10 DIY Painting Ideas For a Dramatic Focal Wall

DIY Ombre Walls

A DIY ombre wall adds a gradient colour that can make your accent wall look like a sunrise, water or even animal fur. “Perhaps this is why ombre effects have gained such popularity—infiltrating the design world, popping up on everything from walls, to clothing, furnishings and art pieces,” according to Behr paints. After you clean and prep your wall, you’ll need to determine how many colours you’ll use. The Behr website offers tips on blending colours to create a stunning ombre wall painting.

Polka Dots

When it comes to DIY painting ideas, polka dots can make an accent wall playful and cheery. Go for a subtle look with small dots in a single colour, or be bold with large polka dots in a mix of colours. Sherwin-Williams offers this video on how to paint polka dots on walls.

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Watercolour

A watercolour design on an accent wall will certainly invite conversation as it transforms the wall into a work of art. Colorhouse, which offers harmonious colour palettes to inspire the artist in you, notes that you can achieve this look in a few simple steps. Watch their video to see step-by-step instructions for this DIY painting idea.

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Vertical Stripes

Stripes, whether narrow or thick, can completely transform the look of your room. To paint stripes on a wall, you’ll need to use tape to create the straight lines. FrogTape offers this video on how to paint clean, straight lines on your wall.

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Solid Colour Block

While using a colour on one accent wall that is different from the rest of the room is an easy DIY painting idea, you can also paint a bold block of colour in the middle of a wall as a focal point. This wall features a bold block of purple in the middle of a grey wall. As with stripes, use tape to create a square and then paint inside the tape to create a bold block of colour.

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Patterned Walls

For a wall painting idea that looks difficult but can be done quite easily, go for a pattern such as chevron or herringbone. You’ll need tape to create the pattern and you can work with as many colours as you’d like. This video from Ace Hardware shows how easy the pattern is to achieve on an accent wall.

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DIY Chalkboard Wall

Try using chalkboard paint to create an accent wall. This will give you and your family the option of giving the space a new look as often as you want, with different chalk drawings.

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Bold Half Colour

Here’s a bold look: Use a colour on just half the wall. This may not be the right look for you, but it certainly creates an accent wall that stands out.

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Rainbow Stripe

Can’t choose just one colour? Go for the entire rainbow! Paint your entire wall in rainbow stripes, or just a smaller section, as shown here. You can use a variety of colour combinations to create the right look for your decor.

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Texture and Colour

If you have just one wall in a room that has texture, try painting it a different colour to make it stand out even more. This bedroom has a textured wall that is painted grey, making it a muted, subtle accent in the room.

Next, check out 20 painting tips professional painters don’t want you to know.