Decorating Rooms Living Room Decorating and Design 12 Living Room Accent Wall Ideas to Transform Your Space Add color and texture to your living area with a DIY accent wall. By Grace Gallagher Published on March 30, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Carson Downing Your living room is a place for gathering and relaxing, so it should be warm and inviting. It should also reflect your personal design style, and an accent wall is an easy way to do that without overwhelming the space. Creating a living room accent wall allows you to try out a new color or texture you might not want on all four walls, like a bright paint color, mural, or bold wallpaper. An accent wall can give your space a satisfying pop of color or personality without a major renovation. Plus, focusing on just one wall means you can splurge on the fancy paint or high-end wallpaper you've been eyeing since you won't need to buy as much. Whether it's a geometric mural in calm colors or brightly-painted wall paneling, these living room accent wall ideas will instantly upgrade your space. 9 Painted Wall Mural Ideas to Brighten Any Room 01 of 12 Painted Accent Wall Jay Wilde Even if you don't consider yourself much of an artist, you might be surprised at what you can create with a paintbrush and a sample can of paint. Simple brushstrokes repeated in a pattern can easily form a living room accent wall. Here, dashes and chevron stripes create a bespoke design that reads almost like wallpaper at first glance. To keep your design uniform, tape straight lines on the wall to use as a guide, then remove the tape when you're done. 02 of 12 DIY Wood Accent Wall Jacob Fox This wood accent wall only looks like the work of a high-end designer. In fact, it's actually a DIY design made using regular plywood. The lighter stain and wide planks make this midcentury modern accent wall feel current and upscale, while the furniture and decor give an additional nod to the era. With a single trip to the hardware store, you can make a DIY wood accent wall in just one weekend. 03 of 12 Molding Accent Wall Carson Downing Add molding to your wall and paint the entire surface a solid color for the ultimate accent that gives a traditional architectural feature a modern upgrade. This room's tangerine wall color is bright and unexpected, but the picture frame molding and gold accent lights keep the space grounded and traditional. Muted colors throughout the rest of the space allow the bright wall to have its deserved moment. 04 of 12 Accent Wall Mural Carson Downing Create the look of wallpaper without the expense (or the potential headache) of hanging it yourself with this DIY wall mural idea. These gorgeous blooms frame the couch in a simple yet eye-catching way. And if you think you don't have the artistic chops to pull this off, think again: Download the free template of this design and use a projector to project it onto the wall at whatever size works for you. Then, outline with a pencil and fill in with your choice of pink paint color. 05 of 12 DIY Painted Arches Kim Cornelison Turn your accent wall into an on-trend piece of art by painting arches a few shades darker than the rest of the wall paint. Here, the charcoal arches look deep and rich against the slightly lighter gray walls. This color-blocked, Art Deco-inspired look lends dimension and interest to a room and serves as the perfect backdrop for a floating picture shelf. What Is Art Deco? 6 Ways to Add the Classic Style to Your Home 06 of 12 Framed Mural Hector Sanchez Make a massive impact with a large framed wall mural. Of course, you can paint the mural yourself if you're handy with a paintbrush, but an easy way to achieve a similar look is to frame a large sheet of wallpaper after it's adhered to the wall. Here, the mural is framed using molding pieces painted the same shade as the wall, which gives even more emphasis to the design inside. Adding some simple hooks for hanging bags, hats, or jackets makes this feel lived-in and approachable despite its scale. The 10 Best Wallpapers of 2023 to Add Visual Flair to Any Room, According to Our Testing 07 of 12 Deep Purple Accent Wall Adam Albright A classic design trick is to paint an accent wall that's a shade or two deeper than the rest of the walls. Here, most of the room is painted a lavender shade of paint, but the accent wall is a deeper eggplant color. Choosing an accent color in the same tones as the rest of the room ensures that the wall doesn't look out of place, and also makes it easier to style the rest of the room in a cohesive color palette. What Colors Go with Purple? How to Use the Hue in Your Space 08 of 12 A Geometric Mural Jason Donnelly A busy geometric mural creates an eye-catching focal point in this living room. Different shades of blue painted triangles add dimension and interest, but the colors and the watercolor brush strokes create a calm feel. Keep in mind that a colorful mural doesn't mean you need to shy away from color in the rest of your space—just try to keep it to a streamlined palette. Here, the blue and blush tones look intentional and complementary. 09 of 12 Partial Accent Wall KIM CORNELISON A colorful accent wall doesn't have to cover the entire wall. This painted stripe is both unique and eye-catching. The cobalt-blue design behind the TV draws attention to the high, slanted ceiling. Plus, it creates an intentional divide between the two sets of floating shelves. 10 of 12 Built-In Shelves Brie Williams A living room accent wall doesn't actually have to be a wall at all. Here, wall-to-wall built-in shelves pop against white walls. Black paint may feel daunting, but thanks to the luxe shine of glossy paint, this room looks large rather than dark and cramped. When styling a wall of shelves, give each item space to breathe. This will make the space look intentional and impactful without overcrowding the shelves. 11 of 12 Rustic Stone Accent Wall Dominique Vorillon Create an accent wall for a rustic living room by expanding a traditional stone fireplace surround across the entire wall. This neutral stone pairs well with farmhouse-style shiplap ceilings and light wood floors. And while a textured accent wall may seem busy, you don't have to shy away from art or other decor. Like layering jewelry, adding accent pieces and decor can look intentional and luxe. 12 of 12 Layered Accent Wall Marty Baldwin Go a step beyond a bright painted wall and add an art piece in the same color scheme to create a stunning focal point. Here, layered canvases are hung on top of each other, but you can create a similar look with a gallery wall of prints in the same color family. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit