Accent Wall Finish Ideas for Your Bedroom

A Simple Wall of Paint

For a quick accent wall treatment, use paint. Use water or latex-based paint with an egg-shell, satin, or semi-gloss finish for the bedroom. There are two ways to use paint to call out an accent wall. You can choose a saturated color that boldly contrasts the rest of the room. Or, you can use color to create a subtle shift in hues. Use a deeper shade or two of your wall color for one wall, for example, to add depth to the room. Use a deeper or lighter shade of the color for a stencil on the accent wall for an elegant tone-on-tone look. Or, try painting one wall of a small all-white bedroom a brilliant jewel tone to add drama in an otherwise bland space.

A Faux Finish for a Bare Wall

A faux finish on an accent wall can add some serious personality to your bedroom. A faux finish adds either a decorative pattern to a surface or a texture to an accent wall that mimics another material. For example, a color wash is a decorative paint technique that can make a wall look like it has a stone or marble finish. Strié, another decorative paint technique that creates fine horizontal or vertical lines, creates the appearance of fabric covering your walls. You can also use a technique that makes it appear as though you have silk moiré fabric on your walls, which softens the look of a bedroom.

The Transforming Power of Wallpaper

Wallpaper is a bold and fast way to create an accent wall in the bedroom. Wallpaper isn't just for traditional bedrooms, it can be used as a contemporary element to your bedroom, as well.

• A chic bedroom with a black-and-white color scheme would look even more dramatic with an accent wall covered with graphic wallpaper.
• Customize your bedroom by selecting wallpaper for an accent wall that coordinates with or accentuates your bedding or headboard.
• Choose a patterned wallpaper that mixes well with other patterns in the room. An accent wall of plaid pastels behind the bed may look lovely next to bedding of floral pastels, for example.
• Use wallpaper that looks like marble, stone, or wood as a makeshift headboard behind your bed.

The Simple Solution of Wall Decals

Wall decals and stickers aren't just for nurseries, they're designed for adult bedrooms, as well. Wall decals and stickers can be as small as a few flowers growing up behind your headboard. Or, they can be as large as rolls of wallpaper to create life-size murals. The beauty of wall decals and stickers is that they're easy to remove and even move around whenever you want a change.

• Carve out an accent wall by creating a wall of meaningful quotes.
• Use small decals, such as colorful or metallic dots spritzed around one wall to create an accent.
• Create a garden scene by combining two or three wall decal kits. Don't forget about your ceiling; use them to place flowers or greenery that meanders up onto the ceiling to add a visual surprise in the bedroom.
• Add a New York City skyline behind your bed and feel like you're in your very own penthouse every night.

A Work of Art Using Murals

Create a mural on an accent wall with paint, wall stickers, or wallpaper. If hiring a muralist isn't in your budget, create a mural with paint using stencils kits. Painted murals look best on accent walls that are not blocked by bedroom furniture. Murals made from large, one-piece wall stickers or wallpaper can usually be ordered to the exact size of the wall you need to cover. Stickers and wallpaper can include images of nature scenes, landscapes, oversized florals, and geographical landmarks. Draw the eye to an accent wall covered with a wallpaper mural of an outdoor scene, such as a beach, forest, or vista of wildflowers. Placed behind the bed, the backdrop makes it appear as though your bed is floating outdoors in nature.

Fresh and Modern Wood Paneling

This wood paneling isn't like your grandparent's wood paneling. Today's wood paneling is fresh and modern with new designs that fit into traditional and contemporary bedrooms. Accentuate the modern rustic quality of your bedroom with a textured wood accent wall. Add an accent wall of white, off-white, or watery-pastel painted wood paneling in a coastal, cottage, or farmhouse-style bedroom. It doesn't matter what style your decor, even a small accent wall covered with wood paneling creates a more cozy and charming retreat.

Three-Dimensional Accents

You don't have to sacrifice storage or space for artwork to have an accent wall. Furniture, recessed shelves, artwork, mirrors, and even doors can all be used as three-dimensional tools that create an accent wall in your bedroom.

• Add a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf that is the exact dimension of your wall to turn it into an accent. Often a wall of built-in bookshelves creates an accent.
• Use the space behind your bed to carve out well-designed recessed shelving for display and storage. Paint the interior a the shelving a different color than the wall color and add subtle lighting to create the accent.
• Use a group of artwork or large mirrors to create an accent wall.
• Cover one wall in your bedroom entirely with mirrored tiles to create an accent wall.
• A wall of custom-made, painted, or covered closet doors can be used as an accent wall.