The 15 Best Dark Neutral Accent Wall Paint Colors
By Kylie
January 17, 2025
I never thought I liked feature walls. However, looking at every home we’ve lived in, I’ve always had them (and let’s not start counting how many homes we’ve lived in…).
What I’ve realized is that I do love accent walls; I CRAVE accent walls. What I dislike are misused and abused accent walls, and in my decorative travels, I’ve seen way too many of them.
So, what’s the difference between a bad feature wall and a good feature wall? Excuse me while I twitch a bit here…
FEATURE WALL IDEAS GONE BAD
- on the wrong wall
- on too MANY walls
- has the wrong finish on it (too shiny)
- in the bathroom (with a few exceptions, most can’t)
- doesn’t relate to anything in the room
This bathroom (next) is one of the few that can support a feature wall. The tub area acts as a feature in itself and suits having a backdrop.
CHOOSING A GOOD FEATURE WALL
- highlights a room’s natural architecture
- adds fake architecture or personality to a room that’s lacking interest
- picks up/repeats a color that already exists in the room, either on hard surfaces or on linens/artwork/dominant decor
- nicely contrasts a color that already exists in the room
Benjamin Moore Knoxville Gray
You might be surprised to hear that I have five accent walls in my home—that’s right, five. However, you wouldn’t know it because they work off the home’s natural flow and suit the rooms they’re in. It’s like I know what I’m doing or something—wink, wink.
If you’re unsure which wall to do an accent/feature wall, READ THIS, then come back here for your best color options!
Now, are you ready to get into the juicy stuff? No, we’re not looking in my side table drawer; we’re looking at dark accent wall paint colors!
Not sure what to paint the other walls in your room? The Best Off-White Paint Colours
1. SHERWIN WILLIAMS GRIZZLE GRAY SW 7068
Grizzle Gray is snuggled up in the ample bosoms of gray and green. It’s most definitely not gray with a passive green undertone, but it’s also not a strong green – it’s right in the middle!
Sherwin Williams Grizzle Gray: Paint Colour Review
2. BENJAMIN MOORE ANCHOR GRAY 2126-30
Anchor Gray is a beautiful dark navy blue with a strong grey, offering a blue but subdued approach compared to the strength of Hale Navy.
In the above photo, while this color is wrapped around the room, the idea is to show you the color beside the fireplace to accent the colors in the stone.
Anchor Gray is great for those who want to wink at blue without a full commitment (it’s like a Tinder date versus a marriage).
Benjamin Moore Anchor Gray: Paint Colour Review
3. BENJAMIN MOORE AMHERST GRAY HC-167
Amherst Gray is a dark gray paint color similar to Chelsea Gray, but it has more depth (more in the med-dark range) and can also grab that wink o’ green.
Paint Colour Review of Benjamin Moore Amherst Gray
4. SHERWIN WILLIAMS CYBERSPACE SW 7076
Cyberspace is one of the more popular navy blues from Sherwin Williams and a great choice for a dark accent wall. But there’s a reason I have it in this blog post and ‘The Best Accent Wall COLORS (non-neutrals).‘ Many don’t see Cyberspace as neutral but more as a muted navy blue (myself included). For this reason, I have it in both blog posts.
If you ask this color cowgirl, she be blue, she’s just SUPER grounded with a neutral base.
Sherwin Williams Cyberspace: Paint Colour Review
5. SHERWIN WILLIAMS ANONYMOUS 7046
If you aren’t afraid of green, Anonymous is WICKED gorgeous, showing up as a solid medium-toned greige with a gorgeous green undertone.
While the above photo doesn’t show a feature wall (in the powder room), it acts as a feature of sorts to the hallway, as the room was small enough to be wrapped up in it!
6. SHERWIN WILLIAMS WEB GRAY SW 7075
Web Gray is like a slightly lighter version of Cyberspace and can come across as just a touch grayer.
