Before & After: A Long Desired Dramatic Accent Wall
Molly’s space was totally adorable as is, but she was itching for a little drama in the living room, and boy did she bring it!
From Molly: My obsession with a black accent wall started about a year ago when I saw this house tour right here on Apartment Therapy. I couldn’t stop thinking about how the art popped and the TV blended — pretty much everything you want for an accent wall that contains a television.
At the time I lived in a small apartment that got very little natural light, so I didn’t want to make the space any darker. When my boyfriend and I moved into a slightly bigger apartment with lots of south and west-facing windows in the living room, I knew it would be a great opportunity to try the black accent wall I had been pining after (and pinning, of course.)
One year later, I stopped talking about it and finally pulled the trigger. It didn’t take long at all — we painted the wall in about two hours on a random Tuesday night after work. We chose an eggshell finish to get a hint of sheen and dimension when the light is streaming in or the lamps are turned on at night. The paint covered well in two coats, and using an edger helped us speed along corners while maintaining a straight paint line.
One concern I had is that adding the black accent wall would make the room feel dark (in the morose sense). To make sure that didn’t happen, we added lots of colorful and cheerful art and some happy personal touches, including an illustration of our dog and a framed picture of us cry-laughing from my boyfriend’s 30th birthday. We love the way it turned out and are kicking ourselves for not doing it sooner! Thanks for the inspiration, AT!
Thank you, Molly! You can see more on Molly’s blog Awfully Big Adventure.