Design by Michelle Gage | Photographed by Rebecca McAlpin
Grand living rooms and tiny dens alike deserve a sprinkle of decorating dust and magic. A well-designed living space can maximize seating (and mood) when you entertain. Plus, it gives your cushy sofa a place to thrive when 10-hour Netflix binges lure you in.
Despite how you use your living room, decorating it can feel like a big undertaking. If you’ve made fleeting attempts to upgrade your living space but still feel jaded by the process, you may have missed out on an easy decorating hack—living room accent walls.
From bold blasts of color to patterned backdrops, using some of these living room accent wall ideas can shake up the monotony of your living spaces instantly.
Read (and look) ahead for inspiration on how to use this tried-and-true designer method.
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Outfit your living area with beadboard panels that inch up two thirds or more of your wall space. To set off its traditional appeal, paint it in a bold hue. Described both as sophisticated and beachy, beadboard will add architectural character to your space.
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To bring a lively rhythm to any living space, incorporate a geometric textured accent wall. With several tactile and visual textures to pick from, you can make your living room both cool and inviting.
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Your ceiling is your fifth wall, so it’s a great place to add an element of surprise. With a self-supporting arch like this, you can add visual height to your space for an ultimate airy feel.
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If you’re searching for a classic look, try an accent wall covered in wainscoting. This style won’t let you down (even a decade from now).
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For more wall candy that excels in sophistication, combine timeless accents like crown molding, wainscoting, and wallpaper for a triple effect. For added drama, paint your wainscoting and crown molding in a bright color.
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If you’d rather not have your television be the focal point of your room, use a dark grey wallpapered accent wall to blend it right in. Not only does this wall add a subtle depth to your living space, but it provides a calming (and non-distracting) backdrop for movie nights.
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If you have an open space concept living area, pick one wall to paint in a dark navy. Navy typically pairs well with other colors, complements most design aesthetics, and has been known to boost feelings of serenity.
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Whether you have a teeny tiny space or a grand wall, consider installing panels and painting them in a dark hue to yield a sense of happy order. Plus, you can install your panels in different shapes and directions for a custom look that won’t overwhelm.
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A black and white color combination never goes out of style. And contrary to popular belief, painting a living room wall black doesn’t always make the space appear smaller. Instead, it can offer a thoughtful, worldly look (especially when paired with the right room accents).
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Creating an accent wall that is both aesthetically pleasing and functional is a wise investment. Here, the accent wall serves as an unfussy backdrop for movie nights while providing ample storage in the adjacent built-in bookshelf to showcase art, family photos, or collectibles.
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You don’t have to reserve flooring materials for just the floor. Use wood plank porcelain tiles for a handsome accent wall trimmed in brushed nickel metal Schluter. Plus, if your soon-to-be accent wall shares a space with your fireplace, it makes sense to go with an easy-to-clean and fire-resistant material like porcelain.
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A grid of thinly sliced pieces of a tree trunk makes for the perfect rustic accent wall tonally in sync with nature. But, why stick to one accent wall? This space showcases three accent walls living in harmony for a quiet and peaceful feel.
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Along with a blast of red and floating shelves, this space uses the neighboring wall to display marble-like porcelain tile. With thin grout lines and large format (24″x48″) tiles, this accent wall looks seamless and sleek.
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For playful touches, pick a traditional motif wallpaper for an elegant look. This space showcases shades of pink and green which makes the room feel friendly and artful.
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For one of the most common living room accent wall ideas, choose a bright hue for an invigorating effect. Primary and secondary hues (red, yellow, blue and orange, violet, and green) tend to yield the boldest looks.
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If painting a full wall feels like too big a commitment, try painting a section of your wall with an interesting shape instead. In this space, a bright orange circle creates a unique accent wall.
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Personality permeates this space in shades of navy. Depending on which color you’re drawn to, pick one and stick by it with your walls, furniture, and artwork. And since this monochromatic living space wraps you in color, be sure to pick a color you won’t tire of quickly.
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To design one spectacular accent wall unique to your taste, hand-paint it. Here, you can see a combination of diagonal lines and asymmetrical yellow zig zags backdropped by a white and dark grey palette.
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A colorblock black-and-white wall with appropriate scale adds drama and character to this space. As opposed to plain white walls, this space now feels fresh with modern lines.
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If you’re lucky enough to have brick architecture built into your space, it can be the ideal focal point for a living room. If not, you can apply realistic faux brick veneers or 3D brick wallpaper with stone texture for a realistic alternative.
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For a luxe feature wall, install double raised panels. Depending on your approach, this is one living room accent wall idea that can either deliver a modern or traditional result. Here, this wall is finished in a rich primary blue shade with a high-gloss sheen—a grand backdrop for modern living.
