I happen to love that wall color and I would not do a accent wall use the wall going up the stairs for art or maybe even family pictures instead and certainly none of the BM suggestions

Thanks Patricia. Are you suggesting no paint at all or just not the BM recs? I feel there is quite a bit of silver sage in the house so I’m interested in adding some color elsewhere.

I think accent walls are strange and (hopefully) waning in popularity. If you want to introduce a different wall color, an entirely different room is the place to do it. Alternatively, you could paint the doors and trim in a contrasting color for that extra oomph you’re looking for. :)

Thanks celerygirl for this visual! Helpful. The color is lovely. I would like to put some bold color somewhere to break up the silver sage.

No accent wall. They really only work when there is something of architectural significance to highlight, but tend to create a choppy look in normal homes.

I would not paint the stairwell wall in the accent colour. It looks perfect as it is.
I can’t really tell if you have enough room, but a tall armoire piece would look nice at the bottom of your staircase where the chest currently sits and you could paint that in a different colour that would fit with your overall decor.

Here’s the rest of the space. Thank you for your thoughts! And yes, a taller piece at the bottom of stairs has been on my mind. I like your idea of painting that a bold color

Thoughts on painting this area a bold color...?

I think you have such a nice fresh look going with your current wall colour, trim, and floors. I also don’t think that other wall for an accent and even think you should remove that small decorative niche and drywall over and paint out.
Of course, if your heart is set on an accent wall, then do one, because you want your home to make you happy and that is most important. It is only paint after all and can easily be changed. Do what your heart and head tell you.

Wouldn’t do an accent wall

How about a large piece of hanging textile art where the current painting is located? I'm for keeping both walls the current color although I'd paint one of the walls if I had my heart set on doing so. I am always up for experimenting with paint as long as it isn't too time consuming to paint the wall back to the original color. I usually paint my own walls so the cost is only a gallon of paint...I'd give it more thought if I was paying a contractor for the job.

It appears you really really want an accent wall. Do it if it makes you happy. (I wouldn’t. Screams 1980’s to me.)

If you don't like the BM Silver Sage, why not just pick a new color? You don't have really high ceilings, so repainting won't be that hard. Life is too short to live with a color you didn't choose and don't like!

What about painting that small wall at the top of the stairs a bolder color? It might be enough to satisfy you or give you a push to do the rest of the wall, if you decide you want to.

I think the idea of a taller furniture piece in a bold color is a great one. I love the look and color of your walls as they are, but I also love the color you're considering for an accent.You could also do the accent wall as rendered and still put a taller piece of furniture where the chest is, either in wood or a lighter color to break up the accent wall, lol!

Something more substantial at the base of the stairs (where the small chest is) painted in that Hemlock color would look lovely, in the mock up the Hemlock really brings out the best in the silver sage. It looks like a really nice accent color to go with the silver sage but not sure I'd paint just one wall with it, but do what makes your heart sing.

kristaj, thanks for your comments. That niche is funny, original to the 1940s home.

everdebz, here is the rest of the space. It's larger than this distorted pano photo shows. You can see the wall color looks a little different when there's not much natural light coming in.

Daniel OConnell, thank you. I do agree something needs to change at the bottom of the stairs whether that's a taller piece or a longer decorative piece.

littlebug zone 5 Missouri, I think you're right in that I want to make an accent wall work or more so add some bold color somewhere. ;) Alas.

chispa, I've thought about choosing a new color, but the whole downstairs and upstairs hallway is in this color. Maybe I'm just lazy (ha!) and would rather prioritize other projects, adding color where I can.

When I saw this painted cabinet it reminded me of your post.

Now to see it all - houzzers could help with other walls, not the paint color which is nice, neutral. Problem is your items seem scattered - have you placed the fancy mirror on entry wall, with taller table and brass items on it. The mirror seems to squash the delicate shade and shape of your retro lamps. Nearby they clash, try farther apart.

What about hanging a few pieces of art on what seems the focal wall of sofa and lamps.... is it? The entry art and other art with similar colors could be closer. There should be some groupings with eclectic [I think yours it]... a good article to read:

https://www.houzz.com/magazine/so-your-style-is-eclectic-stsetivw-vs~1331123

.... do you have another room for the mirror, sorry to ask .... your macrame might fit well above entry's trunk....another article:

https://www.houzz.com/magazine/how-to-bring-balance-to-an-eclectic-look-stsetivw-vs~18888520

everdebz, thanks for your comments. I know my "style" is eclectic and I'm sure it's not up to par with pros, but I enjoy the space as far as decor, so I'm really just interested at possibly painting at this point. Once I move forward on that, I could move around some decor.

Everyone will have a different idea as to how it should be done. If you want to paint an accent wall, and will enjoy it, then, just do it. Its your house, and for you to enjoy. The Hemlock color is beautiful. Its paint. If you dont like it eventually, you can paint over it. You will never know, until you try.

The elephant in your color scheme is the pinky beige ceiling. Paint that white. The orange tones in your beautiful wood flooring will be complemented by Hemlock painted in the whole room, right now the silver sage is fighting with the orange. My opinon.

Paint the ceiling to match the trim throughout, and if you want an accent, try it in small doses in areas that have no real architectural merit on their own. Maybe the wall at the top of the stairs could be the first place to do it.

I would not consider this an accent wall. It is not one of the 4 walls of the living room, just partially open to the Living room. My bet is that if your upstairs was painted a gray and you brought that color down the stairs and it was a gray that worked well with the Silver Sage no one would blink an eye. Your talking about adding real color! OMG call the design police!

