Add style to any room with an accent wall

All walls are not created equal. Some are gifted with beautiful moldings; others feature a pair of exquisite windows; some provide a view via a set of doors; and still others are just plain ol' walls. Walls are the main component of almost any room. In the design world, they are known as background.

When clients ask me for a quick fix for their rooms, I advocate altering the background to create an instant change and a fresh feeling. Sometimes updating the walls and window treatments is all it takes. This alone can give an OK interior life and completely transform a room. Paint is the easiest and most effective method to achieve that coveted transformation.

First, let's consider that most rooms are just plain boxes. Creating an interesting background can make the most simple design seem complex and thought out. It's also an element of interior design, where people typically think only in terms of wall color, but the options are endless. Most of us think of walls as made up of drywall, wallboard or even plaster, if it is a very high-end finished interior. Walls, however, can be constructed from wood, metal, resins, mirror and even glass.

As ubiquitous as they seem, walls are extremely important - so much so that some are chosen to be special and highlighted. These walls are known as accent walls. Have you ever been to a department store and observed them designing their windows or to a furniture store as they prepare for a furniture vignette? You likely will see them paying special attention to one wall - the accent wall - in order to direct your view to whatever they are featuring.

Accent walls are perfect for those rooms that lack a significant architectural feature, view or window, such as a basement or an interior room. An accent wall affords visual relief by creating a diversion from confining walls. Accent walls are effective in any scale, from a small powder room to the end wall of a hallway to a blank living room or bedroom wall.

Assess your walls. Walls that are filled with holes and cracks or generally in bad shape need to be repaired with some wall mud or Spackle. For either paint or wallpaper, prepare the walls with a good primer for the smoothest finish you can get. When they are in good condition, you are done prepping. After all, you will be calling attention to that wall with a specialized finish.

Your accent walls might be painted a different color, papered, upholstered in fabric or paneled in wood. Each finish is particular to creating a mood or style for your room. Current trends include wood panels with carvings that simulate waves and other geometric patterns and hand-printed grass-cloth wall coverings in a variety of colors.

• Joseph Pubillones is the owner of Joseph Pubillones Interiors, an award-winning interior design firm based in Palm Beach, Fla.

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