One of the first things any seasoned interior stylist will tell you about home décor is that you need to find the best focal point in your new home. With a focal point in place, you can arrange your furniture in a way that flows with the rest of the room.
What is a focal point?
A focal point is the center of a living space, with which other furniture items are placed in alignment. In a well-designed room, the first thing anybody sees when they enter is the focal point. The idea behind the décor is to draw your eyes to it immediately.
Your focal point may also be emphasized by other complementary items. Whether it’s an architectural piece, a textured frame, color or light feature, creating a spot-light with any of these elements contributes to making a visually attractive interior.
How do we select an ideal focal point?
Say you just moved into a new house, and you are tasked with defining your home décor, what do you do? Well, first identify your focal point in your new home. It will depend on the layout or design of a room. Fortunately, some rooms may already have a discernible focal point that you can emphasize as a more defining feature of the room.
Some examples may include:
A Window or Set of Windows
It draws people’s eyes to the natural light entering the room, and the winding landscape outside. The window also presents other elements of interest such as a city skyline, an attractive knoll, or a busy market square. If a room receives plenty of natural light rays from the outside, the window can automatically serve as a focal point.
A Fireplace
A fireplace is usually a great choice, especially in a living room because it is centralized and provides warmth in colder weather.
A Prominent Piece of Architecture
Ray, a Maple Ridge real estate professional suggests “One good example is an exposed brick wall or a deliberate wall feature that breaks the monotony of the regular design. In some cases, a high ceiling or brilliant light fixture can be a room’s focal point, so don’t restrict yourself to eye level only.”
Make a Focal Point
If your room doesn’t immediately present one, you can create a focal point. This isn’t a difficult thing to do. Here are some ideas:
- Identify a large wall space, then add a large piece of art to a roomy wall space to draw focus to it. It will make an amazing focal point, especially if the artwork is compelling.
- If your window view is uninteresting, use beautiful print curtains to create an attractive feature for the room.
- Place a radiantly colored furniture item in your room. It could be a sofa or coffee table.
- A well-made built-in shelf can also be a focal point.
- If you have a good eye for art, pick out a large antique mirror and make it the focal point. Or a collection of knickknacks can make a good showing in the corner of the room. Be careful though, you don’t want them to look like clutter. Learn to live clutter-free.
Apply Daring Colors to Your Room Décor
We mentioned before how colors can emphasize the focal points in a room. Don’t be afraid to go bold with your style. A bold color such as a contrasting ceiling and drapes can set your room up for décor heaven. An impressive chandelier can also add a positive effect to it.
Be sure to keep your colors and designs in the room to a minimum so they don’t clash with the ceiling. You don’t want your home to resemble a circus.
Bonus tip: Having a beautifully laid out focal point can take people’s attention away from other less attractive features in a room.
