Funky flowers, wood paneling, a dramatic color palette—weaving all of these into your bedroom design might overwhelm. But honing in on bold design choices for bedroom accent wall ideas? Now we’re talking. Working with statement-making home design in small doses means you can have all the fun without any of the fretting when it comes time to give your space a makeover. From minimalist options to the most over-the-top showstoppers, we’ve rounded up 23 bedroom accent wall ideas—featuring expert advice from home design pros—to give you plenty of inspo, including wallpaper, striking art, bold botanicals, a moose mural, and more.
Which wall should be the accent wall in a bedroom?
“When it comes to choosing a bedroom accent wall, it’s all about drawing the eye,” says Lucas Goldbach of Chicago’s En Masse Architecture and Design. While picking behind the bed often makes the most sense (after all, the bed’s usually the room’s largest piece of furniture), any wall is fair game. “Some people opt to highlight the wall across from the bed, so they can enjoy the view!” says Jill Steinberg of the custom wallpaper brand Fine & Dandy Co.
What are the rules about bedroom accent walls?
“No competing accent walls! Stick to one wall,” advises Molly Torres Portnof of Brooklyn–based DATE Interiors. One can only imagine the visual chaos of three different accent walls in one bedroom (shiplap, wallpaper, and a black accent wall…yikes!). As for other rules, Taniya Nayak of Taniya Nayak Design in Boston says to remember that bedrooms are ultimately designed for sleeping. “I try to keep an accent wall in the bedroom on the more soothing side and not too bright or busy,” she says.
What are recent trends for bedroom accent walls?
As for how to do an accent wall in 2023, Linda Hayslett of LH.Designs in Los Angeles notes that “wallpaper has come back with a vengeance.” However, she also points out that wallpaper’s popularity has driven up prices—which makes an accent wall both an aesthetic and economical design choice. “Having a nice accent wall with wallpaper gives that extra shine in the room without breaking the bank,” she says. Other top trends include wood paneling, oversized art, photo murals, and floor-to-ceiling drapery.
