Hey Homies!
I recently had the pleasure of co-designing my friend’s new Atlanta Airbnb. We went with a colorful, unique theme and instead of putting up wallpaper, opted for a hand painted, unique abstract accent wall. The wall came out beautiful and took under an hour to complete. Now the first thing her guests will see when they enter this beautiful home, is this bold, unique accent wall. This is actually the second time I’ve done this. I painted my first abstract wall in my kid’s bathroom in 2019 and it still looks just as good as the first day.
Now, let me tell you how you can create a unique abstract accent wall of your own.
Step 1: Choose Your Colors
We started with a neutral wall (Marshmallow by Sherwin Williams) but you can start with whatever color you like. The wall is your canvas. We knew we wanted something in the black and white family to match the decor and since the walls were already in the white family, black brushstrokes were the obvious choice. Be mindful of the color palette in the room where you are creating the wall. You want something that is going to compliment the space and tie into the look and style. Also, remember that you want the wall and the brushstrokes to be contrasting colors. This will ensure that your design draws attention and creates a good aesthetic balance.
Step 2: Decide on a Design
So initially, my friend wanted a pattern that resembled an animal print. That was the plan, but once I got started it turned into something else. Now, I am no artist (as you can probably tell) but I think this abstract design turned out really well (even if it doesn’t look like an animal print, my bad!). When it comes to creating an abstract accent wall, SIZE MATTERS! You have to be cognizant of the scale of the wall and the design you’re going for. If the brush is too small, you’re strokes will be too small. Just as if your brush is too big…you see where I am going. I think that part of why the animal print didn’t work out as originally planned is because of the brush sizes (me not being an artist did’t help matters either). However, I think we ended up with something better and I am not just saying that because I painted it (don’t roll your eyes). I say this because it is completely unique to this space and it most definitely stands out and makes a statement. I used three different sized brushes to create varying strokes. I initially alternated between the two larger brushes and went back at the end with the smallest brush to fill in gaps. Again, the size of the brushes will dictate the way your design turns out so choose carefully.
Step 3: Trust the Process
This may sound cheesy, but it’s necessary. Each time I’ve done this, I have second guessed myself from the very first stroke. I questioned what it would look like when I finished and whether or not it would be good enough. Both times it turned it beautiful. Remember that this is abstract art so it is whatever you make it. Don’t worry too much about not getting it “right” because there really is no way to get it wrong. If by chance, you step back and don’t like what you’ve painted or feel the need to correct an area, you can always do so by using the base paint color as an eraser. Simply paint over the area and try again.
If you’ve been wanting to create an abstract accent wall but weren’t sure where to start then I hope you found this brief tutorial helpful. This is undoubtedly one of those projects where you have to get out of your own head to make it work. So don’t overthink it, just plan and paint!
I would love to see your abstract accent walls, so please tag me over on Tiktok or Instagram or email me at homeishwithcorrin {at} gmail.com. And of course, let me know if you have any questions and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks for reading!
xoxo,
Corrin