Use a Focal Wall In Your Bedroom
Transform Your Bedroom into a Peaceful, Stunning Retreat
Make your dream bedroom a reality and every day you can wake up in your own personal retreat. It’s not hard!
Maybe you can’t control the chaos in your life, but you can make your bedroom beautiful without a huge amount of work or expense.
I changed my own bedroom from drab to fab. You can too!
About a year ago, a pair of hanging lamps I found on the internet bewitched me. Unable to resist their allure, I purchased them and asked Starr (my go-to resource) to hang them, to use instead of the lamps on the bedside tables. The lamps looked great, bu the holes we put in the wall to complete the wiring were unsightly. With the help of YouTube I patched the holes. (Click here to see how I patched the holes)
After patching, I painted. Three of my bedroom walls I painted elephant gray and the last, black, a dramatic backdrop for artwork and decorative elements. The new colors instantly revitalized the space. Eventually I will hang a mural on the black wall, but til then it will serve as a focal wall. (Watch for a blog post about choosing the mural.)
As I was describing my choices in a social gathering, several friends dissed my picks. “It will be too dark,” one said. “Kind of dreary,” said another. “You’ll be sorry,” a friend predicted. I proceeded with the gray and black. No regrets! I’ts stunning!
Pretty Up a Focal Wall
10 Options
The new focal wall was like an empty canvas.
- Gallery Wall: Display a collection of framed photos, artwork, or prints to create a visually appealing gallery. A gallery wall is a lovely way to keep your focal wall truly personal. I believe that the decor in your home should be personal, really personal. It can be either something from your own experience or something that resonates with your sense of beauty.
- Besides being personal, a second plus for gallery walls is that they’re easy to create. Go through your pictures, find 10 of them you love and have them printed in an 8 x 10” format. Use matching frames for cohesion. Another optionsis to have them printed in 5 x 7 and use large mats for a gallery feel.
- Shelving Display: Install floating shelves to showcase decorative items, books, or plants. Although floating shelves do allow you to showcase the tchotchkes you’ve been collecting, I find them problematic. If your focal wall is behind your bed, it is hard to get to the shelves to dust or clean. Perhaps display your collectables somewhere they’re more easily accessible.
- Accent Paint Color: Paint the focal wall in a vibrant or contrasting color to draw attention and add depth. Yes! That’s what I started with. This works well for a minimalist. The change in color adds interest in a room that has few distractions. As someone a little past minimalist- I think the paint is not enough to grab attention. You might want to highlight by adding something more. I did.
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- Mirrors: Hang an array of mirrors to reflect light and make the space feel larger and more dynamic. Mirrors not only add interest to a focal wall, they not only add interest, mirrors multiply light. The only downside to mirrors is if you take a lot of pictures in the room (I am not commenting on why you would be taking photos in your bedroom). If you have lots of mirrors in a room it’s hard to take pictures that don’t have the reflection of the camera in the pics.
- Statement Art Piece: Feature a large piece of artwork that serves as the main attraction in the room. Self explanatory and very effective.
- Textured Panels: Use wood, stone, or fabric panels to add texture and dimension to the wall. I’m a big fan of texture. It DOES add interest. Want to know more about texture? Go to my posts about texture. Click here.
- Tapestry or Fabric: Hang a large tapestry or fabric piece for a cozy and artistic touch. Or, hang a fabric wall hanging or quilt. My sister, a quilter extraordinaire has beautiful quilts and wall hangings in every room. The variety in color and themes enhances her whole house.
- Lighting: Install unique light fixtures or sconces to highlight the wall and create ambiance. Hard for me to diss this. My bedroom upgrade started because I found a pair of hanging lights I couldn’t resist. Lights can be utilitarian and beautiful.
- Plant Wall: Create a living wall with a variety of plants to bring a touch of nature indoors and add freshness to the space. This is one of those things that you read in magazines and you see on design shows that sound good but are not practical. A plant wall requires lights for the plants and a way to water all of the living things.The plants need some kind of watering whether it’s a system or the commitment to hand watering. Either way, in most rooms the moisture from that many plants can be an issue.
A focal wall can be as simple as using a color that is different than the other walls or can be a place to showcase your own sense of style. No matter what, it will catch attention.
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