Looking to create a more inviting and balanced environment in your living room? Try arranging your furniture around a focal point to give your space a better layout and to draw attention to the most visually aesthetic features.
Interior designers are unanimous that creating a focal point in any room is one of the fundamentals of interior design to bring out the home’s aesthetic. A focal point is supposed to be the first thing your eyes land on as soon as you enter a room. It can take the shape of an architectural feature or anything unique, such as a dramatic furniture piece, a mirror, or artwork. If your living room has a beautiful outdoor view, a bay window may also serve the purpose of a striking focal point.
You can even rely on ideas like bold-coloured paint, interesting arrangements for indoor plants or spotlight lighting to give visitors something to appreciate when they enter your space.
In this blog, we’ll discuss how you can create an attractive focal point in your living room and make the most out of it!
Find The Right Focal Point
Multiple parts of a room can be visually interesting. To choose a perfect focal point for your living room, stand at the entrance and identify the first spot that catches your eye. For example, this may be the wall behind the entertainment complex. Paint it a different colour — or install interesting wallpaper — to make it the focal point.
If you’ve got more than one attractive feature, focus on making one of them more prominent than the other to avoid competition between the two. Cluttering a space with too many thoughts will disrupt its balance!
Focal Point Ideas For A Living Room
A focal point serves as an anchor in your room. Whether you are beginning from scratch or simply re-arranging furniture, we’ve got a list of ideas to help you out!
Fireplace
A fireplace is a beautiful feature to be accentuated as a focal point. Whether you’ve got a modern fireplace or an older model, you can re-tile it and style it with a few personal features. These may include a seating area surrounding the fire, artwork above the mantle, candlesticks, vases, and other decorative objects.
Window
A window used as a focal point will not only provide interest to the eye but will also keep you connected to the outdoors whilst being indoors. So, if you have a garden view, unique and fancy window treatments would be ideal for drawing attention. A small seating area or a few plants can help adorn the point further.
Mirrors
A statement mirror with an intricate frame or design can upgrade the entire room in no time with little effort. The selected size should be appropriate according to the wall it will be placed on. If you’re using only one mirror, try positioning it at eye level and consider adding spotlights to further highlight the focal point.
Credit: Cuckoo 4 Design
Artwork
Incorporating art as a focal point is a great way to show off your style and promote creativity.
A large canvas or a gallery wall would do the trick. It is preferable to choose pieces that are simple and elegant if you have a light interior. You can go for brighter and more prominent articles if you’re looking to create a statement.
Be sure to put together the right gallery wall composition!
Light Fixtures
Lights can be seen from more than one angle, making them a perfect choice to use as a focal point. Hanging an enticing chandelier or multi-light pendants of different lengths can be a conversation starter for any room!
Credit: Calimia Home
Creating a Focal Point Without Big Investments
If you don’t have quirky architectural features or your furniture and other living room details are neutral, you can try using other innovative tricks that aren’t heavy on the pocket. For example, create an accent wall with bright paint colours (you can do it yourself, too) or adding indoor plants.
Make sure to remove any clutter around the place used as a focal point. This will help in giving it much more prominence and attention.
Mistakes To Avoid
Creating too many focal points: If items start fighting for your attention, it can lead to a cluttered and messy appearance. In case you’ve got various unique pieces, make sure to utilise them carefully and create a single or two focal points at a maximum.
Getting too uniform with colours: Don’t forget to add patterns and textures with some neutral colours. For instance, if the accessories in your room are mostly yellow, a shaggy textured rug can help break the uniformity.
Personalise your space: If you’ve got the advantage of a built-in focal point, make sure to decorate it with extra details and design elements to train the eye where to go — and give it a personalised touch.
Final Words
A focal point is an easy starting point when arranging your living room layout. Being the central feature that stands out, it can entirely transform your living room! Remember, a place can have more than one focal point, and it is possible that your space may already have built-in features that can be used as a focal point. So, follow the aforementioned tips to give your living room a makeover now!
Need some help with creating a focal point in your living room? Just book one of our Interior Design Gurus here! They can look at your space over video chat and give you tips, ideas and guidance on how to achieve an interior that you love.