Catch the Eyes with Focal Points

Ever been to some spaces or rooms that you feel disjointed, characterless and confused with the interior designs?

This is where the focal point is shown as key aspect of interior design. A focal point draws eye towards the highlights and create a wow factor, and forms the basis for the rest of the design and layout. It anchors the décor and helps create a natural, beautiful flow, and also bring out your home’s aesthetic and naturally draw your guests from room to room.

Highlights your Room’s Best Feature:

Many rooms may come with a built-in focal point, and it will be your job to identify the dominant focal point and highlight the feature. If your room has distinct architectural features, then it will be easy to choose the focal. Just look for the highlights of the room that standout, pick the strongest focal point or the first facing when you step into the space.

Large Windows

If you are fortunate to have a large window with and attractive view outside, and lots of natural light flooding through your home, then this should be the natural focal point of your living room. It will naturally draw the eye travel to large window especially with a wonderful view. Make sure that your window is large enough to absorb the view and no obstructions are standing in its way, and let it open the room to its exterior surroundings.

Although it’s tempting to make windows the sole focal point in your room, but windows might become less captivating during evening when the sun goes down. You can try balancing a window with one or two other focal points with some great art or mirror, to make your room stays interesting even as the energy changes from day to night.

High Ceiling

If you have a high ceiling in your living room, you should really show them off! Allows the height and openness of the space to be the main focal point. You can use unique hanging light fixtures for your high ceiling, as pendant lights instantly draw the eye up, emphasising the height and spaciousness of the room. Your pendant light should hang in the perfect position to catch the eye; too high would fail to draw attention. Also, remember to match the colour of the pendant with the window frames, ensuring that it fits into your colour scheme.

Create Your Own Focal Points:

If you can’t locate any existing architectural features worth highlighting, you can try creating your own focal point!

Artwork ( or Mirror / patterned rugs)

Hanging attention-grabbing artwork or a large mirror at eye level with well-lit can be a wonderful focal point with minimal effort. Interesting artwork can help bring up the mood and atmosphere in the room, and can act as a design element you can centre your decor around.

You can take one or two colours from the piece to use as accent colours throughout the room, and make sure you select the right size of the artwork as well. Also, consider adding feature lighting to set it apart, such as picture lights, track lights or wall fixtures, can help to draw the eye to your piece and emphasize this decor element. As a bonus, you can easily switch the artwork whenever you get tired of it to keep things fresh.

If you want to add comfort feel to your room, consider experimenting with patterned rugs as the best focal points. Textured rugs bring a warmth and cosy feel to a room, especially if they are accompanied with curtains, throw cushions, and ornamental pieces. A well-placed rug with patterns will act as its main feature for rooms that don’t have any focal points.

Accent Walls (Wallpaper, paint, textured)

An accent wall in a room is the easiest and by far the most effective way to create a focal point. Using a wall as your statement piece gives you a chance to be creative and personalize your living space.

Bold paint colours and/or textured walls are great idea for creating feature walls. You could paint it in a bold color to enhance the visual interest of the room, or paint a color with few shades lighter or darker than the rest of the walls. You can also create a textured wall by applying wallpaper, wood, stone or a faux finish to it. Just be as creative as you want and let your imagination run-wild!

Accent wall not only give you a beautiful focal point, but also showcase the room character and a designer touch. Just be sure to introduce a focal point using the wall that is furthest from the entry.

Large and Bold furniture

Large furniture or statement pieces serve as good focal points. Big tables in dining rooms and large beds in bedrooms instantly draw the eye towards them, acting as centrepieces in the room. You can spice it up by adding throw pillows to catch attention and create emphasis.

Shelves are also a smart way to fill up unused space, along with adding another dimension to an already established room. They are also perfect for showing off your prizes, trinkets, and book collections, yet add elegance and sophistication to your space.

Sometimes, it doesn’t have to be the largest piece of furniture in the room. You can choose a single piece of standout furniture based on the colour and unique design, to create a focal point and add interest to the space. For instant, choose a bold-coloured or eye-catching furniture that stands out against the more neutral-coloured flooring, furniture and surrounding walls, which become the first item that the eye is naturally drawn towards.

Backsplashes / Kitchen island

Backsplashes is the perfect focal point for the kitchen. What mirrors and artwork do for the living room, backsplashes do the same for the kitchen. You can make a feature of the tile backsplashes by using bold colours or decorative patterns, to capture the attention and bring out the existing character of your kitchen. You can also use the same pattern for backsplash and countertops to create a cohesive look. Or you can go with statement tiles to create a unique, modern cooking area, and enhance the design of your kitchen.

Alternatively, kitchen island is a spectacular focal point in a spacious kitchen. You can turn your kitchen island into a dazzling focal point with an elegant countertop or a stunning tile base, and take a kitchen design to the next level. If you don’t have enough space for an island, you can create a charming breakfast or brunch area instead.

Mistakes to Avoid:

Cluttering the Space

The most common mistake in creating a focal point is overdoing it and making the space look cramped and cluttered. Many owners try to fit more than one focal point into a room, which can split focus and creating confusion in the design and make the room less functional.

Clashing Focal points

Each room should have only one central focus, so the interior is built around the design, which to add symmetry and style to the space. If you have a focal point such as a TV wall, you should still try to draw attention to it by placing extra elements around it. In some cases, a secondary focal point can work, but only if it aims to enhance the primary focal point in some way.

Make sure you avoid clashing focal points in a room to keep the room stays in order and style. For example, if you already have a centrepiece in your living room, then a brightly coloured sofa is going to clash with that focal point.