Skip The Painted Accent Wall: Joanna Gaines Has A Better Idea For Your Home

We all know that a thoughtful accent wall is going to make a room pop. Still, there are some rooms where a painted accent wall just doesn't cut it. You might want to create something that has a pattern or brings an extra level of texture to your space. If this is what you want, but you don't exactly know how to achieve it, then all you need to do is follow the lead of celebrity design guru Joanna Gaines.

In the second episode of her 2023-launched show "Mini Reni," Gaines focused her attention on renovating a breakfast nook. While it did not need any structural work, it needed an accent wall to give it character and color. Instead of simply throwing a coat of paint on it, she chose to tile the accent wall instead.

This decision not only brought additional texture and color, but the vertical rectangular tile she chose played well with the large windows in the breakfast nook and provided the illusion of additional height to make the space feel larger than it actually is. Like fellow HGTV host Erin Napier uses hand-painted tiles as a replacement for bland subway tiles, Gaines utilizes tiles and other materials to really make a space unique and special. And so can you! 

While tile is certainly going to provide pattern, texture, and color to your accent wall, it is not the only material you can use to make a space really sing. You can even use pool noodles to create a stylish and vibrant accent wall. Your options are endless. 

Again, we can look to Joanna Gaines for inspiration. Everyone knows that she is incredibly fond of shiplap as a design material, as evidenced by many of the homes featured on her popular show "Fixer Upper." But she's also been known to use other types of wood, such as cedar, as an accent wall material. Wood has traditionally been used to make wainscoting and other accent pieces. It brings a richness and depth to a space that few other materials can match.

Brick tiles are another excellent option if you really want to add rusticity to your surroundings. They're also much lighter-weight than whole bricks, which is a plus. If there is one thing we can fault these materials for, it is the lack of ability to change them out easily. With paint, you can always choose another color to paint over. But to replace tile or wood accent walls is going to be laborious. So, if you are going to do it, make sure you use materials you love and will be happy looking at for a long time to come.