Accent walls are a fun and easy way to improve many areas of your home. Most accent color walls are used to please the aesthetic preferences of the owner and occupant of the home. However, sometimes, an accent color applied during home staging can be the ideal compliment to the various other strategies used to improve the home’s appeal to potential buyers.
This article provides some crucial guidance on using accent colors throughout the residence, while maintaining an overall neutral look with universal appeal. Remember, since a color accent only utilizes paint, it is one of the most economical tools in any home stager’s arsenal.
What are Accent Walls?
Accent colors are used to spark interest and differentiate areas of the home from one another. Although many homeowners choose bright and obviously contrasting accent colors in their usual décor, those used in home staging are most often toned down to make the room less taste-specific.
Accent colors can be used in many ways, such as providing a two-toned palate of colors on a wall which is divided by a chair rail or to increase the visual impact of molding which has been installed in a decorative pattern on a wall.
A true accent color wall is simply a normal wall which is painted a contrasting color in order to define it as a focal point or a frontier between different rooms or functional applications.
Home Staging Wall Colors and Textures
In my staging designs, I typically recommend using accent colors in many of the following circumstances:
A two toned dining room looks terrific if a formal chair rail is installed. I advise keeping the colors neutral and related. Always place the darker or deeper shade on the bottom of the rail.
Accent ceilings can be painted to match the room color and are especially effective in monotone color themes. Be careful with this approach, as sometimes, it can be distasteful to some buyers.
Accent color walls are ideal for dividing large open spaces, such as lofts or great rooms. These are my favorite uses for accent color schemes and buyers tend to agree that a simple change in palate can enact a drastic aesthetic improvement.
Final Thoughts on Accent Walls
Besides simple color variations, there are many other methods of achieving an accented wall design:
You can wallpaper a single wall.
You can also texturize a wall with plaster or a faux finish. If you are going to do this, make sure it suits the flavor of the home and will not become a liability to your sales effort.
I generally recommend simple paint as the best and least expensive bet. Match the color selections to the property and potential buyer pool. You can be more daring with an urban loft than in a family house in the suburbs. When in doubt, go conservative and stay with varying earth-tones for a warm and universally pleasing look.
