Windy City Rehab's Alison Victoria Has A Suggestion To Liven Up Your Accent Wall

Having an accent wall in a room offers a captivating visual focal point that injects personality into the space. This design element provides a creative canvas to experiment with, instantly elevating the aesthetic appeal of the room. An accent wall communicates style and transforms a space, typically through the use of vibrant colors, but Alison Victoria suggests going further and sees texture as something that will always liven up an accent wall. "An accent wall, in my opinion, should never just be paint. It's too boring. Bring in texture," she says (via Realtor).

Some common ideas for accent walls include one or more bold patterns and colors that complement the room's overall palette, gradient or ombré paint, personalized artistic murals, and metallic paint or finishes that reflect light. While all these are creative, Alison Victoria wants people to push the boundaries when designing their homes and consider using texture to really expand on the concept of the accent wall.

Further expanding on the idea, Alison Victoria states, "Bring in color at the same time and just bring in something that's going to create depth," (via Realtor). What she is suggesting is an accent wall idea that combines different elements for a truly unique and personalized look. There are many ways to do this, you just need to make sure your choice fits in well with the existing decor of the room.

To add texture using color, you can paint or stencil geometric patterns on the wall, use textured paint, apply a special suede or velvet paint finish, or use a chalkboard or magnetic paint to make it an interactive surface. You can also add texture through color by hanging fabric panels or tapestries with intricate patterns to create a bohemian vibe. This can be great in the bedroom. Mosaic or patterned tiles are another type of colorful panel and can be used for an accent wall in the kitchen or bathroom.

You can also consider natural materials or other decorative elements. Natural or faux stone panels, brick, exposed concrete, bamboo, wood planks, or shims (painted or not) can create a rustic and earthy vibe, adding warmth and depth to the wall. Branches, leaves, or flowers in the form of a plant or garden wall can create a nature-inspired accent that brings the outdoors inside. These can look great in virtually any room.

Wallpapers with raised textures and patterns can also make the wall more visually engaging by creating the illusion of three dimensions. In Windy City Rehab, Alison Victoria modeled this by installing vinyl wallpaper with a wood grain texture and using different colors in different spaces. There are many styles of textured wallpapers — from brick to 3D patterns, to introduce depth and tactile interest to the wall. Finally, consider unique plaster techniques like Tadelakt or Venetian plaster to liven up your accent wall with rustic texture.