If your home lacks any architectural focal points like built-in shelving, a fireplace, or a beautiful picture window, you’re going to have to create it yourself! Today, we’re going to give you simple design tips and tricks to finding and creating a focal point in any living space.
Does the interior of your home say palace or haunted mansion? The difference a well designed room and something badly designed is one thing: a focal point.
When you walk into a room with a focal point, you notice it immediately. The room is designed to bring your attention to that one central wall or item.
Some houses have these built-in, others aren’t so lucky. There are still ways to make a focal point-less room more exciting. Learn how to DIY a focal point below!
Don’t Recreate the Wheel
When you’re looking to add a focal point into your home, are you looking over something that’s already there? Many homes have architectural focal points built in.
Do you have a big bay window? An oven hood over your stove? A set of french or sliding doors?
You don’t have to work as hard if you’re turning something into a focal point that already exists.
If you’re lucky enough to have a fireplace, that’s all the structure you need.
Place a large painting over the fireplace, that’s the same width as your mantel. It’ll look like a continuation of your fireplace and make the effect more striking.
You can even paint where your fireplace is one shade lighter than the rest of the room. Just make sure to blend your edges or the lines will be too obvious.
If you have one of these features, how can you make it the center of attention?
Step one is to arrange your furniture around it, so the eye naturally goes to the center of the set. Another is to paint the, say french doors, an accent color.
Color pops are in, so don’t be afraid to go bright.
Mimic Something
They make mirrors in all sizes and decorative shapes nowadays. Can you find a mirror that looks like a large, decorative window? That would make a great focal point.
Treat the mirror-window like you’d treat a normal window, but without the curtains. Place a little table underneath it and place decorative elements at its edges.
Keep them smaller. They shouldn’t be minuscule, but if they reach the top of the mirror it won’t have as much of an impact. Make it look bigger, not smaller!
Stay Simple, Paint a Wall
If you don’t want to spend a lot of money or rearrange everything, make an accent wall. The wall should pull off the other colors in the room, even if they’re accent colors in another pattern.
Bright, warm colors are best for accent walls. Choose a wall that doesn’t have much else going on. You don’t want to overload the wall with paintings or decor. The color itself is the decoration.
Accent ceilings are becoming a trend too. These work best if you have or can install pristine white crown molding. Hang a statement light piece from your accent ceiling.
We like deep hues that reflect light well like jewel tones, discover more ideas here.
Your Focal Point
You know your room best. If the answer is to buy one chair that’s a bright color or paint a wall, you (and your wallet) are the only ones that can decide that.
Your focal point is what you want someone to walk in and notice about your home, so make sure it’s something you like!
For other interior design ideas, keep up with our blog – it’s like keeping up with the Joneses, only much more stylish!