Sherwin Williams Web Gray: Paint Colour Review
Along with gray, Web Gray is also more flexible with its undertones. While it centers on blue, it can easily lean slightly blue-green and rarely blue-violet.
Here are a few more gray-blue blends that I love…
The Best Dark Blue-Gray Paint Colors
7. BENJAMIN MOORE CHELSEA GRAY HC-168
Chelsea Gray is a solid, medium-toned charcoal gray with a softness, so it’s not an icy cold gray. It can pick up a vague green undertone.
Paint Colour Review of Benjamin Moore Chelsea Gray
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8. SHERWIN WILLIAMS DOVETAIL SW 7018
Dovetail is a medium-toned warm gray paint color. It favors a vague purple undertone and can grab the tiniest touch of green, but it rarely shows up to the party. Dorian Gray is kiiind of like a lighter version Dovetail, but is slightly more likely to grab that wink o’ green.
Paint Colour Review of Sherwin Williams Dovetail
9. BENJAMIN MOORE BROWN HORSE 2108-30
Brown Horse is brown but not overly fudgy (a technical term) or grayed-out.
10. BENJAMIN MOORE ESCARPMENT CC 518
Escarpment is a beautiful, considerably warm gray paint color with a decent, but not overwhelming, purple undertone.
While it might seem funny (or not), grays with a purple undertone suit more finishes than grays with green or blue.
11. SHERWIN WILLIAMS GAUNTLET GRAY 7019
Gauntlet Gray is the med-dark version of Dovetail, so it has more body and visual weight.
Paint Colour Review of Sherwin Williams Gauntlet Gray
Thank you to all of my OInline Colour Consulting clients for sending in your after photos – you make my colorful little world go round!
12. BENJAMIN MOORE GRAY 2121-10
You’ll have NO luck finding Gray by its name alone, as Pinterest will show you ALL of Benjamin Moore’s gray paint colors! You need the number/code to find this bad boy – and he’s worth looking at! Gray 2121-10 is a damn dark charcoal with a passive blue-purple undertone. Remember, blue can swing a few different ways as far as undertones go, so make sure you’re getting the type of blue you like the most!
13. BENJAMIN MOORE KITTY GRAY 1589
This one is a personal fave, as shown in the hallway of our old home. Kitty Gray is a medium-dark charcoal with a GOOOORGEOUS green-blue hue. I can’t wait to get the chance to use this color again somewhere in our new home.
Sherwin Williams 10 Best Gray & Greige Paint Colours
What’s the Difference Between Greige & Taupe?
14. SHERWIN WILLIAMS BACKDROP SW 7025
Backdrop is a brown paint color with a nice dose of grey, making it ALMOST taupe-greige in its approach.
15. BENJAMIN MOORE WHITTALL BROWN HC-69
Whitall Brown is a beautiful brown paint color with a slightly mocha-inspired approach. It’s a softer approach compared to the depth and richness of Brown Horse.
And to cover a few questions you might have…
SHOULD AN ACCENT WALL BE LIGHTER OR DARKER?
Feature walls are usually darker than their surrounding walls. If you want a subtle contrast, choose a feature color approximately two shades darker than your main color. On the other hand, if you crave some serious drama and contrast, check out colors that are 4-6 shades darker or even entirely different colors for your main walls!
LRV: Choosing Your Best Paint Colors Using Numbers!
If your accent color is within 15 LRV points of your main wall color, you might not notice the difference, as it might seem more like a ‘play on shadows’ than an actual shift in wall color.
Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze offers a high-contrast look to Sherwin Williams Moderate White
WHAT’S THE BEST PAINT COLOR FOR A FEATURE WALL?
These days, I’d say the two most popular accent wall colors are Sherwin Williams Dovetail and Benjamin Moore Charcoal Slate – but ask me tomorrow as they change all the time!
ARE PAINTED ACCENT OR FEATURE WALLS STILL TRENDY?
While I wouldn’t say feature walls are POPULAR, how good they look is relative to the home they’re in. OVERALL, no, feature walls aren’t overly trendy, but this doesn’t mean your home won’t suit one.
