you could do wall decals/tattoo's. i did one in my bathroom and its great. here's a link.tree there are many options but i like the trees or branches. for color on wall., how about a earthy green, kinda of like bringing the outdoors in. or a nice yellow, bright and cheery. i would not do a cream or brown anything. you have a door there, so what u put is very limited. you don't want to bump into or feel you have to walk around it. that's why the "tattoos" are so great, no depth!! if u post pics of rest of house it will give us a better idea of what your style is and will make it easier to help. branch fawn

Jenna, the 'Well, duh' was a bit condescending, considering you have given people nothing to look at in an attempt to help you. How can we help you when we have no idea what the room looks like and where the sofa is? Celerygirl does AMAZING mock-ups for people when they supply pictures, so they can see how something will look. We don't know your colors, what your sofa looks like or what the wallpaper looks like. If someone came up to you and said, 'Accent wall.', wouldn't you ask them what they were talking about? Here's an example of a post that gives enough info and a pic, so people can give their opinions - [https://www.houzz.com/discussions/will-a-white-cream-carpet-be-a-mistake-dsvw-vd~5463113?n=48[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/will-a-white-cream-carpet-be-a-mistake-dsvw-vd~5463113?n=48)

Valspar has identified coordinates for Pale Bloom. Choose one of the darker colors for the stair wall. Be aware that the wall and your kitchen cabinets are going to abut visually, so choose both colors carefully. I like the third box...the Navaho but darker color on the strip with the green for stair wall. https://m.valsparpaint.com/color-detail.php?id=2667 Example of green with brown

It's a beautiful room as is. I assume the picture is a realtor pic of the sellers belongings. Not a lot of us have rust homes. I agree one would need to know your furniture and other color choices before answering but I would say as far as making the room seem smaller--it appears the room can handle it unless pictures are deceiving. It's a great sized room.