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Feature walls are a great way to add some interest and character to your living space. They give you a lot of options for experimenting with different colors and patterns to bring some life to your environment. Feature walls can be bold or subtle, depending on whether you want your space to scream out a message or have a soft, soothing feel.
A feature wall is used when the rest of the room is painted with a neutral color, and you want one side to stand out. What side you pick depends entirely on your preference. Maybe you want the wall opposite your bed to look artistic so you feel positive when you wake up. Or maybe you want the wall opposite a window to be a feature wall so that colors against the sunlight are more prominent. Whatever the choice, you can paint the wall a different color, or apply a wallpaper with a pattern on it, creating a “feature”.
Features walls can have a bold message, but that’s not always necessary. Sometimes a subtler pattern can have the right amount of impact without being overwhelming.
Today, we will talk about how to create a feature wall that will catch your eye at first glance.
Creating a feature wall
When looking to create a feature wall in your bedroom, living room or any other space, it is important to start with the right planning.
1. Choose the wall to decorate
The choice of the wall you want to decorate can make or break the desired effect. The wall needs to be large enough to sufficiently accommodate the color or pattern you want. A feature wall can be a backdrop to a shelving or artwork, or even a fireplace. It can be against the bed arrangement in your bedroom or even adjacent to it. However, the wall should not have doors or large windows – things that will take the focus away and reduce the impact you want it to have.
2. Choose the right color
Next comes the color. Consider what color are the other walls in the room painted. You also have to consider the color of the furniture or any other characteristic of the room. Feature walls look best when they complement something in the room. For example, a wooden pattern for your feature wall will look great if there’s a lot of wooden furniture in the room with a similar pattern or theme, but won’t look so great if there is little furniture, or if the furniture in question is made out of metal or glass.
3. Experiment with colors and patterns
You don’t necessarily have to apply a color or pattern to the entire wall in order to see how it feels. Experimenting that way can be very costly and time consuming. Instead, pick up some color charts and paint chips, or sample wallpapers from your local store, and see how the color or pattern will look against other characteristics of the room. This is a very cost-effective way of experimenting without ruining your wall.
4. Wallpaper can add some flair
A feature wall isn’t limited to a color or pattern. You can create multiple effects, provided that they complement each other. Paint the wall a certain color first, and then experiment with different wallpapers on a section of the wall. See how it goes. If done right, a wallpaper on top of color can add quite a bit of flair to the wall.
Wallpapers are available in many patterns and bold colors/textures. You can try something bold, or some neutral tones with a textured finish to add some interest.
5. Use alternative materials
Colors and wallpapers aren’t your only options when creating a feature wall. You can add a range of additional materials to create interest and add personality to your wall. These include wood veneers, marble, plaster, slate/stone veneers, fiber metal, solid phenolic panels, bricks, pressed metal and even fabric.
Getting it right
A feature wall reflects your personality and preferences, so it’s not an exact science. However, there still are a few things you should be mindful of:
- Don’t decorate a crowded room – If your room is over-crowded, there’s little point to a feature wall because the focus you want will get diverted. Feature walls work best when there is a lot of empty room.
- Don’t decorate a tiny room – Again, feature walls look best in open spaces. Putting a feature wall up in a tiny room can make the room look even smaller thanks to the extra interest on the walls. Feature walls are often always used in large room for this purpose.
- Feature walls are not a smaller piece of the puzzle. Some people consider featuring one wall simply because they think coloring or patterning the entire room will be overwhelming. Feature walls shouldn’t be thought of as a consolation. Rather, they’re supposed to be highlights and should be decorated as such.
- Consider what walls you look at most. Feature walls should be selected based on how much they’re in your sight. For example, the wall behind the TV in your lounge makes for an excellent suggestion, whereas the side walls will probably not work just as well.
- Sometimes strategically placing your furniture can work wonders as well with a feature wall. For example, in the living room, you might want to pain the wall that the sofa runs along. Similarly, you can move the beds around in your bedroom to make the head line up against the painted wall.
If you have painted your walls in a neutral color, they can get boring really fast. Painting your walls with interesting colors and textures can really liven up your environment. If you’re short of ideas, you might want to look into professionals to get the art done for you. Canvas Prints in Brisbane are a great option if you want to get the job done quickly and yet want something lively and energetic. Good luck with your awesome interior home redesign project!
Maria Zahid has been writing on various topics throughout the years to build her portfolio for the best personal reach! If you want to work with me, please do connect with me today though my email: [email protected].
