I used to think accent walls were the most brilliant design idea – I practically was as a teenager begged My mother allowed me to paint a single wall in my childhood bedroom a rich shade of purple. But as I grew up and refined my taste (and started hating that purple wall), I realized that they are actually the quickest way to date a room. They feel like a cop to me – they didn't have the confidence to transfer the color to all the walls.
While I understand just wanting to add a pop of color to a room, in 2026 accent walls are out of style and there are far more subtle ways to bring a bolder hue into a room. Enter: accent doors.
1. Choose a soft, calm color
(Image credit: Heidi Harris Photography. Design: Bowdre Longo Interiors)
Accent doors don't have to be flashy or vibrant (like my bright purple accent wall). They also don't have to make a strong style statement or become the focal point of a room. In fact, sometimes the best accent doors are the ones that whisper with elegance—like this accent door in a soft shade of blue.
Here, the accent door creates a subtle contrast to the otherwise white hallway and seamlessly complements the wallpaper in the bathroom. Decorating with blue makes a room feel more calming, and that's certainly the case with this blue door, painted in a similar shade to Benjamin Moore's Breath of fresh air. While the door itself adds a certain amount of color, it does so in a tasteful and elegant way – proof that accent doors don't have to be as loud as an accent wall.
2. Work with the rest of the room's color scheme
(Image credit: Design: The House on Dolphin Street)
If the accent wall's long reign has taught us anything, it's that a bold focal point isn't always the answer. An accent door offers a more subtle approach – adding a pop of color that enhances your interiors rather than overpowering them.
“The color combination is crucial,” Robin and Jen explain about choosing accent door colors. “Not all colors go together.” In general, we stick with colors of the same intensity.” That's exactly the case in this cozy bedroom upstairs. When open, the green accent door tastefully complements the light blue painted room and its existing furnishings. It's not too soft and not too bold – the balanced tone of the door adds just the right amount of visual interest and contrast to the design of the room.
3. Draw attention to a useful place
(Image credit: Jon Day. Design: Pringle & Pringle)
Pantries have never been considered a glamorous place in the home. Quite the opposite – it is a space that serves a purpose, has to be functional and usually remains hidden. However, colorful pantry ideas have turned these useful spaces into style statements, and accent pantry doors can do the same.
In the modern farmhouse kitchen above, the pantry door painted Reseda green transforms this otherwise practical spot into a focal point for the room. Along with the colorful kitchen island, the accent door adds personality to the neutral kitchen. The door itself breaks up the neutral cabinets and shelves and provides an unexpected design moment with its fresh color.
Aside from pantry doors, this idea can also work for other utility spaces – laundry rooms, utility closets, and even coat closets. Just a bit of color can transform those inconspicuous spots in the home into exciting style statements.
4. Create contrasts that are not overwhelming
(Image credit: Brittany Ambridge. Design: Sarah Storms)
What better way to greet guests as they enter your home than with a foyer with yellow accent doors? Decorating with yellow can add a feeling of warmth and joy to a room. As shown in this entryway designed by Sarah Storms, the two bright yellow accent doors do just that.
“I often like to paint closet doors in foyers and mudrooms a bright color to add a little something extra to these often-overlooked spaces,” explains Sarah. As a playful contrast to the traditional architecture in this space, the yellow accent doors add a level of excitement to the foyer's design. And since the statement doors are supported by other statement pieces like the Missoni Zucca Stair Carpet and Hallie Stool, nothing feels out of place. Instead, the accent doors and complementary statement decor elements create a sense of vibrant rhythm in the space.
5. Turn a transitional space into a design moment
(Image credit: Amanda Archibald. Design: Surrounded by Color)
If you're passionate about color, there's no reason to limit yourself to one color for your accent doors. As in the hallway above, designed by Robin Heller and Jen Levy of design firm Surrounded by Color, more vibrant colors mean a more vibrant effect.
One of the reasons the multi-colored accent door idea works so well in this example is the location of the doors – the hallway. Unlike a living room, which may already have colorful furniture or rugs, this hallway is designed to be simple with the opportunity to make colorful accent doors the star of the show. “It's fun to be bold in spaces that are separate from the main living area, like this second-floor bedroom hallway,” muses the design duo.
Balanced with a neutral background and grounded by a simple rug like this hand-spun jute rug, the pink, red, and green accent doors add a level of excitement to this space and show how color can influence even the transitional areas of the home.
6. Add visual interest to an otherwise neutral space
(Image credit: Anna Stathaki. Design: Fiona Duke Interiors)
In a simple white dining room, like the one in the picture above, an accent door can make a big difference – not only by adding visual interest to the room, but also by making the transition from one room to the next a focal point in its own right.
“I love a crisp white room and have found that adding interesting doors not only breaks up the space but also adds a design feature with lots of possibilities,” interior designer Pilar Proffitt tells me. Despite the muted blue color, the accent doors create a subtle focal point in an otherwise neutral room – just in a calming, peaceful way.
In an otherwise plain room, an accent door (or doors) can serve as a guide in choosing your decorations to create a cohesive, unified overall scheme. Vice versa too. If you feel like your room is missing something, consider choosing a shade from the existing color scheme for the room doors. This is a simple and easy way to transform the room, and it's not nearly as overwhelming as painting an entire wall a bright shade.
7. Don't forget the cabinets
(Image credit: Chelsea Lopez Productions. Design: Renae Keller Interior Design)
Accent door ideas aren't just about traditional doors. In fact, the same ideas can be applied to cabinet doors to create a stylistically unique design scheme anywhere in the home. Do you have a bathroom cabinet that could use a facelift? Or how about a built-in wardrobe that is full of unused potential? Consider painting these doors in exciting colors to completely transform the rooms in which they exist.
In the room above, these brightly painted mudroom cabinets contrast with the wood-paneled walls but tastefully enhance the room's overall modern, rustic aesthetic. They also add a level of personality to the room and make the mudroom look and feel more dynamic.
8. Create an unexpected surprise
(Image credit: James Merrell)
Pocket doors are an unexpected surprise in their own way, but brightly painted pocket doors take the surprise to a whole new level. Like the dining room above, these pocket doors pull out and add a level of style to a room with their slate blue color alone.
Since pocket doors can be hidden when not needed, there is no need not to paint them in an exciting color. When extended, they can be eye-catching and give the room a fresh and different feel. Push them into the wall and their color remains hidden. Consider accent pocket doors the perfect design feature for indecisive decorators who like the idea of color but don't want to commit to something as permanent as an accent wall.
Accent doors take what's good about the accent wall—the ability to add a pop of color to a room—but seem more intentional than their clumsy predecessor. An accent door can serve as a subtle, unexpected focal point that feels far more thoughtful than just adding a pop of color to a wall.