How To Add Color To Your Condo With An Accent Wall

Have you been looking for a change in your decorating scheme, to make your condo feel fresh, new, and invigorating, but just haven’t been able to decide on a design theme? Or maybe you’re about to move into your first condo and are ruminating on the best color schemes for your new place and can’t settle on just one.

Who can blame you? A full house paint job is a huge commitment – after all, you’re going to be living with these walls for years, it’s a lot of work and it’s not exactly cheap. A full apartment paint job can cost $800/room or more, when done professionally, and still cost $200 – $300/room when you do it yourself, and that’s not even counting the time, and the headache of making sure your belongings will be safe and un-splattered with drop cloths, trim tape, etc.

If you are looking to add a pop of color to your condo and sparkle up your existing design theme, an accent wall could do the job.

What Is An Accent Wall?

Have you ever walked into a home or office to be confronted with a bright, bold, colorful wall, different from the other three? That’s an accent wall and, if you’ve seen it, we likely don’t have to explain why they’re a good idea.

Accent walls are a simple and nearly foolproof way to make a design statement, without breaking the bank or requiring too much of an investment in time, energy, or resources. An accent wall can be wallpapered or even tiled, for example in the kitchen, but most often it’s painted.

Reasons To Feature An Accent Wall In Your Condo

1. Highlights Interesting Architectural Features: One common reason people don’t want to paint an entire room is there’s an element in the existing interior design they’re hoping to maintain. If you’ve got a fireplace; built-in shelves; a mantelpiece; or vintage architectural features that you’d like to preserve, an accent wall is a way to draw attention TO these interesting features, rather than covering them up.
2. Becomes A Backdrop: One of the most common uses for an accent wall is to draw the eye towards a focal point, often behind a bed or sofa. If you’ve got some furniture you’d like to highlight, or you just enjoy the sense of flow that comes from a well-designed room, a backdrop accent wall is a surefire way to add a bit of drama to your condo.
3. Create New Patterns: Accent walls do not all have to be minimal, modern monochrome designs. You can accent your room with absolutely ANYTHING. If your room features patterned textiles, in the furniture or drapery, or has some kind of elaborate floor covering, or even patterned hardwood floors or tiles, playing with a similar effect in your accent wall can be your friend. You might not necessarily want your entire room to complement those tweed curtains, but a nice little emphasis can be that extra touch that ties the whole room together.
4. Define Different Rooms: In condos with open floor plans, it can be hard to know where one room ends and another begins. Are you in the kitchen or the living room? It can be hard to tell. An accent wall is a simple and surefire way to distinguish between two rooms, without having to have a sharp, jarring contrast.
5. Adds Color: We save the most obvious for last. For the better part of the 21st Century, minimalist design has reigned supreme. Our condos resemble either an Ikea catalog or an advertisement for a Nest thermostat – favoring either a stark palette with white, black, grey, and silver; or, rather, an earthy naturalist look – raw woods, hunter green, taupe, or cream. If you’d rather not feel like you’re living in a Scandi-cool furniture store OR on Walden’s Pond, perhaps an accent wall might be the perfect change agent for you!

Want more condo designing tips, tricks, trends, and insights? Follow MyFirstCondo on Twitter and like us on Facebook!