When you enter a room, whether consciously or not, your eyes are always drawn towards the focal point. The idea of a focal point is to draw attention and make one curious to see more. It is the main element that you design the rest of your room around. One of the reasons some rooms feel “lacking” is due to the lack of a focal point. You could probably look at a room and point out the focal point, but how do you create one?

‍

‍

Choose The Best Feature in Your Room

Look around your room. Even if it is totally empty, you may already have a built-in focal point! Architectural elements, such as large windows with a great view, tray ceilings, fireplaces, range hoods, and even built-in shelving are all great starting points to create emphasis. Maybe you have an interesting piece of furniture you would like to showcase. Even a beloved piece of artwork or a captivating backsplash tile can fascinate guests’ attention when highlighted the right way!

‍

‍

Decide How to Highlight Your Piece

There are numerous ways an area can be emphasized. Creating contrast is one of the best ways. Painting a bold color or adding a fun wallpaper is an easy way to make one wall or ceiling stand out through contrast. If you are showcasing an amazing window, you can use an isolation technique by making sure nothing obstructs the view. Similarly, a favorite art piece or a statue placed in a solitaire location with proper lighting demands to be noticed. Try arranging your furniture to direct the eye toward your focal point. Or frame your piece by centering it within other items. The implied lines will direct your eye straight to your main feature. Finally, use accent lighting to attract attention and directly call-out the featured area.

‍

‍

What Should I Avoid?

Just as important as the tips for what to do, there are also things you should not do when creating your focal point. Do not have multiple focal points in one room. A focal point is defined as: “an aspect of the room that the eye is going to travel to first”. If you have more than one, it defeats the entire purpose. The two (or more) elements fight each other for the spotlight resulting in neither winning it. Your room needs blank spots. Avoid filling your entire room. If your eye does not have a place to rest, the space will feel overwhelming. Make sure to add décor items and other details to help draw your eye to certain focal points, especially architectural elements. An isolated window can be made even more interesting when framed with the perfect drapes.  Likewise, a lone empty fireplace can fall short of capturing its’ audience without elements such as mantel décor or a riveting finish.