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.

(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.

2. Wall Paper

via Bhg.com

3. Brick or Stone

4. Wall to wall Bookshelves

Austin Patterson Disston Architects via Houzz

 

5. Stenciling or Painting Designs

via Birch and Bird

6. Gallery Walls

via Pottery Barn

via Lauren Liess

7. Woodwork

via Pottery Barn