An accent wall can look spectacular, and is an easy Do-It-Yourself project (even Nyla the rescue could help!)

By Kelly Whittier

In a sea of developer gray, sad beige, and panda houses, a dynamic and colorful geometric accent wall is a standout way to add visual interest and personality to your living space. Not only renter-friendly, this type of paint project looks precise, but is deceptively easy to pull off.

“We knew we wanted an accent wall, we just didn’t know what we wanted,” said Joe D., who lives on Upshur with his wife and retired greyhound rescue Nyla. “Once we landed on a design, it was really easy and fun to do. The tough part was choosing the colors and we probably spent more time on that than the labor.”

In total, this project probably took less than 5-8 hours to finish and, while there really isn’t much to it beyond taping off a shape on the wall and painting in the blocks, there are a couple things to keep in mind when tackling your own geometric design:

First, be sure to use painter’s tape specifically designated for drywall (as opposed to brick tape or other surfaces).
Second, think about taping off a gap between the top of the design and the ceiling. Joe found that this helped align the design with his cabinets and spared him from needing to paint the crease between the wall and ceiling.
Third, no matter what colors you are considering, tying in a color from elsewhere in the room can serve as a complementary accent for the color palette. Joe’s mom, an artist, recommended pulling the light gray cabinet color into the design, which made the space look more cohesive and intentional.

The family’s geometric wall has served as a great Zoom background, backdrop for a pandemic school picture day, and is now a bonus feature for prospective buyers as their place is now up for sale. If you’d like this accent wall, pet-friendly living, or proximity to great restaurants on Upshur, the house is officially on the market.

“Hopefully the next owner will appreciate the fun colors, but we’re definitely going to paint one again in our next place,” said Joe.

To share your pandemic DYI or favorite home improvement project, reach out to Kelly at kelly@petworthnews.org!

Bonus Project: If you have a kitchen island at a weird height or location that you’re not using for seating, you can always reclaim that space by building out cabinets to add storage like Joe and his dad did: