Creating a beautiful modern accent wall!

Dress up a small accent wall with a gorgeous sconce, dark wall color and beautiful wall trim!

We have a small accent wall at the bottom of our basement stairs that was calling out for a little redo. It's not much, but is a focal point, as it's the first thing you see when you walk down the stairs.
If you've been reading Thrifty Decor Chick for long, you know our basement has gotten a lot of attention this year!
I built a HUGE 18-foot built in entertainment center on one wall, then added some beautiful crown, wall trim and accent lighting later on:

I've always known I was going to carry the dark gray color around into our stairway landing. When I found the perfect light fixture for that small accent wall, I knew the time had come!
This three light globe sconce pulled the whole plan together for me -- we loved the modern vibe but knew that I could still make it look cozy in our warm basement:

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I love how it ties into the globe sconces I added above the built ins!
It's a similar brass color as those and the remote sconces I added around the room:

I could only find one before picture of this space. I had a plug in sconce, art, and my secondhand bamboo bookcase full of decor:

But after adding the bookcases on the other side of the room, it felt like it was too much right there. We have plenty of spots for accessories down there and I wanted to simplify this area.
We had to have electricity run for the sconce, which is very easy to do if you have basic electrical or wiring knowledge. If you have an outlet or switch nearby you can add a sconce with minimal or no drywall fixes.
I LOVE the light!! SO much:

We installed it flip flopped from the image online, just to keep the top globe away from little hands and/or out of the way if we sit underneath it (see more in a minute).
It looked SO good already! But it needed some drama:

So I continued the beautiful Westchester Gray (from Sherwin-Williams) around the corner and it made all the difference!
I told my husband the other day that I pray I never want to change the color of our basement walls and trim...it will be SO MUCH work. ? We love this color though, so it will be a very long time from now.
I swear every time I add this color it just feels like a big, warm hug when we walk into the space:

A basement or bedroom is a perfect spot for this deep color. Grays are definitely a more "cool" color, but this one leans more warm to me.
The deep gray made a big difference but it still needed something. I'll give you one guess on what I added...trim of course!
I played around with doing something different on this little wall, but in the end decided to go with the simple trim I added to the rest of the room earlier this year.
This wood trim is about $8 for an eight foot piece and you can find it at most large hardware stores. I gave it a coat of semi-gloss Westchester paint, then did a light sanding before moving onto the second coat:

Those textured sanding pads work great for detailed projects like this!
My saw was happy to see me again! I haven't used it in MONTHS!

#summerofslothdom

The cuts are all simple 45 degree angles, so this is a great beginner project. I installed all of the trim with a nail gun.
I got everything up and was SO happy with how it came together! Our son suggested adding a bench in this spot, which I thought was brilliant:

I love that woven bench, but it was just too dinky here.
So instead, I grabbed the two square ottomans that we had placed at the ends of our long game table down here and placed them there instead:

Perfect!
Now they're not taking up space at the end of the table, but if we need more seating we can easily grab them.
I'm so very pleased with how this little spot came together! I just love that brass finish against the dark gray walls:

See how I made that olive tree here!
That simple trim makes such a difference, right?
I love how the sconce acts as art. I really wanted to simplify this corner and calm it down a bit. This worked beautifully!
Of COURSE I used a dimmer switch here, so this light dims nicely and turns into a gorgeous night light. Love it:

I have another project in the works for this little area that will warm it up even more. Can't wait to get started on that!
Now that the weather is starting to turn a bit cooler, we're spending more time in this cozy basement. We hibernate down here all winter and I love it!
Have I convinced you to dress up your small walls and hallways yet? They are calling out for some special attention. :)
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