How to Easily Add a Bright and Bold Accent Wall in Any Room

Learn how to easily add a BRIGHT and BOLD accent wall to any space! It’s such an easy project that only takes a day!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of FrogTape®. All opinions are 100% mine. Thank you for supporting the brands that support WTSHB!

 

How to Easily Add a Bright and Bold Accent Wall in Any Room

One of the things I was most looking forward to after learning I was pregnant (besides of course meeting my little one) was fixing up the nursery!

I scoured Pinterest like a maniac and added pin after pin to my ‘For the Future Babies’ board, and after we found out we were having a boy, I couldn’t wait to start polishing a room that was modern, hip, and filled with bright colors.

Since I was still working full-time and dealing with all the other craziness that comes with first-time mommyhood, we created a nursery that was pretty cute…but not all the way cute like I had envisioned.

Well, that all changed recently when I finally added the WOW factor that my son’s room had been missing…a BRIGHT and BOLD accent wall!

 

Accent Wall Supplies

Here’s what I used to add this bright and bold accent wall in my son’s nursery:

• FrogTape® Multi-Surface Painter’s Tape
• Three colors of paint (orange, lime green, and turquoise)
• Paint brush
• Disposable bowls
• Ladder
• Drop cloth

 

The Before Wall

So here’s how Rowan’s room looked when standing in his doorway before this little project (you can check this out for all the details on his entire room).

Like I mentioned, it’s not bad, but that BIG wall with the window was just dying to be jazzed up.

Plus, all that gray with only one window keeps the room looking rather dark. Boo to that.

 

My Accent Wall Mockup

I knew I wanted to transform it into an accent wall of some sort, but I had a hard time deciding just what I wanted to do.

I thought about horizontal stripes, but all that math and precise measuring didn’t thrill me (I wanted this project to not only look cute, but also be relatively quick and easy).

Next were ideas in vinyl that I could cut out with my Silhouette Cameo.

Maybe polka dots, or dinosaurs, or his name in giant letters?

But those would still leave the majority of the wall that same shade of gray, and I was looking for some real color here.

Then it hit me….RANDOM COLORED SHAPES.

It would be super fun for a little boy’s room, and we’d just have to throw some tape up there without any measuring then fill in the newly-created shapes with some paint. Perfect!

Since I’m a visual person, I created a (very rough) mockup of the accent wall I had envisioned in Photoshop Elements.

You can check out this post on why making mockups before painting accent walls is the way to go!

 

This also made it easy for my husband to understand what I was talking about.

I guess my explanation of “We’re just going to put up random, haphazard lines with the tape then paint each shape a different color” wasn’t quite clear enough.  *I* thought it made total sense though.

 

Purchasing the Paint

We then headed on over to our local Home Depot to purchase our paints.

I was pretty proud of myself for remembering to bring along one of the guard rail covers off Rowan’s crib so we could coordinate the colors. {*pats self on back*}

 

Applying the FrogTape Lines

I was generously provided with some rolls of FrogTape® brand painter’s tape (thanks guys!). They included two of their top-of-the-line painter’s tapes:

FrogTape® Multi-Surface is a medium adhesion painter’s tape that will remove cleanly from most surfaces for up to 21 days (seven days in direct sunlight) and is designed for use on:

• Cured Painted Walls
• Wood Trim
• Glass
• Metal

FrogTape® Delicate Surface is a low adhesion painter’s tape that will remove cleanly from most surfaces for up to 60 days and is designed for use on:

• Freshly painted surfaces (24 hours old)
• Faux Finishes
• Primed Wallboard
• Wallpaper

 

Since these walls were painted their current light gray a couple years ago in preparation for Rowan’s arrival, I used the (green) FrogTape Multi-Surface since it’s specifically for use on cured walls.

And apparently the FrogTape containers make for hilarious toys, too! :)

 

Once all the pictures were removed from the wall and the window was cleared of the blinds and curtains, it was time to apply the FrogTape!

I started applying the tape along the baseboards (my husband is terrified of messes, so even though we’d be using a drop cloth on the floor, he also insisted that I place a row of tape along the carpet’s edge as well *sigh…men*).

As I worked my way around the wall’s edges, The Hubs removed all the outlet covers.

 

It was then time to slap the lines on the wall!

This was a two-person job, especially for the long strips of tape that went from edge to edge.

Since I’m short, my husband did most of this task, but I helped to keep the tape taut and also instructed him where the lines should be by continually referring to my mockup.

It was a definite time-saver having the mockup tell us where to put the tape instead of trying to do it on the fly.

A short time and about 2/3 of a roll later, the wall was taped and just waiting to be colorfied!

 

Time to Get My Paint On!

I then prepped my painting supplies.

And isn’t it cute how the disposable bowls I used also matched the paint colors??

Ahhhh, it’s the little things in life, I tell ya.

Oh, even though the can of blue paint is open in this pic….

 

…I actually painted all the green areas first!

I decided to switch last minute because that’s what I do.

This color along with the other two required two coats to get nice, even coverage.

 

Then I painted all the blue areas.

The Hubs also came upstairs to check on my progress (he and Rowan stayed downstairs and out of Mommy’s way during Operation Accent Wall), so I could finally get an action shot of me painting.

And please disregard my #crazypineapplehair…that seems to be my go-to style when undertaking a painting project.

 

BOOM!  It’s coming together nicely, huh?

 

Last but not least was of course the orange paint.

 

Removing the FrogTape

All of the painting was easily completed in one day.

It could have even been a half-day project if I didn’t have to interrupt my work for a grumpy toddler’s nap time followed by a tornado warning after dinner…gotta love springtime in Alabama.

So, the next morning, we went upstairs and started removing the FrogTape…and I held my breath as I pulled back that first strip.

This was my first time using FrogTape on a wall project (their Chevron Shape Tape worked great on my dual-sided Valentine’s Day door hanger though!), so I was a little unsure of what to expect.

But my anxiety proved pointless because the lines were SHARP. And CRISP. And CLEAN.

Yep, that PaintBlock® Technology is nothing short of amazing! “Keeps Paint Out. Keeps Lines Sharp” is the TRUTH.

 

Seriously, I was very anxious to see just how well the lines would turn out, especially since we didn’t do a coat of gray over the tape, which is what is usually done to help prevent paint bleeding.

But that would have ended up being a huge waste of time, because the FrogTape didn’t need a safety net.

Another awesome finding: the FrogTape never tore while I was removing it!

Yep, I pulled each line off as a single piece (some even at the same time if they intersected), so this process took no time at all.

Hooray for no scraping tiny little tape pieces off!

 

More tape was removed, and more crisp lines were revealed.

This was looking like the makings of a very successful project…I just love those.

 

The Completed Bright & Bold Accent Wall!

This bright and bold accent wall was a success!!

I just LOVE how it turned out!

It really brightens up the whole room and gives the space such a playful, cheery vibe.

{You can click on the images below and they will open up to full-size in a new window!}

 

It truly is a WOW factor now, and the second you walk through Rowan’s door, you’re greeted by this super fun accent wall.

It’s just perfect for a little boy’s room.

 

I also could not believe how quick and easy this project was! For real.

This was my first time ever undertaking an accent wall, and I have to tell you…I might be hooked.

We (well mainly *I*) knocked it out in just over a day, and it’s made such a dramatic difference to the feel of Rowan’s room.

Now NO walls are safe in my house!

 

If You Enjoyed This…

Make sure you check out my Project Gallery for all of my other home improvement projects, tutorials, and freebies like these!

 

 

 

Thanks so much for stopping by!