my head space: Accentuate the Positive

My eight year old daughter has been using the word "awkward" a lot lately - sometimes correctly and sometimes not so much. As in "Mommy, you make me feel awkward when you sing and dance in public" which I might do at any given moment regardless of my limited talent.

Accent walls are often awkward. More often than not they seem sort of random or done in the wrong place or as if the person got tired and quite after one wall. But I'm working on putting my office together and I feel like it needs something lively in it, but not overwhelming so I was considering an accent wall.

My issue is that my office is in the basement, and while we have a large easement window, not a lot of natural light gets in there. Apart from making sure that I have plenty of lights, I was thinking it would be fun to use temporary wallpaper to add some fun, bright pattern on the furthest wall behind my desk (glass/chrome) where the white storage cabinet would go. The existing walls are a buttery yellow - and while I tend to gravitate towards lots of cooler colors when I decorate my personal spaces (mostly blues and browns/taupes/grays), I like that it helps bring "sunshine" into the room so I would like to keep it.

I'm going to show you my top choices for a wallpaper pattern, but first I was thinking about what makes an accent wall beautiful - and not awkward.

1. Accent walls are usually the first wall that you see upon entering a room.

Contemporary Entry design by San Francisco Interior Designer Jona Collins, CID

Modern Kitchen design by San Francisco Architect John Lum Architecture, Inc. AIA

Modern Bathroom design by Miami Interior Designer DKOR Interiors Inc.- Interior Designers Miami, FL

2. They help anchor or define a separate area within a larger space - especially in open-concept homes

Modern Dining Room design by Nashville Interior Designer Beckwith Interiors

Modern Living Room design by Portland General Contractor Jordan Iverson Signature Homes

Contemporary Living Room design by Minneapolis Interior Designer Eminent Interior Design

3. The accent wall highlights a focal point on a wall - bed, fireplace, giant TV, windows etc.

Contemporary Bedroom design by Austin Interior Designer PPDS

Contemporary Bedroom design by Toronto Architect Avissa Mojtahedi Architecture & Design

Modern Media Room design by Indianapolis General Contractor Wrightworks, LLC

4. Accent walls are usually a saturated color or patterns (wallpaper, tile, wood, etc) in an otherwise neutral or light-colored space, but should coordinate with other elements in the space