The Do’s and Don’ts of Creating a Focal Point in Your Home

A focal point is the star of any room in your home, and should be created (or updated) with care. It’s likely the first thing you, family members and guests will see upon entering the room and, as such, should leave a lasting impression. Traditionally, focal points are situated across from the room’s main entrance and include features such as: fireplaces, artwork or a window. However, much like sartorial and other home décor rules, the traditional rules of focal points are meant to be broken. Let your imagination roam freely when creating a focal point for any room in your home, and when appropriate, why not create two? 

Every room needs a focal point, and while every room is different, there are a few fool-proof do’s and don’ts when it comes to creating these fixtures. Keep the following points in mind when creating your own focal point, or points, in your own home. 

Do Highlight The Best Feature

More often than not, any given room will come equipped with its own focal point already built-in. Most older home will feature beautiful fireplace in-lays, intricate wainscoting or colourful stained glass windows. Newer homes, as well, will highlight certain interior features creating a natural focal point. If this is the case in your home, the trick then is to identify this focal point and build upon it. Some common types of built-in focal points include:

• Windows
• Fireplaces
• Built-in shelving
• Vaulted ceiling
• Interesting, or angled walls.

If you have a window as your room’s primary anchor, situate your furniture around it as a frame, to naturally draw your eye to its views. Opt for interesting window dressings and curtain rod to bring even more interest to this point. While fireplaces are traditional focal points, the treatment of yours doesn’t have to be. Consider painting your fireplace white, or removing the brick and replacing it with patterned tiles. You can easily modernize and update this traditional focal point with some imagination and DIY. 

Large, built-in shelving units will easily grab the eye’s attention, especially if you opt to paint them a striking colour or fill them with books and other sentimental baubles. Similar to a window, furniture should be arranged to complement the shelves and refrain from impeding access. 

Having a vaulted ceiling or an angled wall can pose a design challenge, but they make for interesting aspects that can easily be turned into focal points. For ceilings, consider keeping them painted a light, neutral shade to prevent them from feeling over-bearing and install light fixtures that complement their shape. For an angled or unconventional wall, consider placing wall fixtures, such as mirrors or frames, off-centre to re-balance the room.

Do Create Your Own Focal Point

For the rooms that don’t naturally have their own, built-in focal points, you can easily create one yourself. Less traditional spaces, climate and lifestyle preferences may negate the need for a traditional focal point, such as a fireplace, prompting you to get creative with creating your own focal point. 

Accent walls are a great place to start. If you have a large expanse of wall that needs sprucing up, consider painting it a colour different from the rest of the room. Or, consider an interestingly patterned wallpaper. This will instantly set the wall a part from the rest of the room by creating high visual impact, and make it easier for you to anchor other design elements, including furniture, artwork and lighting. Similarly, backsplashes and ceiling treatments are another great way to inject some visual interest in your room. Paneling, wainscoting or even just a lick of paint can go a long way especially if you’re decorating a room that’s architecturally awkward. 

Artwork is perhaps the easiest way to instantly give your room a focal point. Whether you decide on one, eye-catching piece of art, or opt for a gallery wall, this is a great option that will work for nearly all rooms. Alternatively, you can easily hang photographs (including your favourite family photos) instead of traditional pieces of artwork. If you’re more of a minimalist, consider one, large impactful graphic print that pulls colours from the rest of your room. 

Statement furniture or lighting can also work to create a focal point in your room. This can be an elaborate sofa in your living room, an interesting bedframe in your bathroom, or an intricate dining table in your dining room. The same applies to light fixtures, which can easily add a point of interest to any room. Ensure to add accent pieces, such as centrepiece on your table, or pillows on your sofa or bed, to help further draw the eye.

The Cardinal Sins Of Focal Points

In addition to knowing how to create your own focal point, or leverage an existing one, more important is knowing what to avoid. This will help to keep your room’s design cohesive and streamlined. 

Refrain from creating more than one focal point. While this may be tempting, especially if your room serves a dual purpose (such as a kitchen and an eating area), creating multiple focal points will confuse the eye and make your space appear chaotic. Any given room should stick to one central focus, with a secondary one if necessary—as is the case with the kitchen and eating-in area. However, even this secondary focus should be a part of the room’s primary use.

Additionally, don’t forget to frame your area of focus. Even if your room has a built-in focal point, you’ll want to ensure it’s framed with various accent pieces to further help grab the eye’s attention and anchor your room. This can mean installing a complementary light fixture to a vaulted ceiling, cushions to your statement sofa, or an interesting mirror, artwork or photograph above your fireplace. All of these design elements help to further draw the eye to where it’s supposed to be. 

Finally, don’t forget the light. Any focal point, regardless of if you created it yourself or it came naturally with the room, needs light. Whether it’s an over-hanging fixture, a ceiling fixture or a floor lamp, a light source will help your focal point further stand out from the rest of the room, especially during your evenings of entertaining or family time. 

Choosing and creating a focal point for any room of your home is one of the most fundamental aspects of interior design. Not only is this the point you and your guests see upon first entering the room, it also works to anchor the rest of the furniture and accents within that room. Keeping these few, small tips in mind will dramatically elevate your focal point design to the next level.