Need help with accent wall

last month

Hi all! I'm doing renovations in a small apartment I own. I'm painting it BM White Dove, but right now there is a LOT of white. To add some interest/color, there is a wall between the kitchen and the living room that I would like to turn into an accent wall (see Pics).

Other considerations: (1) I also need to put something on the half wall on the right (see Pic 2), which is going to be a bar seating area (need something that will hide scuffs and is easy to clean; the bar countertop will be butcherblock). (2) I'm also thinking of turning the small corner on the left side of Pic 1 into a small eating area (just a small cafe table, maybe a bench).

So I was thinking of putting whatever I have on the accent wall also go on the half wall/bar wall, and maybe also extend to the adjacent wall where the eating area would be (but it would have to stop mid-wall).

I am really at a loss for what will look good. I love slat walls aand thought about doing a vertical slat wall that wraps around the accent wall and also put that on the bar half wall. But I worry that slat walls are getting dated (also, the ceiling is wood plank, so not sure how that would look together). So I thought about wallpaper, but not sure how that would look.

Any suggestions?

Featured Answer

Emily

last month

Cute guest house! Consider painting since the bar area won’t get a huge amount of wear and tear. I’d only paint the one area, keeping the left side in the current color. Add prints in your style with colors that pull that accent wall color to that left side.

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Comments (13)

apple_pie_order
last month
Will this be your own residence or will you rent it out?
mhk2
Original Author
last month
It's a coachhouse apartment on top of our garage. We won't live in it, but we won't rent it. We use it as a guest house/office.
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PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
last month
IMO a floor plan marking which walls will be accent might make it easier to understand. IMO an accent wall is best when it is confined to one wall with not openings in that wall and to add another accent ( wood slat ) to the mix is not a good idea . I do not see wood plank on those ceilings so is that something else you are adding?
apple_pie_order
last month
Since there won't be a lot of wear and tear on a guest house/office, you could use wallpaper. Use the wallpaper colors as a jumping off point for accents.
mhk2 thanked apple_pie_order
Lyn Nielson
last month
without seeing the whole space and how it relates to each other... I would ditch the slats idea.

Apartments can be small, keep it simple, not a lot of contrasting things.

Decide on what you want to be the focal point on entering the apartment.

IF the pony wall and eating area is to be a feature, focus on that.

As far as artwork, Buy/display what you like, don't worry about whether or not it goes together, especially if you aren't seeing all of the diffferent works at the same time...

example: Think of hanging a statement piece on a wall in the lounging area, if when you look at another space in the apartment, you don't see the first piece at the same time, it can be something entirely different. Like something directly in front of you as opposed to something directly behind you.
mhk2 thanked Lyn Nielson
mhk2
Original Author
last month
last modified: last month
Here are some additional pics, and a not-to-scale floorplan. All of the furniture and other things will be gone, but the living room wall color (BM Dove White) will stay the same. The plank ceiling is also white. So I can add color and texture using furnishings, but I thought an accent wall might be a nice idea. It just seems SO WHITE right now. Plus I need to put something under the bar area that is hardy enough to handle scuffs.

PS: The apt entrance is through the left door in the kitchen.
Lyn Nielson
last month
@Emily posted a great option for solving your scuff problem.

I'd also paint that back patio door wall the same color you choose for the pony wall, draws you into the next space.
mhk2 thanked Lyn Nielson
Luxury Sleep Shop (Steven)
last month
I like the idea of using wallpaper here.
mhk2 thanked Luxury Sleep Shop (Steven)
Meghan W
last month
No accent wall. It just looks so white because it isn’t furnished.
mhk2 thanked Meghan W
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
last month
Add some art or mabe some nice photos of the area where you live and once all of the furniture and art is in the need for accent walls will be a non issue . I never do nay accent walls until all else is in place and then decide .
mhk2 thanked Patricia Colwell Consulting
PRO
Prime Estate Studio
22 days ago
Since you’re unsure about slats or wallpaper, I’d also consider decorative lighting as an option for the accent wall. That large wall gives you plenty of space for a statement wall light, and a moon-style design could add an interesting focal point as well as softer ambient lighting.

I recently compared 8 different moon lights, including wall-mounted designs that could work really well on an accent wall like this: https://youtu.be/g-R98L8EdII
PRO
Norwood Architects
22 days ago
Emily has given you a wonder option. Love the green and the two large prints she has used. Would definitely take her advice and run with that.