I’m neck-deep in the paint color world and have several accent walls in my home, and I love them!
CAN I PAINT MORE THAN ONE WALL AN ACCENT COLOR?
If you want to paint two walls an accent color, you risk diluting its effect. Sure, some more UNIQUELY shaped rooms can handle this, but the average room is best with only one wall in a feature or accent color.
So, there you have it, my funny friends!
RELATED BLOG POSTS
The 7 Best Places to Paint an Accent Wall
Accent Wall COLORS (non-neutrals)
Accent Wall Ideas: The Best DARK & BLACK Paint Colors
The Best Navy Blue Paint Colours for Cabinets, Feature Walls and More
The 6 Best Dark Greige & Taupe Paint Colour: Sherwin Williams
The Best Off-White Paint Colours
Sherwin Williams: 5 of the Best Neutral Paint Colour
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Originally written in 2019, updated in 2025
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Homeowner’s Guide: White Kitchen Cabinets
This isn’t another ’10 Best Cabinet Colors’ list, because there is no SINGLE best white for every home and every kitchen.
Learn how to choose a white cabinet paint color that works with your countertops, backsplash, flooring, trim, lighting, and home—so you can rule out the wrong whites, sample fewer colors, and choose with confidence.
158-page PDF – Instant Download
$34.95Accent Colors – And How to Use Them
This isn’t about plastering your home in the ‘Color of the Year’ or following the latest trends (unless you really want to).
It’s about finding accent colors that work with YOUR home, YOUR style, and YOUR comfort level.
Because the best accent color isn’t one you love on a paint chip, it’s one that makes everything around it look better.
118-Page PDF – Instant Download
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Homeowner’s Guide: Exterior Paint Colors
Painting your home’s exterior is a BIG investment and choosing a color based on a tiny paint chip, a trend or the house down the street can be an expensive mistake.
Learn how to look at YOUR roof, YOUR windows, YOUR brick (or stone) and YOUR home as a whole so you can understand what colors make sense.
The goal? Less guessing, fewer samples and a lot more confidence before gallons of paint go on your home.
206-page PDF – Digital Download
$44.95Exterior Trim Paint Colors
This isn’t a list of ‘the best trim colors’, although you’ll get a ton of links to great shades!
You’ll learn how to look at your home and understand whether it needs contrast, repetition, connection, or a little visual peacekeeping to pull it all together.
Because trim might seem like a small detail…but spread it around all four sides of your home on multiple surfaces and it suddenly has a pretty big job.
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Comments
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What color is the green that was the feature wall in your bedroom? It’s lovely!
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Thanks Rachel! That was actually BM Knoxville Gray – so stinkin’ gorgeous!
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Ok girl, fess up – which pics above are of your current home? Just trying to get a sneak peak 🙂
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Oh you are too funny 😉 Seriously, I HAVE to do a blog post on that – thanks for the reminder! I get so excited about other ideas and get distracted!
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Thanks for another awesome post, Kylie. Now I just need to buy a bigger house with more feature walls!
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I know, they can be addictive!
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Great post, as always.
The chandelier in the first photo is gorgeous! Can I ask where I can possibly buy one?
Thanks so much! -
I fell in love with SW Gauntlet Gray as soon as I saw it at our home improvement store and have been planning on using it for my cabinet painting project in a few weeks. My husband said it was too “moody” of a color to use in the kitchen, but I think it would contrast well with our light-colored floors and light green feature wall with bead boards. Do you think it would still be a good color to use on kitchen cabinets?
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Well, I think Gauntlet Gray is a STUNNER, as long as it suits the floor, countertops and backsplash. HOWEVER, I do worry about it with the light green feature wall, as light green isn’t a colour I would normally partner with Gauntlet Gray 🙂
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Hi ! Great post! i have snowbound on my trim and fireplace and I want to do a feature wall on fireplace, we love blue/navy/charcoal (all of the above really) but they all seem so cold against the snowbound. (in our house it looks a very sharp white). I would love your recommendation for a colour that is dark but warm with snowbound? Even a green or green undertone ?
