One great room, three candidate walls: choosing the accent in an open floor plan

In an open plan, every wall is visible from somewhere. Here is a simple way to decide which one deserves the attention.

In a closed-off room, the accent wall usually chooses itself: it is the one you face. Open plans are harder. Kitchen, dining and living areas share sightlines, ceilings run tall and long runs of sliders open toward the lanai. Picking the wrong wall can leave a beautiful feature visible only from the sink.

Where does the eye land first?

Stand inside the front door and look. In many open plans, the first long view runs diagonally across the room toward the far wall of the living area, marked A in our drawing. A wall on that line is the first thing visitors notice and the first thing you see each time you come home, a strong argument in its favor.

Which candidate has the fewest interruptions?

Count the doors, windows, vents, thermostats and switches on each candidate. A wall broken by openings makes a weak backdrop for pattern; an uninterrupted stretch makes a strong one. In our drawing, wall B behind the sofa has no openings at all, while the wall with the sliders is mostly openings and has little surface left to treat.

What will you be doing when you look at it?

Think about where people sit. A wall that faces the sofa is seen for hours at a time. A wall behind the dining table, C in the drawing, is seen across the table at every meal and by anyone standing at the kitchen island. Both can be good choices; a wall only glimpsed in passing rarely is.

How does sun change the decision?

ENERGY STAR notes that west-facing windows are hit by summer sun at the warmest part of the day, and recommends shading them or choosing windows with a low solar heat gain coefficient³. It also points out that rooms with west-facing windows can overheat when the sun dips below roof overhangs in the late afternoon³. For an accent wall, low western light means strong glare and color shifts, and a wall directly opposite west windows will look very different at 5 p.m. than at 10 a.m. Plan window treatments and sample colors with that in mind.

Should the kitchen and living area match?

They should agree, not necessarily match. In an open plan an accent wall sits beside cabinets, flooring and countertops that are all visible at once. Repeat one element so the feature belongs to the space: a wood tone that echoes the floor or island, a color pulled from the cabinet hardware or backsplash, or a line spacing that relates to cabinet doors.

Can there be more than one accent wall?

In a very large great room, a second, quieter treatment can define a zone, such as a painted wall behind the dining table that plays support to a wood wall in the living area. Keep one clearly in charge. Two features of equal weight in one open space compete rather than complement.