Decorating Tips for Painting Only One or Two Walls of a Room

Paint Selection

• An accent wall's color really needs to pop out at your guests, so choose something totally different from your other walls. For example, don't paint an accent wall baby blue when the rest of your room is ocean blue. Instead, paint the accent wall navy or even a vibrant red to contrast the ocean blue paint you already have.

Design Options

• If you prefer an ordinary appearance, you might like your accent wall to be just one solid color. A solid color gives a chic look and works well in studies or dens. If you're feeling adventurous, however, you can design your accent wall to really excite and intrigue your visitors. You can incorporate several colors into your accent wall with sponge-painting, paint blocks or even stripes. Variety designs work best in heavily used rooms where visitors tend to gather, such as a kitchen or living room, or in very small rooms that you want to appear larger.

Wall Selection

• Your accent wall will attract your guests' attention, so choose to paint the first wall your guests see upon entering the room. If you prefer to accent more than one wall, remember to accent opposing walls, rather than walls that are directly next to one another, as this will diminish the accented effect.

Process of Application

• Use tape to carefully cover the edges of walls you don't want to paint. Also cover the edge of your carpet or floor, as well as the edge of your ceiling. Paint your wall slowly and deliberately. Make sure you have plenty of time so you aren't tempted to rush and make a mistake. If you're painting a solid color, use long, even brush strokes to prevent strange drying marks. If you want your accent wall to be striped, paint the lighter color first and cover the entire wall before you stripe your wall the darker color.