Are statement walls still a thing?

[Daffodillia]

Hi, I have a very white living room (walls!)

When we moved in we just wanted to get rid of the 70s feel as soon as! But now we've settled we'd like to start putting a stamp on each room, starting with the living room.

I'm just wondering whether having a single coloured/papered wall is still a thing?

Now I know this shouldn't really have an effect on what I do with my room, but I am interested! So comment all you like about it not mattering but I will ignore your comment! Apologies in advance.

I think it depends a lot on how the room styled. A feature wall can be the dullest of cliches or can really make a room sing.

I loathe the magnolia living room with a single wall either painted a 'daring' shade of red/turquoise/purple or plastered in a cheap B&Q wallpaper with accessories and cushions scattered around the room painfully matched to it. Add a black or brown leather sectional sofa hugging the walls, beige carpet, a coffee table from oak furniture land and a vaguely modern TV unit shoved in the corner on the opposite wall, one horrible big glaring overhead light and zero lamps, and you're all set for being most vanilla decorator of the year.

I have, however, seen lovely rooms with just a single wall in a strong colour, and it works. Style a room with interesting and well-arranged furniture, lovely wood floors, complimentary (vs matchy-matchy) decorative accessories and good lighting, and suddenly you have a cool space.

I am personally more of a fan of taking a strong colour through a room as I think it has more impact (with the obvious caveat that you really have to consider other factors like light and space in a room before doing something really dark on the walls). I love a rich navy in a bedroom, but the furnishings need to be light and there has to be a lot of natural light to make it work, if that makes sense.

I agree with @linguaphile, but ultimately go with what you like. Personally I think a well assessorised room doesn’t need a ‘statement’ wall. You can personalise a basic lamp by using a colourful lampshade (Wayfair or Pooky have some great ones). Good luck!

Thank you.

I certainly don’t want the look you’ve mentioned ling and I know exactly what you mean!

Luckily we have a largish living room with lots of light as the window is 4m wide and the 4th wall is a partitioning wall so we have the light coming from another large window in the dining room.

I’m finding it hard to make the room cosy and I’m too scared to go dark walls all over, so thinking of one darker wall, in a kind of pastelly grey/teal. But not wanting it looking naff.
We have a wood floor

Thanks mimi I’ll take a look at those websites!

Ooh yes then by all means go for it! I’m loving F&B Hague Blue at the moment if that’s the general colour direction you’re leaning...?

If you don't want it to look naff, then don't do a feature wall in a strong colour.

Pure brilliant white does look very stark and un-cosy but a room can be light and cosy if you're not convinced about going dark on all the walls.

Have you looked at Houzz and Pinterest to identify what style appeals? To add coziness, you might want to try warm, soft textures, natural wood and avoid cold surfaces such as leather or glass.

I do love that colour ling my friend has just painted her kitchen in it. It looks lovely!
I was thinking something that colour bit lighter shade.

Thanks jojo I’m not a fan of leather or glass. Except maybe a brown soft leather armchair, to compliment the wood floor.

I live on Pinterest but never been on houzz. Will take a look, thanks

Do you have any alcoves? We're going with statement cheap b&q
wallpaper in the alcoves with a colour in the rest of the room. But then I really dgaf/know a lot about trends etc. I just like what I like, I don't think about things being dated etc.

Thanks raven We have no alcoves.
Tbh I rubbish with what’s on trend, but I’m trying to be more on trend! Although struggling with the grey look that’s popular atm

Yeah, I despair about the gray trend too. Gray walls, crushed gray velvet sofas, gray carpets.. I need colour in my life!

We have a statement wall that is painted f&b oval room blue (the others are ammonite). It's the wall that also has our sofa against, and it also houses a very large mish mash gallery wall covered in art of all different sizes styles and colours. We've even got some "clashing", one print is in a bright orange frame. I love it and think it works very well. I think it starts looking naff if everything is all perfectly matched like Linguaphile said.

I don't know whether it's cool or not, but my goodness do i love a good wallpaper. I've got a pale taupe living room with some dark purple wallpaper called Harlequin Beads.

Just doing my kitchen diner in brilliant white and i'm going to have the whole back wall in a white barely two tone geometric print. Then just going to get some rough wood shelves with green plants and some modern art prints.

I've been a bit paralysed before over trying to be cool so i've just gone with what i like for now and remember that i can always change it in future.

A lot of people hate accent walls. I don't give a stuff, I love them. I can see that done a certain way they can look very generic and a bit naff, but I think that 'look' is very easy to avoid.

Minimalism is very in right now and we are seeing plain white walls in most interiors. Ultimately it depends on the homeowner’s tastes, however coloured or accented wallpapers do give a room character. Alternatively, if painting or wallpapering a whole wall is too big of a task, try adding a statement through a piece of art or vibrant curtains.

You could always paint the wall with the large window in it? Adding colour and character without it being too much. Agree with pp's who said it's about good, tasteful accessories too.

We have a lovely dark blue statement wall - I would be happy to paint the whole room that colour but the other half says no...

I am a bit of a lover of grey but trying to start injecting my life with colour slowly but surely.

You don't have to follow the trends, they can be so fickle (mark my words, in 3 years we'll fall out of love with copper, and in 10 we'll wonder why this decade was so grey!). You just do you, and pick what you personally like. After all, you'll have to live with it! :)