How to Create an Eye Catching Feature Wall

In today’s post, I want to share my experience with creating a feature wall in your living room. I have created two styles of feature walls. The first was a rustic distressed plank wall in our townhome, and the second a Shiplap wall in our current home. Today, I am going to share what I learned about creating a Distressed Plank Wall in your home. 

Below is a complete "how-to" Feature Wall Checklist to help you get started!

✅ Complete Feature Wall Checklist .pdf

Download PDF • 66KB

First step: Choose the Wall

• Choose a wall that naturally draws attention 

  • Examples: wall behind a couch in your living room, behind your bed, or a wall that frames a table

• Choose a wall with limited interruptions (no big windows, door, vents etc. This makes the biggest Impact and also makes installing  easier! 

• Consider lighting- a well lit wall will show off the grain in wood, fine details in shiplap etc  

  
  

  

  Our rustic white and gray feature wall with fireplace in our living room

  
  

Second step: Choose your material

• If you are going for a rustic wood look it will add texture and dimension to your room, so consider the existing furniture and accents you have to ensure it doesn’t overpower the space 

• For our wall, we really wanted to make a statement, so we chose rustic wood planks from Home Depot. It added a lot of visual interest to our room and we kept the rest of the furniture simple to keep the room feeling balanced. 

Third Step: assess for plumbing and wiring behind the wall BEFORE you start putting up planks 

• We learned this the hard way, we put several brad nails through a pipe and had a slow leak

• So taking the time to use a stud finder and assess wiring will save you future headaches

Fourth step: Paint the wall a very dark color prior to placing the planks. 

• It does not have to be painted perfectly, but the reason you want the dark color is that the boards don’t click together, and may warp over time (which is what wood does) so you want the dark color behind so any gaps look natural. 

  
  

  

  The dark gray I roughly painted on the wall before placing boards

Fifth Step: Place the boards 

• We installed our boards from the bottom up

• We used wood glue, and brad nails (with a nail gun) as we weren’t very concerned about nails showing as it added to the rustic aesthetic. 

  
  

  

  Feature wall half done with rustic planks installed

Sixth Step: Use caulking to smooth out edges and make the wall look clean and intentional. 

• Doing this step really completed our wall and kept the eye focused on the rustic design on the wall and not the edges.

  
  

  

  Finishing touches on the rustic wall with added in baseboard for a polished look

  7th (Final) Step: Decorate your wall

  After you have completed the wall, find accents that you love and have fun decorating the wall and putting your unique flair on it. For me, I chose a fresh green eucalyptus wreath to add a pop of color.

  
  

  

  Rustic wall with eucalyptus wreath above fireplace

  A feature wall is a great way to add character and warmth to your space. Use my steps to create a wall that your are proud of and can make your own! I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences with feature walls in your space, please comment below!