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Hi Kylie! Loving all of your info! Wondering what wall would work best for a feature wall in our bedroom. We have a tall headboard that is at a diagonal in the corner between the North and West walls. Both walls have large windows on them almost the entire length of the wall. This is the only place our tall headboard fits. So I would almost have to paint both walls the feature color to make it not look awkward. I don’t want to make it feel boxy by having two feature walls and two neutral walls. Or should I paint the longest wall in our room which is the South Wall that you do not see as you walk in so you would have to turn to see it. The south wall has the door into the bedroom. It would have our tall armoire and I could dress that wall up with a feature picture Etc. The East wall is nothing special, it is our dresser with mirror and also closet door so I don’t think that would make the best feature wall either. I love the idea of creamy gray walls with a blue / Grey feature wall. Just not sure which wall is best!! Thanks for any info you send my way! Your blog posts have saved me from many mistakes already 🙂
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Hi Kim, it sounds like the LONG wall might just be the best choice!
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Hi Kylie, My whole house is Alpaca, I want to do an accent wall in my bedroom. Thinking about Mink, Backdrop or Gibraltar. What are your thoughts?
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How do you feel about BM Kendall Charcoal? I have many clients that use that for a feature wall. I personally love the drama!
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YES, I love Kendall Charcoal – definitely!
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Would love to get Input on choosing paint colors for the adjoining walls of an Accent Wall. Like if accent wall in a bedroom with minimal light is Indigo batik torn on side walls. Trim and ceiling is alabaster. Trying to decide if walls should be alabaster too or do a light blue gray. Don’t want to take away from the focus wall though
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Definitely I think we have similar tastes 😆 on my living room wall for the TV I painted 4 large samples to choose the color we liked the most and see it evolve over the day. I have “Raccoon Fur”, “Mysterious”, “Cheating Heart” by BM and “Cyberspace” by SW; They are all magnificent in fact ahaha but I have to decide to choose one 😅
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I’m personally a HUGE fan of Cheating Heart 🙂
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Kylie I love reading your reviews. I don’t see one on Sw Mushroom.
In a sunny southern exposure FL LR would SW mushroom be a good wall color with Urbane Bronze as the accent wall? Can’t go too light or it will wash out. What’s your opinion
Judy
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I have edgecomb gray on walls and dove white trim. What mid to dark blue color for an accent wall?
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I refer to your blog and videos before making any paint color decisions! I have an open concept living/kitchen/dining with a central staircase bound by three walls, creating a feature wall opportunity. I’m wondering if I should paint all three sides a feature color or just one side. Do you have any thoughts on this? Thanks!!! (FWIW: Accessible Beige on the other walls and Pure White trim; thinking about Acacia Haze for this “feature wall.”)
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I’d love a review of SW techno gray. online all I see is brown but it’s such an interesting color in our house taking on this blue/green/gray. I’m trying to coordinate colors with it but it’s not a popular color and cant find much on it. I’ve tried all the popular colors and they just fail in our house then found this guy and love it.
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Kylie I love reading your reviews. I don’t see one on Sw Mushroom.
In a sunny southern exposure FL LR would SW mushroom be a good wall color with Urbane Bronze as the accent wall? Can’t go too light or it will wash out. What’s your opinion
Judy
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Trying to find the perfect muted navy blue wall that goes with alabaster and accessible beige. What is the blue paint color in #4?
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Hi there, great content on your blog. You mentioned something about feature walls having the appropriate sheen. Could you elaborate? Is there a rule of thumb where darker colored paints should be applied with a matte sheen or ….? Thank you in advance for your time.
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Hi Nykky! Yea, I’m a BIG fan of accent walls in a matte finish – assuming the coordinating walls aren’t any shinier than them! Sheen on darker colors can come off a bit…edgy and can definitely expose more flaws on the wall and in the application!
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