A black accent wall in a living room makes a dramatic statement. I’ve DIYed a lot of accent walls around my own house. Accent walls add a focal point to a room. This is how I helped my friends create a fabulous, contemporary DIY black accent wall for their living room.
My friend Leena approached me to help her makeover living room and I was SO excited. It felt like such a huge privilege that she would trust me enough to help with her home. Plus, she had faith that our friendship was solid enough that we could get through this! If you’ve done any DIY project with your partner or family, you know how challenging it can be for any relationship.
Tutorials for this space
- Phase 1: DIY wood slat wall
- Phase 2: DIY geometric accent wall
- You can also watch the tutorials on my YouTube page
Leena and her husband, Shabir, had been living in their home for 5 years. They struggled to come to a decision about what to do with this living room so they came to me for help.
How did we come up with the design for this black living room?
Since the space was pretty much untouched, it left us with so many possibilities. This is great, but can also leave you feeling overwhelmed. Leena and Shabir had some ideas about the kind of vibe they liked, so we put together a vision board. Putting this board together guided us with creating the design. They wanted a room that was modern and moody, and something that was unique, that no one else would have. By talking it out and finding examples of what they liked, we came up with this concept for their space. Another option would have been a black shiplap wall. We agreed that shiplap was better suited for a home office or bedroom. We also thought about what their interior design style was. They both like modern feature wall.
How did we execute our modern accent wall ideas?
Once they were happy with the design, we could start working on the actual space. Taking that first step towards change is always scary and exciting at the same time, don’t you think?
Because the composition of the space was fairly complex, we tackled it in stages, which we worked out before taking any other action.
Phase 1 – Drafting the designs
Firstly, we needed to work out the designs on the walls before we could actually get to making any changes. This included lots of measuring, painters’ tape, stepping back, pointing, adjusting pieces, more measuring, and most importantly LOTS of communicating. Using painter’s tape is a great way to visualize your design since you can peel and stick until you get it just right.
I won’t sugarcoat it, the communicating part is hard. You want everyone to be happy in the end, so everyone’s opinion matters, but it can sometimes be difficult to come to a consensus. While I was there to assist them, I also had to be mindful of stepping back and letting them make the final decisions. This was their space, after all.
Phase 2 – How to Pick the Perfect Black Paint color for a living room accent wall
The most common black accent wall paint colors are: Tricorn Black SW 6258, Urbane Bronze SW 7048, and Cyberspace SW 7076
Picking any paint can be challenging. Picking a black paint is even more nerve racking because you want it to be moody and dramatic, but not TOO dark. Picking the right black feature wall color depends on the following factors: natural light in the space, furniture, color palette.
I wrote this blog post on how to pick a paint color. It is packed with great tips that will be really useful for you!
The colour we chose was Cyberspace SW 7076, a charcoal black with blue undertones. Cyberspace SW 7076 is deep enough to create drama but still has enough airiness that it wasn’t engulfing. It’s a gorgeous colour for a black accent wall, and looks amazing paired with the light wood they wanted for their slat wall.
If you’re looking for a black with brown undertones to bring more coziness, try Urbane Bronze SW 7048
For a more pure, modern black use Tricorn Black SW 6258
Phase 3 – DIY Wood Slat Wall
After painting the backdrop for our designs – the wall – we started with putting up the poplar wood slat wall. This piece would take up about one third of the accent wall space and bring in a touch of softness to the otherwise dark and dramatic space.
Phase 3 – Installing the DIY Geometric Accent Wall
With the wood slat wall done, we moved on to the geometric accent wall. This design was more time consuming but the result is so impressive.
How much did this modern accent wall cost?
This black living room wall costs approximately $450. It makes a huge impact in this focal wall!
For the black geometric design we used 2 sheets of plywood that costed $72 each.
To save money on the slat wall, you can use pine, but we went with poplar because the color is really beautiful and needed no prep or staining. The slats costed $200.
There was miscellaneous costs like the paint, paint rollers, brad nails, wood sealer that costed approximately $100
Reveal of our Black Accent wall in a Living Room
Even though we had our design draft to rely on, we didn’t necessarily follow it too strictly. Towards the end, we reevaluated where to put a few of the last pieces of the black accent wall. I encouraged Leena and Shabir to bring in the couch and place it in the space so they could visualize the result. As you can see, the result is a stunning black accent wall!
Don’t be afraid to edit a bit as you work. Moving things around and having some of the finishing pieces handy can help with making those final decisions and feeling good about your design in your space.
You’ll notice they went with a black shelf mount for their TV, which add continuity in the space. A white or wood TV surround would compete too much. It really helps bring the whole room together. It stands out and looks so sleek but it also contributes to the overall look without taking the focus away from the stunning modern black accents walls.
I love stepping into this room. It flows so well with their home design – modern and unique. You really get that WOW factor when you enter – and it just gets better when you sit down and take it all in.
I’d love to see you try out this project. If you do, please share it with me! And don’t forget to follow me on Instagram!
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