Tall Wall Decorating Solution | the 20 foot accent wall for Hala
PROJECT DETAILS
PAINT COLOR | unknown
LOCATION OF WALL | open-concept living room
WALL DIMENSIONS | 20 ft x 14 ft
STYLE OF ACCENT WALL | board + batten
Tall, open rooms are a desirable design aspect, especially for open concept homes where most of the living is done in one area of the house. While tall walls are a wonderful selling point for a home, once families move in, they often find that they aren’t sure how to decorate such a large wall. This client’s family had lived in the home for years, but had never figured out what to do with it.
When Hala found me, she was excited to finally turn this part of her home into the feature it was instead of something that left her scratching her head trying to decide what to do. She had thought many times about simply painting the wall or covering it in photos, but none of her ideas seemed to fit with her overall style.
While this was an incredibly difficult accent wall to install, the final product speaks for itself. Working together with my client, I was able to design a style that enhanced the home’s features and fit Hala’s design aesthetic. Read more to learn about my process of installing this massive accent wall.
CONSULTATION
Every accent wall I design and install starts with a free accent wall quote request. By answering a few simple questions and uploading a photo of your wall, I can provide you with a quote based on the style of accent wall you desire and the size of your wall. That’s not all that goes into my consultation though!
During our phone consultation, I will also get more info from you to help you find the best design for your home. Accent walls should elevate, not interrupt, a home’s design. One of my favorite parts of my job is helping people find the perfect solution for their style, design, furniture, and decor.
Usually, I can complete the entire consultation process over the phone. For this particular client, because the wall was so large, I did need to do my consult in the home. Measuring the wall correctly and cutting the materials perfectly is one of the most difficult parts of my installation process, and often the one that DIY accent wall installers struggle with. It gets especially complicated when you need to take into account things like outlets, TVs, shelves, windows, etc.
For the consultation process with Hala, I took into account the family’s traditional style and classy wood features throughout her home. We ended up choosing a board and batten style, which is a much more traditional wall feature, along with a rich brown color to accent the wood furniture.
BIGGER WALL, BIGGER PROBLEMS
The height of this wall introduced some interesting challenges, the biggest of them of course being the sheer amount of wall that needed to be covered. I personally use 1/8th temper panels cut so the seam is hidden behind the accents of each wall. This step adds time, but it’s something that really makes a difference. Doing this ensures that the texture of the wall doesn’t show through and there is a smooth surface to add the designs and paint onto.
The design also had to account for the client’s tv and fireplace. These elements had to be included in my measurements. Once I had completed my original design, we realized that the wall would feel more put together with sconces alongside the TV, so I redesigned the original design to incorporate them.
Board and batten style is deceptively difficult, even for a wall of typical height. Considering the monstrous size of this one, it was a tough project. My usual process is to spray the paint onto the walls. I prefer this method because the paint goes on more evenly. However, doing this requires me to add a plastic wall and seal it to contain the paint dust, but I could not do that with this size of the wall. So we rolled on the paint instead. This, along with all the other complications, increased the time of this project to 4 days total.
It was worth it though. The finished accent wall is insanely upscale, perfectly combining traditional and modern elements. Thanks to the 1/8th temper panels I used to conceal the texture, the accent wall doesn’t look like it was added on. It truly looks like it was there from the beginning. The difference in the overall look and feel of the room is pretty drastic!
Most importantly, the client was incredibly happy with her new accent wall. I love how she styled the finished wall in the end.
