OK, I still subscribe to my weird moratorium on accent walls. I just hate them. It’s not reasonable, it’s not intellectual, it’s not a personal thing against your accent wall, it’s just a gut-hatred kind of thing I can’t explain. The one and only accent wall color I will allow in the house is black (or maybe a great gray, which – come on, is really just a light black).
I keep fussing over the guest bedroom as we get ready to paint it and I think we may have to go with a glossy black accent wall behind the headboard. I’m having commitment issues with painting the whole small room really super dark, but I love the idea of just a touch deep shiny black for that WOW dramatic contrast thing when you turn the corner into the bedroom.
This may all go horribly awry.
 |
18 Comments
I've wanted a black/chalkboard wall behind my headboard ever since I saw 500 Days of Summer.
And I totally share your hatred of accent walls, they gross me out.
My grandparents had a couple of black walls in their super awesome 1958 custom home–it looked fantastic. I'm going to try it out in my house one of these days…..
i painted my entire kitchen in chalkboard paint – everyone, including my hubby, thought i had lost my mind – but it looks so awesome. do it – and post lots of pix! you can always paint over it, right?
i feel the same way about accent walls. i dont know what it is about them that i dislike but i agree with you. maybe its too hgtv-ish i dont know. i say you go in hard and paint the whole damn room!! do it do it do it
i think the whole room in grey. there is a chance we will do it too….
These inspiration photos are fantastic ! I had never realised before how black highlights your wallart (or a yummy white AJ floor lamp) much in the same way as white walls do.
To answer your dilemma – why don't you just try one wall in black and if you don't like it you can always go for the whole room ? We Belgians are famous for our compromises
Anyway, thanks very much for the inspiration ! Black bedroom here I come…
but your whole house is white! conceptually, an accent wall throws it off. how about a HUGE custom dark. charcoal headboard? it could be linear and go wall to wall but not floor to ceiling?
i'm sure if you paint it, it will look awesome, but as a purist, if you do one, please do another somewhere else in your house.
Horribly, horribly awry. That' usually how it goes. I think a black accent wall, but NOT shiny. Matte. Matte as matte can be. You know it will take about four coats to get it right. Also? Not black black, but something close, like a dark, ethereal navy? Chocolate so chocolate that you're not sure?
Can't wait.
Beware or gloss..it shows way to many flaws, I did it was way grossed out ,but if the wall is so purrfect smooth go for it..you know what your doing…
I agree with Holyoke, it must be matte! Matte will have a richer texture, and chalkboard paint will give you that matte, super dark grey-almost black look that we all admire. Plus your guests can all sign the wall! Like an interactive guest book!
I too would stay away form the gloss, we did two oppsite walls in black in our master and I think they turned out pretty good. It was tough to find a true black but we did at HD, a Disney color, Micky Mouse ears and it is a true black.
You can see my room on my flickr page in the
AT Spring Cure 2009 set
do it. if you hate it, you can repaint. if you REALLY hate it, it will reinforce your hatred of accent walls, and then you won't be on the fence about it in the future. i did an 'accent wall' of that cole & sons woods wallpaper (photo 5) in our guest room, and weird and scary as it was, i totally love it. so maybe you'll be pleasantly surprised with your risk-taking.
Quick…somebody grab the champagne..I need to make a toast…."I HATE ACCENT WALLS"….I'll toast to that……
i totally agree about accent walls, and i have the same caveat, too: the only color i will ever use is black. my dream bedroom is painted black all over, and hopefully, in the near future, like, after i move out of this place where i can't paint at all, i will follow my dreams and sleep every night in my version of heaven.
also wanting to do a dark wall in our bedroom, going to get BM to match farrow and ball's downpipe (that color that abigail ahern uses) – can't decide if i should do just the wall behind the bed (also hate accent walls though) or the entire room – i'm thinking of just going for it…but will it be too dark???
I like down pipe a lot. I encourage trying the accent and then if you like it go for the whole room.
I think if the dark is balanced out with light furniture and accessories it should be fine. Or just go all dark and moody.
We just painted our bedroom dark gray (it's one of those vaguely douchey paints from Ralph Lauren, but holy shit it's sexy) and my husband thinks it's too dark. But I LOVE it. It's like going into a cave to sleep. But, we've only been in the house 4 days, so check back with me in a month.
I also agree with sticking to a matte black. The gloss black is very reminiscent of 80′s or early 90′s. Unless, of course, that’s the direction you want. I recently was inspired by a black they featured in last month’s West Elm catalog. It was Benjamin Moore’s “Almost Black”. And that’s exactly what it is. It’s about two tint’s lighter than a true black. I’m going to be using it in my kitchen….Can’t wait! Best of luck with your project!
Here is the picture from the catelog:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_et1uXroNfBU/THQi17KXjlI/AAAAAAAAAIU/KJCGduyZo5Y/s1600/img34m.jpg
Comment It Up!