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HOW TO CREATE A FOCAL POINT
Not all living spaces come equipped with fireplaces and window walls.
Many of us deal with small, boxy rooms, and windows with an uninviting
view. How do we make such rooms more appealing?
You must have a focal point in each room that the furnishings and
accessories, with proper placement, will enhance. If the architecture
doesn’t provide one, then use the largest, uninterrupted wall to create
a focus. If it’s a family room, put your TV on that wall, but be sure
it’s enclosed in an attractive entertainment unit or armoire. Yes
gentlemen, large black screens, and flashing electronic boxes, actually
detract from good design.
In small rooms, you may only want to add the sofa across from it, and
two smaller club chairs, angled on each side of the armoire facing the
sofa. They could be turned, or swiveled for TV viewing. You may also put
the chairs at right angles to the sofa. Some artwork, and a narrow table
against an adjacent wall are enough.
Without a TV, the focus will usually be on the sofa. In a large or small
room you will be successful if you draw the viewer in by placing the
sofa opposite the entry so that it invites the person to come in and
sit. The chairs will be opposite, or adjacent to the sofa.
Presuming the sofa is on the long wall, you will want to increase its
importance by placing a large piece of art, or art grouping about 8 to
10 inches above it, and filling two thirds of the width. Hang art that
has charisma, and for a bold grouping, make sure all the frames match,
and hang the grouping about to within a foot of the ceiling.
In long narrow rooms the temptation would be to put this sofa and art on
the longest wall, but this can emphasis the narrowness and create a
bowling alley effect. You might still add the art centered on the wall,
but maybe angle the sofa at a midpoint to the art and add chairs at the
opposing angle, or angled at the sofa arms. This widens the room, and it
adds some interest.
Surrounding average windows with beautiful fabric that extends a foot or
more above, and on either side, of the molding commands attention. You
might add fabric to cover the whole wall, pulled back enough to see just
the windows. Such drama is truly a focal point that can transform a
bedroom, where the usual focus on the bed may be uninspiring, or in a
living room, where ordinary furnishings may be lifted to a higher level.
Anything unusual can also be a focal point along with TVs, art, and
window treatments. If you have an armored knight, or a cabinet of glass
to show off, be sure that the item has a prominent place, uncluttered by
unnecessary distractions, is well-lit, to which the viewer is directly
drawn when entering the room.
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