How to Decorate a Feature Wall
- Home hero
We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.
Feature walls provide a canvas for trying out a colour or a design on a small scale that you would never go for on a larger one
Looking for a way to add instant wow factor to a space? Feature walls are a simple yet high impact way to transform any room in your home.
Apply these ideas to any space – see our all room ideas
Take a look at our inspirational feature wall ideas to help add a dramatic focal point to living rooms, bedrooms and more. From shimmering metallic and bird-inspired wallpapers to shiplap-style cladding and simple paint effects.
1. Create depth using dark colours
Image credit: Lizzie Orme
Feature walls don't have to be all about pattern, as this dining area demonstrates. Here a single, deep blue wall actually makes a point of being understated, creating calm and depth for the eye to rest on in this shabby-chic space.
The choice of colour works beautifully with the pale wood, metallic chairs and pops of jade green and lemon yellow – in essence, it grounds the otherwise busy decor.
2. Adorn a feature wall with wood panelling
Image credit: Malcolm Menzies
Embrace soothing properties of natural materials. Whether you choose to clad your walls with real timber, or opt for a more affordable trompe l'oeil wallpaper, this panelled effect is a great way to boost a flat wall.
The silvered tones of the wood create a soothing, cabin-like style, while the book stacks bring a personalised touch to the otherwise streamlined rough-luxe decor.
3. Set the scene with a supersized mural
Image credit: Colin Poole
Let an artistic feature wall create a room with a view. If block colour is too plain for you, and patterned wallpaper too fussy, why not go BIG with a supersized wallpaper mural on one wall of your living area? This tree-lined vista creates a modern yet rustic woodland vibe for a restful guest bedroom.
4. Paint one wall a punchy colour
Image credit: Dominic Blackmore
If wallpaper seems too much faff, or you're not a pattern person, then pick a punchy paint colour to set off your decor. This vibrant green really breathes extra life into this living room scheme, where a neutral base is layered up with bold blue and pink cushions.
5. Be bold with pattern for a wow feature wall
A heritage wallpaper print makes a great addition to a rustic country bedroom, but it has the potential to be overwhelming, which is why it's ideal to use it on a single wall.
Taking it up to the level of a traditional picture rail – rather than all the way to the ceiling – and keeping a clapboard finish above the rail height helps to keep the pattern in check without reducing its impact.
6. Scale up a feature floral wallpaper
Image credit: Simon Whitmore
Thought florals were old fashioned? This bold backdrop will make you reconsider. The large scale and black base bring these blooms bang up to date, for a sophisticated and pretty but not twee feature wall. Blush bedding softens the look and a chevron-detail bedside chest is quirky and contemporary.
7. Hang a rug as a quirky feature wall
Image credit: Joanna Henderson
Rugs aren't just for floors. Hang yours to a wall to bring pattern, texture and cosiness to a room. To do so, you'll need a wooden batten the width of the rug, and velcro strips.
Attach one side of the strip to the rug, the other to the batten, then attach the batten to the wall using a drill and screws. Attach the rug and it's job done.
Get the look
Buy now:Ideal Home Echota Rug, f rom, £59.99, Very
Buy now: Ideal Home Society 2-Seater Premium Leather Sofa, £1,049, Very
8. Create a folk-story on your walls
Image credit: David Brittain
In a bedroom, set the tone for a lovely peaceful night's sleep with a dreamy landscape behind the bed.
This folktale-esque wallpaper is an ideal option: deep colours, a richly decorative pattern and a modern Scandi style offer the perfect backdrop for petrol-blue bedroom furniture in luxe textiles and similarly elaborate bed linen.
Looking for more decorating ideas? READ: Bedroom wallpaper ideas
9. Extend the feature wall to the ceiling
Image credit: Jake Curtis
Who says a feature wall has to cover one wall…or that it can't extend out in a different direction? This modern timber feature wall doubles as a kind of rustic canopy in this bedroom, and is an integral structural as well as decorative feature in the space.
The flooring, bed and bedside tables all feature the same sort of finish, making the disparate elements appear as one cocooning space. It's like an adult treehouse, and we love it!
Want more feature wall ideas? READ: Living room wallpaper ideas – to completely transform your space
10. Choose a simple way to make a statement
Image credit: David Giles
Is the grey-painted wall here the feature of this kitchen diner, is it the oversized clock, or is it the combination of both together? Against the pitched roof of the extension, this single wall creates the sense of a statuesque (and rather large) cuckoo clock, but as feature walls go, it certainly makes a point.
11. Tile a chimney breast
Image credit: Colin Poole
Tiles around the hearth are nothing new – but not on this scale. Here, the chimney breast is clad in hand-glazed Moroccan tiles for a feature wall with a difference.
12. Perk up a children's room with polka dots
Image credit: Oliver Gordon
Some feature walls are less about being bold, and more about being playful – as this polka dot print proves. Light and lovely, the fresh black-on-white patterned wall has a lightness about it that's ideal for a children's room, as it makes a feature, without overpowering the space.
It's also easy to layer up accessories in classic primary colours over against this effectively neutral design.
13. Pack a punch with gilded designs
Set the tone in a dining room with a feature wall that treads the thin line between playful and sophisticated. A punchy gilded pineapple design like this might do the trick – the deep blue base colour provides depth and weight, while the golden fruit offers a light-hearted finish.
Blend with dark, modern furniture and other gleaming accent pieces and dinner parties instantly become more interesting!
14. Power up the energy in a study space
Image credit: Dominic Blackwell
Zone an area designated for home working using a strong wallpaper, like this classic design. The deep turquoise, chocolate brown and golden colour combination has a real heritage feel that lends itself well to the period style of the room.
Bring the look right up to date with fuchsia and petrol blue accents that really pop against this geometric design.
15. Elevate the finish of pink plaster
Image credit: Dominic Blackwell
We're not quite sure why people always cover over plasterwork, when pink plaster can be such a lovely starting point for a living room decorating scheme.
This rich, almost-terracotta tone conjures up thoughts of the warmth of far-flung destinations and, combined with the rich velvet and woven textures in this living area, makes for an original and tactile option for walls in the home.
Similar wallpaper, Osborne & Little at John Lewis
16. Be bold in a bathroom with tiling
Image credit: Simon Brown
Video Of The Week
Wallpaper isn't the only route to a stand-out statement wall, as this bathroom proves. Be daring with your tiling options and create an energising bathing area – these angled tiles are designed to create a zig-zag pattern (vertically or horizontally, it's your choice). Whether you opt for single tone or mix them up for a jazzy Deco-style finish like this, it's a novel (in a good way) approach to wall tiles that easily outdoes the bathroom border tile.
Get the look
Similar tiles, Fired Earth
Related: 22 grey living room ideas for gorgeous and elegant spaces
Inspired by these feature wall ideas? Then pick your wall and get creative. Let us know how you get on in!
How to Decorate a Feature Wall
Source: https://www.idealhome.co.uk/all-rooms-ideas/feature-wall-ideas-89763