Project of the Month: Accent Walls
Renovating your office? Moving to a new office? Want the space to look chic, modern, and bigger than it actually is? Here’s some tips and tricks using accent walls and bold colours!
“A bold hue is the single most transformative thing you can do to your space.” –Abigail Ahern, interior designer and author
Accent Walls and Wall Paneling: The Perfect Pair
Feeling bold? Try adding an accent wall to your new office or boardroom! Accent walls are perfect for highlighting an architectural feature such as wall paneling. Pairing the two together creates dimension to an otherwise boxy, white room. The best way to maximize your space is with the optical illusion accent walls offer; they make the space look much bigger than it is.
It’s important for an accent wall to be darker than the rest of the room in order to emphasize a focal point; pairing Benjamin Moore OC-117 Simply White with Farrow & Ball Railings No. 31 does just that. The single dark wall paired with the wall paneling adds sophistication to the room. Farrow & Ball Railings No. 31 is a smooth black with blue undertones that creates a commanding vibe in an important office space.
Choosing which wall to accent is just as important as choosing the accent colour. The wall should be solid with no windows or doors. And to get the most out of the accent wall, it should highlight an existing point of interest or create the focal point of the space. Because of these tips, the accent wall in the boardroom (right photo) is the farthest from the entrance, adding to the optical illusion of making the space seem larger than it is. In the office (left photo), the accent wall resides behind the desk, bringing the attention to where the owner of the office would most commonly be.
Don’t Forget to Look Up!
Looking to make a statement? Try making one with your ceiling! Accenting your ceiling instead of a wall can transform the space in a completely different way. It allows you to accentuate more spaces throughout your home or office without repeating the same accent wall in each room. Using the same Farrow & Ball Railings No. 31 in the two rooms and the hallway ties the space together in a chic and modern way.
Accenting the ceiling brings more attention to the high ceilings in the space and brings your attention down the hall towards each of the offices. While it is often overlooked as a design opportunity, some consider the ceiling to be the ‘fifth wall’.
Making Small Spaces Pop
(even if it’s a bathroom!)
Not sure what to do with those small rooms? Try going dark! If there isn’t much space for a lavish design, go bold with your colour choice. Bathrooms almost always have white accents within them so having white walls in a small bathroom ends up being an all-white, small, boring room. The use of this custom gray match completed by Sherwin Williams (right photo) offers an unexpected contrast and class to an otherwise basic room. The wall paneling enhances the modern styling the dark shades already offer. Need another reason to go dark? Painting small spaces with dark colours offers the illusion that the space is larger, like the impact dark accent walls have on offices and boardrooms!
