How do I do a feature wall?
Choosing which wall to feature, how to make the transition look deliberate, and the preparation that matters most.
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Time
- 4 hr
- Read
- 2 min
Short answer
Choose the wall the eye goes to first — usually the one facing the door or behind the bed — and make sure the other walls complement rather than compete. Preparation matters more on a feature wall than anywhere else, because it is the wall everyone looks at.
A feature wall works when it has a reason: a chimney breast, the wall behind a bed, the wall facing the door. A feature wall chosen at random reads as an unfinished decorating job rather than a decision.
What you'll need
- Wallpaper or paint
- Preparation materials
- Plumb line or long level
- Sharp knife and straight edge
- Wallpaper paste and brush (optional)
Step by step
- Choose the wall the eye naturally lands on.Usually the wall opposite the door, the chimney breast, or the wall behind a bed or sofa.
- Check the wall is suitable — avoid one broken up by doors and windows.A feature wall works best as a large uninterrupted surface.
- Prepare that wall more thoroughly than you would the others.It is the wall everyone looks at. Every defect will be noticed.
- Choose the other wall colour first, then the feature.The surrounding colour is the larger area and sets the tone. The feature has to work with it, not the other way round.
- For wallpaper, start from a plumb line rather than a corner.Corners are rarely vertical, and the error compounds across the wall.
- Centre a large pattern on the focal point of the wall.For a chimney breast, centre the pattern on the breast rather than starting from one edge.
- Trim carefully at the corners and where the feature meets the other walls.The transition is what people notice. A ragged edge undoes the whole effect.
- Consider carrying the feature onto an adjacent element.Wallpapering inside alcoves either side of a chimney breast, for instance, often looks more considered than the breast alone.
Tips
- Paint is far more forgiving than paper for a first feature wall, and a strong colour can be as effective as a pattern.
- A very busy pattern in a small room can overwhelm it. Hold a large sample up before committing.
- If a feature wall looks wrong, it is usually the choice of wall rather than the colour or pattern.
Common mistakes
- Choosing a wall broken up by doors and windows — The feature is fragmented and reads as accidental.
- Starting wallpaper from a corner — Corners are not plumb, so the pattern drifts visibly across the wall.
- Preparing the feature wall to the same standard as the others — It is the wall everyone looks at, so it needs better preparation, not the same.
Questions people ask
Which wall should be the feature wall?
The one the eye lands on first — usually facing the door, or a chimney breast, or behind a bed. A wall broken up by doors and windows rarely works.
Is a feature wall still a good idea?
It works when it has a reason — a natural focal point that the room already has. Applied arbitrarily to one wall of four it tends to look like an unfinished job.