Design 101- Creating a Focal Point

Have you ever decorated a room and felt like when you were done something was missing? Perhaps you had made sure to bring in some unique items and had selected fabulous colors and patterns for the space but still the room felt a bit lack luster. If this ever happens to you interpret this feeling as a sign that your room might be screaming for a focal point.

A focal point tells us where to direct our attention when we enter a room. Imagine going into a room where there are 4 people you don’t know sitting at each corner of the room. When you go in nobody stands up or says anything. You look around and perhaps feel confused at who to talk to first.

Now imagine going into the same room but this time when you enter someone gets up and greets you and shakes your hand. In this scenario you aren’t left wondering who to turn your attention to first. Likewise, having a focal point in a room greets a person and shakes their hand allowing them to relax and get to know the other parts of the room as time goes on.

Robyn Clarke + Co via Houzz

(just imagine that bold patterned wall is greeting you and shaking your hand) 🙂

So how do you create a focal point? You can create a focal point by making sure that one of the walls in a room demands more visual attention than the others. I like to call this “visual weight”. Bold colors and patterns, large pieces of furniture, architecture details, and sizeable decor pieces all create visual weight.

For example, the walls that contain a fireplace are almost always the focal point of a room because they create visual interest and weight. One of the easiest avenues for designating a focal point is an accent wall. Accent walls are notorious for creating interest and demanding attention in a room.

There are numerous methods of creating an accent wall. Here are few to consider.

1. Using a different paint color on your accent wall.

Tad Davis Photography via Houzz

Renew Designs via Houzz

2. Wall Paper

Sticks and Stones Design Group inc. via Houzz

Heydt Designs via Houzz

via Bhg.com

3. Brick or Stone

Dewson Construction Company via Houzz

Lighting Maxim Lighting International via Houzz

Claremont Companies via Houzz

4. Wall to wall Bookshelves

Hendel Homes via Houzz

Austin Patterson Disston Architects via Houzz

via Centsational Girl

Kate from Centsational Girl gives a great tutorial on how to create a wall to wall bookshelf unit out of Ikea Billy Bookcases, HERE.

5. Stenciling or Painting Designs

via Birch and Bird

Sarah Greenman via Houzz

Tineke Triggs via Houzz

6. Gallery Walls

via Pottery Barn

via Lauren Liess

Molly Quinn Design via Houzz

7. Woodwork

via Pottery Barn

Highmark Builders via Houzz

Tiffany Hanken Design via Houzz

I utilized this latter form of accent wall in my living room by installing board and batten horizontally. It really helped define that wall as the focal point especially since it’s not the wall you are facing when you first walk into the room.

Do you have to have an accent wall in order to create a focal point? Absolutely not! However, if you are having a hard time “visually weighing down” a single wall in a room, an accent wall is a great tool in your ever growing interior design toolbox!;-)

I hope you enjoyed this Design 101 on creating a focal point! Have a great weekend, Friends!