It is your home and your home should be filled with colors that bring you joy. Every time you walk through your front door it should make your heart sing. Every place you sit you should feel like you are enveloped in colors that make you feel like a 10.

If you succeed it won't matter what anyone else thinks - your mood will be so high it would take a sledge hammer to bring you down.

BTW - my last home had a ton of color compared to the builders beige and gray homes in the brand new developments near my home. Every realtor told me to re-paint - get rid of the dark teal green in the bathroom, get rid of the deep burgundy walls in the kitchen, get rid of the blue green carpet in the living room.

I marketed my own home as having designer color palette. I had multiple offers and sold the home in 3 days at full ask. My competition all looked the same and had to compete with each other. Had I repainted I would have been one of many instead of the one that was different.

Does the hemlock relate to any other colors/ blues you are using. I kinda like that it marks off and delineates the stairs as a separate area. You could even paint that little triangular space underneath the steps that same blue to further accentuate the stairs. If you want to add variety in a more subtle way, you could take your green wall color and get something a couple of shades darker.

I like your idea of that stairway wall getting color, I would just go deeper and bolder and then reinvent the wall hangings you have by doing a different layout. Your oval mirror might be great on a dark wall. A couple of clients of mine have recently used SW Dark Night on their walls and love it. You would have to test in your space with your other wall color, but a deep saturated color would look stunning and really jazz up your eclectic look! Some lighting on that stairway could be useful as well. Here is Dark Night. (Ignore the Peppercorn, just grabbed an analysis I did for someone else).

paint analysis · More Info

Farmhouse Living Room · More Info

This is Dark Night on walls. Notice how stunning the gold mirror looks on this wall!

Jennifer Hogan, thanks for your detailed comments!

Current Resident, yes, we have some blues in our rug and in some of the artwork. I agree with you in that a darker color does delineate the stairs especially since the trim follows up.

Flo Mangan, thanks for your thoughts! The Dark Night color is stunning! I will keep this color in mind. I like the green/blue/gray undertones of it. I think it would compliment the Silver Sage. Along with the stairway wall and small wall at the top of the stairs, there is also this wall right above the stairs. Wondering if I paint that too?

If you do paint an accent wall, then, for what it's worth, I like the Hemlock up the stairs per pic posted by celerygirl

You could continue that color on any/all your upstairs hall walls if you don't want it called an accent wall.

Don't worry about being "in" or "out" with any fad -- do what you want.

suezbell, thanks! As you can see, I'm not too trendy on home decor, ;) but am interested to hear from others about things like paint. The mock celerygirl shared was very helpful especially since I'm a visual person.

I like your taste in decor.

Like the plant stand but you might set that plant on the floor to the left of it so it can get some sun.

When deciding on color, I highly recommend getting samples from www.samplize.com They provide 12x12 samples with a backing you can peel off so you can place on walls and see the color in various lights and see the impact of it on your room and other wall colors, etc. It also eliminates the trouble of properly disposing of the small cans of unused sample paint. I am using them all the time. They do put them on sale every once in a while, so watch for that. They also are much more realistic in showing the true color. Sometimes, when I want to really help a client see a whole wall, I will get 4 and place them together to get the visual for the whole wall. Very helpful.

Since you are not a trend follower, my method for picking colors may be right up your alley!

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5832220/how-i-select-a-whole-home-color-palette

I second Flo's recommendation to get samples from Samplize.com. I also love the samples and color choices from C2. They sell 18"x24" samples of their paints ($6.00 at my closest C2 Store $9 online). I like that they have fewer paint colors, but always seem to have one that works perfectly for me. I only need to try 4 or 5 colors instead of 27 almost identical shades.

Flo Mangan, thanks for the tip!!

Jennifer Hogan, thank you! Unfortunately, the link isn't working.

Pleasant looking living room.

Really like your retro lamps w/interesting shades.

If you're interested in rethinking the things hanging on the wall ... for your consideration:

You might clear the top of the cabinet in the entry way and put the taller framed picture art (that is now behind the chair) there and then put that square picture (with a similar theme) above the bottom of the stairs with the tops of the two pieces of art the same height.

You could then put your round mirror and sconces (now above the sofa) on that wall behind the chair (where that tall picture was) on that shorter wall behind the chair -- the wall at a right angle to where the mirror is now.

Would remove the two smaller light colored rectangle pictures (now above the sofa on each side of the sconces) and hang either only one really large art piece centered above your sofa or three rectangle pieces with the same theme, one centered above each seat cushion. You could hang a few inexpensive posters above the sofa until you find just the art that, as the pros say, "speaks to you". Art doesn't necessarily need to be framed pictures.

https://www.google.com/search?q=pressed+metal+living+room+wall+art+trees+birds+mountains&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwic5ez92brmAhVkZN8KHZ7GB2QQ_AUoAXoECAsQAw&biw=1326&bih=617#spf=1576517677741

Really like that Hemlock Blue you're considering (celerygirl pic). Would NOT go darker than that with some gloomy gray. You need a color that lightens and brightens the space, not one that would more likely darken the vibe of the room and the mood of all that enter it.

You could make that small rectangle wall ... actually it is a rectangle section plus left "leg" ... that is at or near the top of your stairwell a more interesting space by hanging something there that reflects your personal hobby or favorite pass time.

Do let us know how it turns out.