An Easy DIY Accent Wall That Looks Perfect Behind A Sofa

If there's one home decor trend that has stood the test of time, it's the accent wall. Accent walls can enhance the look of a room by adding depth and texture. They can also serve as a room's focal point. Whether through bold colors, patterns, or interesting materials, the wide range of accent wall ideas allows you to create visual interest that fits your style. If you are thinking about adding an accent wall to your living room, behind your sofa is a great place. While large, modernized gallery walls are often the go-to accent design of choice behind couches, you may want something more streamlined and elegant. If this is the case, there is an easy DIY accent wall you should consider that uses a chair rail and picture frame molding to create a high-end, visually appealing wall design. 

The idea is to create an accent wall that looks like wainscoting without the expense and labor. This is a DIY that doesn't cost a lot of money and requires no power tools whatsoever (though you can certainly use them if you want). All you need is some painter's tape, a chair rail, thin panel molding, finishing nails, a nail set tool, a hammer, miter shears, caulk, and paint. When you are done, you will have an elegant DIY accent wall that will give your living room a high-end touch. Of course, because you are doing this project yourself, you can customize it however you like. From the style and width of the chair rail and panel molding to the box designs and colors, there are numerous directions you can go in with this DIY.

The basic idea of this DIY is to install the chair rail and create boxes out of the panel molding on the bottom half of the wall. You can decide on the size of the boxes and how much distance you place between them to customize the look. To start, determine where you want to place the chair rail and panel molding boxes, and mark the area with a pencil. Then, measure the length of the chair rail, and cut it using miter shears. Attach it to your wall using a hammer, nails, and a nail set tool. Measure and cut your panel molding to fit your wall in square or rectangular shapes using the same method. Apply caulking along the seams of the rail and paneling. Finally, it's time to finish the project up with paint. For this, place a strip of painter's tape directly above your chair rail to protect the wall. Then, apply paint to the chair rail molding and the entire wall below it, including the panel molding boxes. 

To customize this DIY, you can use a complementary paint color inside your molding boxes instead of painting everything one color. This would add an extra element of texture and depth to the wall. Another option would be to make triangles or other interesting shapes out of the molding instead of boxes. Increasing the height of the chair rail above the standard level is another way to draw guests' eyes to the wall. You can also add wallpaper above the chair rail to add color and patterning. Your DIY behind-the-couch accent wall is finished, and you can now hang wall sconces, pictures, or anything else you want above the chair rail.