25 Rooms That Prove You Need an Accent Wall in Your Home

In Eliza Carter Harris's New York home, the designer painted one wall bright green and layered it with curtains to soften up the space and accentuate the high ceilings. Not to mention, it makes the perfect backdrop for a table that hosts flowers, books, and other treasured objects.

Upholstering a wall can add softness and help soundproof a room. For the bedroom of a Dallas home, designer Denise McGaha covered one wall in a Lee Jofa fabric for a relaxing touch.

A wallpaper inspired by sediment from DropItModern adds elegance to this office designed by Rydhima Brar of Rterior Studio. The black and cream option establishes the room's bold, modern atmosphere.

Thin custom wood paneling made of black walnut in this breakfast nook designed by Studio Shamshiri softens the white walls and concrete flooring that surrounds it. Custom blue cushions add a pop of color.

If you're working on a kid's room, why not make the accent wall something they can play on, too? By building a rock-climbing wall, like this one in a home designed by Regan Baker, you'll add interest to the room and a fun source of exercise and amusement.

Exposed brick can act as neutral accent wall, and painting them white can help achieve that coveted balance between contemporary and lived-in. Here, designer Shawn Henderson brought this 19th-century home back to its former glory by "stripping the apartment down to a more humble interior," says Henderson. He whitewashed existing pine floors and then added a faux brick wall to make it feel older.

Make furniture seamlessly blend into your accent wall by matching the wallpaper pattern to it, as designer Nick Olsen did in this

bedroom with a graphic navy wallpaper and matching upholstered headboard.

To brighten up a dark corner, panel a wall (or two!) in beadboard and paint them orange. In the mudroom of a Nantucket cottage, designer Kevin Isbell used Buttered Yam by Benjamin Moore.

For a cozy cottage feel, cover a wall with stone. In this primary bedroom, designer Cathy Chapman used various gray stones to give the room an earthy yet modern feel.

If you'd prefer to have a consistent neutral color on your walls, look to the ceiling for an opportunity to introduce an unexpected pop of color or pattern. A baby blue painted ceiling brightens up this Houston terrace designed by Celerie Kemble and Lindsey Herod, proving the concept works outside, too.

Interior designer Heidi Cailler gave this media room the black box theater effect without totally overwhelming the space by designating the deep marine paint on the TV wall.

Natural stone is easily one of the most expensive surface materials money can buy. To cut costs but still spotlight a beautiful stone, just stick with one accent wall. In this kitchen designed by Tamsin Johnson, all eyes are on the smokey purple swirls of the wall ahead.

"'Moments’ rather than looks best encapsulate a home’s positive impact, and the ultimate moment experienced in Magnolia House is the slow and elegant descent down its new sculptural staircase, the metaphorical spine of both the home and the project," say designers Arent & Pyke. The jib door here is continuous with the baby blue painted paneling so as to not interrupt visual flow while also providing extra storage.

A bright hue is the easiest way to make a statement in a small space. Paint one wall an energizing color, then add contrast with decor, like these blush pink chairs in a dining room designed by 2G Studio.

This Manhattan guest room, designed by Amanda Darnell, uses a dynamic Kelly Wearstler wallpaper for Lee Jofa to unify its colorful artwork.

When you don't want to paint an entire wall, just paint the trims, moldings, or casings for a splash of color that breaks up the space. Here, GRT Architects opted for a soft lavender shade to soften the more saturated tones and to make the fluted interior glass pop even more.

If you don't have a massive mudroom, don't worry: Heidi Caillier designed a small makeshift mudroom in a little nook by the back entrance and elevated it with custom millwork, fresh throw pillows, and a charming wallpaper backdrop.

In this hallway designed by Tamsin Johnson, a glam mirrored accent wall makes the space feel bigger while also doubling as a place to outfit check before running out the door.

A unique firing process makes zellige tiles super resilient and therefore popular in kitchens and bathrooms. But elsewhere they can be functional as well: Designer Eva Holbrook put them around this hearth to protect the wall from heat and to make a style statement on the partial wall.

When your formal dining room is also your everyday dining area, invest in pieces that deliver both form and function. In this Studio DB-designed space, the built-in velvet banquette is cozy and comfortable, but it also looks dressy and unusual lighting and beautiful wallpaper are easy ways to add character without taking up surface space. It doesn't get more regal than a de Gournay wallpaper but it's pricey, so you don't need to cover all the walls with it.