I agree when posts get to be books you lose some of us for. I think accent walls are best left until all the walls are painted one color then add your art, furniture , rugs etc then decide if you really need any accent walls at all. Some better lighting in the stiarwell would be a much bettr use for money I would do the Riviera Dune for the whole house not the Desrt Fortress which to be is just a beige blah color especially with a beach theme.

Thanks Jan and Patricia. Patricia, yes, I agree, better lighting is needed in that dark stairwell and I have purchased new lighting. Can't install it until all the reno is completed because of all the workers and materials coming in and out through that entry. I'm going to paint the master bedroom first and that will be the Riviera Dune. Once that's complete, I can see if I'd rather do the rest of the house in that same color or the darker Desert Fortress. Again, thanks.

Pretty bed and bedding!

Blu color is pretty.

Celerygirl, how did you get the blue color on the wall in the photo? What program did you use? Thanks!

Keep almost all the walls the same neutral color to connect and add flow to your rooms. If you need color, paint the inside of your front door a great color.

If you must have an accent wall, then the one in the bedroom can be accented and that's it!

i think accent walls look best when they are symmetric. your bedroom would end up with the (lovely) blue having an arm and leg off over and beyond the door. how about just doing a wide band of blue on the wall, the width of the bed, and having the rest of that wall the color of the other walls. kind of like this

as far as how many? maximum is 1.

No accent walls.

The bed looks like it wants to move to another wall or turn itself around. Is there a better place? It is such a pretty bed but looks awkward there.

The answer is in the name itself "accent wall" also known as "feature wall"

What are you going to "accent" or "feature"?

Is it worthy of accenting or featuring? Why do you want to accent, feature, call attention to it with color?

You need a good reason to accent, feature, call attention to a wall in room. You need a good reason whenever you transition color in a space or room.

If it's an open floor plan, more than one "accent wall" evolves into color blocking. We color block to identify zones of function in the space so the big, open space is easier to understand and navigate - think of it as color-coding for your brain so it doesn't have to work to decipher and figure out what to do or think in one big open space.

Accent walls or feature walls should have that same function. What's it telling us to look at? What's it decoding for us to process first and prominently in that room?

The wall behind the bed is a good reason because the bed with beautiful bedding and pillows is often the focal point of the room.

A fireplace is a good reason if you want your gorgeous stone fireplace to be a focal point.

Painting a the wall at the end of a long hallway a different "accent" color can help with wayfinding and visual ergonomics, it will help shore it up so it doesn't feel like a bowling alley.

If you have an interesting collection of art pieces that you want to feature, that's a good reason for a feature wall.

Too many accent or feature walls dilutes the point of accenting or featuring; if you have too many, then none of them are special.

Accent/feature walls are fine as long as you have your "why" locked down.

Leelee, I can understand why you think that! The room is in mid-renovation and the bed in this photo is pulled away from the wall about 18". A nightstand next to the bed (on the left) is turned sideways and pushed up against the old curtains. But to answer your question, yes, this is the only wall on which the bed can be placed. The other side of the room is reserved for my desk so I can see the ocean view from there. I know most people want to see the ocean from their bed, but I never sit in bed looking out the window, and I DO sit at my desk (often for hours).

ninigret, I like that idea of defining the bed with the accent color rather than the whole wall! You say max. # of accent walls is 1. Is that 1 per room max, or 1 per house max?

housegal200, Nice idea, especially for that narrow entryway door! Thanks!

Patricia Colwell Consulting. Regarding the "book," I read lots of other posts first and found that responders frequently complained that they couldn't comment without having sufficient information to understand the space (even with photos). Therefore, I tried to give that info in the post instead of making people ask for more.

Does anybody have an opinion on the appropriate sheen for a dark color accent wall like the blue wall in the bedroom? Can I use flat for the dark blue (to keep it from washing out due to sunshine bouncing off it from the west-facing wall of sliders) and eggshell sheen on the rest of the walls?

Hi Sue-

What else do you have in that room?

Can you upload a photo of the rest of the room?

I can't upload a useful photo,because currently the other end of the room is stacked with boxes we can't unpack until the reno is completed. I can tell you the west wall (left of the bed in the picture) is almost all windows (3 large, floor to almost ceiling slider panes) that will be flanked by one curtain panel on each side in the same fabric as that pillow on the bed on wood rods the same color as the bed. The wall opposite the bed will have an off-white desk with my laptop, a large monitor, a desk chair, and some type of storage cabinet. There is crown moldings and baseboards in white, and the ceiling is vaulted. I have a small, capiz-like (glass) chandelier hanging in the center of the room. You can see the Gulf of Mexico from the desk.

Will your curtains stay the white that is there now?

Is your bedding white or the dark blue of those pillowcases?

What will be the blue green print of the one pillow?

Curtains will be the paisley ikat that you see on the flanged pillow on the bed (there will be two of the pillows). Duvet cover is off white-on-white, very small small leaf print. The bottom third of the bed will have a throw in same ikat paisley as curtains & pillows.

My "rule" about accent walls is that they should be walls that have no redeeming architectural features and are not pierced by doors, windows, pass-through openings, etc. I make an exception for fireplace walls, as long as the only feature there is the fireplace itself, and bedroom walls where the only feature will be the focal bed and bedside tables. If there are windows or doors on that same wall I would forgo any accent color.

I would do your entire bedroom in matte, including the accent wall. Matte is in between flat and eggshell. It's a really nice restful sheen that reduces glare- we have used it everywhere in our home that is reasonably low traffic.

I like your idea of the bedroom accent wall (with the suggested modification. I don't like your idea of the staircase wall. It's going to be weird when you're walking through a hallway and each side is a different color. I would pick an end of the staircase instead.

And I also agree you should go with the lighter color throughout- your selection is much more modern,
beachy, and bright. That tan is old fashioned and dark. We painted over the exact color in our lakeside home when we moved in and you wouldn't believe how much bigger the space felt after.

I would recommend keeping with one color in the main areas and saving the accent walls for the bedrooms. I believed flats were for the ceilings, eggshell for the walls, semi gloss for the trim and satins for the cabinets and doors as far as paint sheens go.

Hi Sue-

Thanks for explaining.

Do you already have your ikat print curtains?

I am wondering if with the print curtains if the blue wall will be a bit too intense, or make the space seem too small.

Can you put up the ikat curtains and then may be a Houzzer can Photoshop in the blue walls for you so you can see the two together?

I do love the color palette and the vintage bed, it brings to mind a lovely home on the shore.

Loobab, thanks, I love the bed, too - kind of gives a British-Colonial vibe. Yes, I already have the curtains, but I can't put them up until reno is finished (too much dust & dirt). I'm hoping the white background of the print and the white duvet will keep the print from overwhelming the space. But it's a great idea to get those up before painting and Photoshop in the color!