DIY Color Block Painted Arch Accent Wall Tutorial
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure here.
I seem to get lost in weeks of scraping and spackling, and sometimes feel like I never get to do the “fun” projects. Last week I decided to put off working on the hallway for another week and do a quick project just for me.
I love our guest room, but the one side of it has always felt half-finished for some reason. I just couldn’t figure out what to do with it to make it feel cohesive with the rest of the room. The desk always felt a little like it was “floating” on the wall, but I couldn’t put my finger on what was missing. Just throwing up a shelf didn’t feel like enough to bring everything together.
Recently I’ve seen painted arch accent walls popping up all over my Instagram and Pinterest feeds, and I’ve been loving how others are styling them! Painted arches can give a room a nice little pop of color without it feeling overwhelming or like a big commitment. I know they’re a bit trendy though, so at first I resisted. I tend to feel a bit resistive to anything really obviously trendy.
Then I thought about it. I knew I could easily do one in one afternoon for just a couple bucks, so why not? It’s something that will be easy to “undo” if/when I’m not into it. And honestly, it just sounded like a fun project to break up our endless no-so-fun renovation projects. To my surprise, it worked like a charm. The whole room feels so much more “finished” and cohesive now.
Disclosure – This post contains affiliate links that I may earn a small commission on with no additional cost to you.
Painted Arch Accent Wall Step by Step guide
How to Draw the Arch
- In order to get the arch shape I measured out how wide I wanted it to be. Then I cut a string at half that width and tied one end to a pencil and one end to a tack. I pushed the tack into the wall in the center of where I wanted the arch to be
- I used the string to guide my pencil mark and create the outline of the top of my arch. Then I removed the tack.
- I lined up my painters tape from the widest edges of my arch to the floor (you can use a level to check how straight your painters tape is and adjust accordingly).
Painting the Arch
- It’s time to paint! Yes, it does require a steady hand to follow your pencil line, but it doesn’t have to be perfect. I messed up a few times and was able to smooth out the lines on my next pass. This is where it’s good to invest in a better quality paint brush. You don’t want something that will fray easily, so spend the extra five bucks to get a good one. Your arch paint doesn’t have to be completely perfect, when you stand back it’s likely no one will notice those teeny tiny imperfections.
- Coat your paint at least two times, depending on what color you’re using and what color is underneath. If you’re doing a lighter color for your arch on top of darker color walls you may need to do a few more coats.
- Let dry overnight before removing painters tape. There is some debate online about whether to let painters tape full dry, or remove while wet. Some people swear by removing it while wet, but I’ve always found that being patient and letting it fully dry is the best way to go when I use quality tape.
You can also see the full video tutorial on my Instagram or on my Tikok!
Not sure what color to paint an arch accent wall?
I used the color Cinnamon Brûlée by Valspar for my painted arch and really love how the color came out. If you’re a neutral paint lover, adding a painted arch or other accent wall can be the perfect way to get the benefits and fun of bringing a brighter or more dramatic color into your home, while still overall keeping your calm neutral vibes!
On the other side, going tone on tone can be a really fun look, if you still want to keep things fairly neutral. There is no wrong way to do it though, so don’t be too worried about picking the “wrong color”. If you don’t like your first pick, you can always go over it again and take another stab at it!
This is one of those projects that I was a little afraid to do, but I am so happy I finally got up the courage and just did it. It took the guest room from feeling unfinished, to really pulling the space together. If you have any spaces in your home that just don’t quite feel “finished” take a risk and try something new. You never know, that little bit of paint and an afternoon of time may be exactly what it needs to finally feel “done”!
Tips for Styling a Painted Arch
When it comes to styling a painted arch, some of my favorite examples included a piece of furniture centered on it. I especially love a painted arch corner, and arches on the wall behind a bed so it looks like a headboard!). You can also go with something a little smaller, like a bar cart – the arch will help create a feeling of a more defined area, even with a smaller piece of furniture. Use the arch to highlight a special part of your space.
I went ahead and centered the desk I already had in the guest room in front of my arch, and added this Ikea BERGSHULT / PERSHULT Shelf unit, styled it with some plants, propagation clippings, and this print from a favorite Etsy shop of mine!
In your wall arch paint job, what color white did you use? I’m having difficulty getting the right white for my neutral blush tones arch.
The wall color is Cappuccino White by Glidden (at Home Depot). I’ve also used Shoji White by Sherwin Williams in other rooms and that has a really similar tone as well. Hope that helpful!