Spread Some Accent Color!

This article is brought to you by Innovative Improvements, one of the 10 Steps found in Master of Vacation Rentals.

Recently, I had a client that was asking for suggestions on how to make her vacation rental more interesting from a designer perspective without breaking the bank.

One of the easiest and cheapest solutions is to work with paint or wallpaper to create an accent wall – with paint being the easier of the two.  The accent color will also help tie together other design elements in the room such as drapes, furnishings, and (or) art. Notice we are not painting or papering all the walls in the room – just one.

Don’t buy gallons of paint and start your project only to then be either unhappy or confused about the results. Remember that paint has a life of its own as what you see in the paint store is not exactly what you’ll see once it is dry. Better to get a small paint sample – Home Depot will mix small jars of paint for less than $5. If you can’t settle on just one shade of color, buy 2 or 3 samples preferably in the same color family but slightly lighter and darker color from your main choice.  

Buy some art paper, at least 8 ½ x 11, but try for 11 x 14 (Michael’s sells it). The large size is recommended because you’ll have a better visual example of what the end result will be.  Make sure to paint the paper twice so to get the full color hue. Once it is dry, use blue masking tape to tape new color sample to the wall (don’t use other kinds of tape as they can remove drywall). Look at it in the morning light and throughout the day and then at night with artificial light to make sure you’re happy with it.

If you decide to go with a wallpaper accent wall, just remember that paint is easier to apply (you can do it yourself). Paint is also easier to change if you decide to remodel later. Wallpaper requires an expert installer and can be messy and expensive to remove. Depending on your taste and budget though, either solution will spiff up your place!