room, giving it a shot of edginess.
The lesson? Color doesn’t have to be bold to be transformative.
The lesson? Color doesn’t have to be bold to be transformative.
Add a wallop of pink. The impact of this deeper pink wall is on a different scale. Painted in Jaipur Dusk by Designers Guild, it defines the look of the room rather than subtly complementing it. If you’re up for a noticeable revamp, painting one wall boldly can often be all it takes.
Be prepared to swap in accessories to echo your new color — it won’t necessarily involve shopping, either. Here, cherry-blossom-covered branches and a sweater draped over a chair work as well as the rosy tableware. (A vintage dress on a hanger or a prominently displayed hat could offer a less fleeting alternative.)
Tour the rest of this interior designer’s home in London
Be prepared to swap in accessories to echo your new color — it won’t necessarily involve shopping, either. Here, cherry-blossom-covered branches and a sweater draped over a chair work as well as the rosy tableware. (A vintage dress on a hanger or a prominently displayed hat could offer a less fleeting alternative.)
Tour the rest of this interior designer’s home in London
Extend your garden. A room as sunny as this can take a strong wall color — especially on just one wall — without losing any of its airy, outdoorsy feel.
This dark gray-green enhances the garden connection without overdoing it.
This dark gray-green enhances the garden connection without overdoing it.
Tie it to the rest of the room. In this powder room, a cobalt blue wall adds interest to what could otherwise be a plain, unremarkable space.
Blue and white can make for a chilly combination, which is why in nautically themed designs wood, rattan or rope are often used to offset that risk. Here, the Moroccan-style tiled backsplash serves the same purpose, while also connecting the blue wall to the rest of the room. It’s a good reminder to think beyond the obvious link when choosing accessories that tie the palette together.
Blue and white can make for a chilly combination, which is why in nautically themed designs wood, rattan or rope are often used to offset that risk. Here, the Moroccan-style tiled backsplash serves the same purpose, while also connecting the blue wall to the rest of the room. It’s a good reminder to think beyond the obvious link when choosing accessories that tie the palette together.
Dare to go neon. The beauty of a feature wall is that it’s just that — you don’t have to commit to painting the entire room in your chosen shade. An entire hallway in this acid yellow could make for a rather startling entrance, but used strategically like this — and surrounded by keep-it-real white paint — it’s more a striking artwork than an immersive installation.
When creating a feature wall anywhere, but especially in a space like a hallway that links many parts of the house, consider the flow of color and the home as a whole rather than looking at an area in isolation. The designer of this space in East Sussex, England, chose this shade for the staircase wall because she’d already used it in accessories all over the rest of the house. It’s a small but hugely significant trick that can really elevate the “designer-ness” of a space.
See the rest of this adventurously decorated country home
When creating a feature wall anywhere, but especially in a space like a hallway that links many parts of the house, consider the flow of color and the home as a whole rather than looking at an area in isolation. The designer of this space in East Sussex, England, chose this shade for the staircase wall because she’d already used it in accessories all over the rest of the house. It’s a small but hugely significant trick that can really elevate the “designer-ness” of a space.
See the rest of this adventurously decorated country home
Put the writing on the wall. Not all paint is equal, and covering a wall with chalkboard paint turns it into something else entirely. This is a bold look for a bedroom, where messy notes and drawings could clutter up one’s brain rather than helping it rest before sleep. But fill it with quiet poetry or calming phrases and it could positively aid in relaxation. The risk of sleep interference is cleverly removed here anyway, since the feature wall is behind rather than adjacent to the bed and therefore not visible to anyone trying to nod off.
This particular wall was probably created using wallpaper, otherwise you’d need a headboard to stop your pillows from smudging the chalk around. You can also get whiteboard paint that can be written on with special wipe-clean pens if you prefer a pale alternative.
This particular wall was probably created using wallpaper, otherwise you’d need a headboard to stop your pillows from smudging the chalk around. You can also get whiteboard paint that can be written on with special wipe-clean pens if you prefer a pale alternative.
Make it multicolored. Why stop at one shade? When you’re not tackling every wall in a room, you can afford to go bolder. Remember, it will really help things look cohesive if you pick up the wall colors elsewhere in the room — in this space, note the unifying effect of the table lamp, the chair and the pillows. If you’re tackling this sort of design, do invest in proper paint-blocking masking tape, which will ensure crisp edges to your paintwork.
Embrace ombre. The same idea is used in this bedroom, but with fewer colors and a different paint technique. The colors in the two-tone ombre wall are picked up beautifully in the throw at the end of the bed. (There are lots of guides to creating an ombre paint effect online.)
Here, it’s also interesting to note the effect that painting a back wall can have on the sense of depth in a space. If you have a room that feels a little cramped, a dark color on the far wall will cause that wall to recede, thus visually expanding the space.
Share: Do you have a feature wall in your home? If so, what does it look like? Tell us or post a photo in the Comments.
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Here, it’s also interesting to note the effect that painting a back wall can have on the sense of depth in a space. If you have a room that feels a little cramped, a dark color on the far wall will cause that wall to recede, thus visually expanding the space.
Share: Do you have a feature wall in your home? If so, what does it look like? Tell us or post a photo in the Comments.
More
Why Accent Walls Are Here to Stay
This Under-$100 DIY Project Can Transform a Room in a Day
Whereas an all-dark bedroom would be almost cavern-like (which can also be cozy), this otherwise bright-white space retains something of a crisp feel, even with the addition of wood, a sandy-colored rug and green accents. It’s worth noting that the well-ironed bed linen is also key to the crisp look.
Should you include the baseboards when you paint a wall?