Every Living Room Needs a Focal Point

Just a few things should be in every room of your home, from room-specific furniture to appropriate accessories and decor, but focal points are among the most noticeable additions to a room. This is especially true in high traffic rooms such as the living room, and every living room needs a focal point, whether the space is formal or informal. Understanding the definition of a focal point, and what constitutes a focal point in the living room, is your first step to creating something spectacular for your family’s living room.

Definition of a Focal Point

A focal point is an eye-catching display meant to capture the attention of anyone who walks into that particular room. They are often displayed on a fireplace mantle, on a shelf, directly on a wall, on the coffee table, or in a similar central and noticeable place in the living room. You can be very creative with how you direct attention to a focal point, as discussed a little later in this article, but the point is to direct the attention to a particular place in the room.

Traditional Living Room Focal Points

You have the creative license to design a focal point in your living room that meets your needs, whether your space is a themed living room, media-focused living space, or family-oriented room. Modern and contemporary focal points are diverse, and may include nearly any type of focal point imaginable, but traditional living room focal points are far less diverse. They usually include photographs, prints, paintings, sculptures, aquariums, live plants, clocks, and similar ideas, but can include more modern forms as long as they are showcased in a traditional way, such as framing.

Directing Attention to a Focal Point

The attention in the living room should be directed to the room’s focal point, with little focus going to other accessories and accents in the room. You can effectively direct attention to your focal point by using spotlights, recessed lighting directed at the focal point, similar forms of illumination, or by decorating the room in neutrals and adding color through the focal point. Modern color palettes, such as stark contrasts, are a great idea if you want to introduce color by adding a focal point in the living room as well, such as a predominantly red painting.

Good Choices for the Living Room Focal Point

It is true that every living room needs a focal point, but not just any focal point will coordinate with all décor choices and style options. Make sure that the focal point you choose for your living room blends with your decor and makes a statement about your living room, your family, and your distinct sense of style. For example, a figurative nude metal wall art may work perfectly for one style, while a sun metal sculpture may be more appropriate for another.  If you are designing a themed room, keep with the theme, and so on for other styles and decor options.

There is no best choice for the living room, since it all depends on your individual sense of style, but a few good choices are artwork, photo collages, sculptures, clocks, wall hangings, live plants, murals, and high quality accessories.