Feature Walls: How to Create a Statement Wall That Doesn't Look Amateur

The feature wall has had a mixed reputation over the years — popularised in the 2000s through TV home makeover programmes and subsequently somewhat maligned by interior designers. But done properly, a single painted feature wall remains one of the most effective and cost-efficient ways to add drama and identity to a room. Here's how to do it properly.

Choosing the Right Wall

The feature wall should be the wall your eye naturally falls on when entering the room — usually the wall facing the door, or the wall behind a sofa or bed. In Victorian and Edwardian double reception rooms, the chimney breast wall (where the fireplace sits) is the natural choice, anchoring the room and drawing attention to the period architecture.

Colour Selection

The feature wall colour should relate clearly to the rest of the room — ideally as a deeper version of the wall colour, or as a complementary tone that sits harmoniously alongside it. Randomly bold colours that have no relationship to the rest of the room's palette look accidental rather than deliberate. We often recommend Farrow & Ball Estate Emulsion in a deep shade against walls in a pale version of the same colour, or using the same colour throughout but with a different sheen on the feature wall.

Technique is Everything

The most common failure point is an untidy cut-in line where the feature wall meets the adjacent walls. This requires a steady hand, a quality cutting-in brush, and very clean tape lines if masking is used. We use Frogtape Professional alongside a free-hand cut-in for the most precise possible edge.

We create feature walls as part of full room redecorations throughout Hampstead and North London. Call 020 3874 2670.