What is a focal Point?

A focal point is the first thing you want people to see when they enter your room.  It is the star of the room, bringing all the elements of your design together. Creating a focal point makes a huge difference in your room design.

Professional designers use a focal point to draw attention to a feature or area of the room, making the room more inviting and beautiful.

Some rooms have a natural focal point, built into the room such as a fireplace, built-in shelves, large windows, feature walls or very high ceilings. Look around your room and see if there are any built in features that your eyes are attracted to as you walk into the room.  Do you have an element that is the same in a few rooms such as large windows, which will help create a natural flow in the design of your home?

Not all rooms have a built-in focal point.  The beauty of home design is that you can create your focal point with furniture, artwork and more. Remember to embrace the room’s natural aesthetic and warmth while drawing the flow of your room to your focal point.

Here are some tips and ideas to design around focal points.

Fireplaces

Arrange your seating around the fireplace, keeping a safe distance from the heat of the fire. Finish off the wall above the mantle with a bold piece of artwork.

Accent walls

Accents walls are a popular focal point. If you have no built-in focal point in your room consider designing an accent wall on the furthest wall from the entry into a room. Patterned wallpaper, bold paint colors, or hanging interesting decorating items draw attention to the wall.

Shelving

Built-in shelving can be the focal point in your room. Make sure the shelves are clutter free, in good condition and styled with interesting home décor.  Create a seating area around your shelves.

If you have shelving alongside a fireplace, ensure that decorative pieces around the room compliment the decorative pieces on your shelves,

Adding floating shelves can fill up unused space in a room and create a focal point.  (Consider the height of the floating shelves and the possibility of little heads bumping into the shelves)

We love adding artwork, family pictures, home decorations and plants onto floating shelves.

Windows

Windows with outdoor views are stunning focal points in a room.  Eyes are naturally drawn to the outside view. Try to keep windows clean, clear and unobstructed.

Curtains can also frame the window and draw attention to the window. There are some beautiful examples on pinterest where curtains warm up the room while still allowing the view to be the focal point of your room.

Artwork

A great piece of art can be used as a rooms focal point. Consider the lighting in your room and if you want to add lighting to highlight the art. When using art as the focal point in your room, take one or two colors from the artwork and use as accent colors throughout the room.

Furniture

A large, statement piece of furniture can be a focal point in your room.  Furniture as a focal point is typically used in dining rooms and bedrooms. Add accents like cushions on the bed or a decorative centrepiece on a dining table to draw attention.

Furniture placement is important in your room design. Placing seating around a fireplace, couches facing a great view etc help draw attention to your focal point. You can change the look and feel of your room by re-arranging your furniture.

Extra high ceilings

High ceilings draw the eye upwards. It is important to make sure that ceilings are clean, well painted and include a light feature. Lighting is important in creating the atmosphere of the room.

Backsplashes: 

Backsplashes are generally the focal point in bathrooms and kitchens. A tile backsplash is found in the shower or behind the stove. Most backsplashes are in a bold colour or pattern , different from the rest of the room.

Extra things to consider

Colors

Contrasting colors can make your focal point stand out. Painting a wall a contrasting color can make your furniture or artwork stand out. Changing the color of your room can make your focal point pop and it changes the feel of your room.

Lighting

Where possible add lighting to your focal point help it stand out.

Complete the look

Add extra design elements around your focal point to draw attention and complete the look. Cushions on the bed, lighting on artwork, plants , decorative figurines and ornaments all bring a design together.

One focal point in a room.

It gets confusing when you have a room with more than one usage such as an open plan kitchen and dining area. In this case the focal point should be the part of the main use, often the dining table. You can then have a complimenting secondary focus in the kitchen. 

Remember a focal point is the first thing people see when they enter a room. Designing around your focal point draws the eye and allows your design to flow around the room.

Happy Styling

Sandra xx