by Natalia Jones

Created on: June 17, 2009   Last Updated: July 01, 2009

In interior design a focal point is used to visually ground a room and all other elements seem to emanate from this point. A focal point can literally be anything, from a piece of art or furniture to a fireplace or a television. Some rooms have natural focal points. These items simply demand our attention and tend to predetermine the layout of the room. Take for instance a room with a wall of big beautiful picture windows. Naturally the arrangement of furniture within this room and by extension the room's flow is dictated by the position of these windows. The obvious setup would be to face the largest piece of furniture towards the window grouping so the majority has the advantage of the view through the windows.

Another common natural focal point is a fireplace. A room with a fireplace generally calls for the fireplace to take centre stage. Images of cuddling in front of the roaring fire quickly help even those with no design insight to imagine the placement of the sofa that would take the best advantage of the fire. Function can therefore play a big part in the determination of a focal point.

Some rooms start off largely nondescript. It is then up to you to create a focal point around which to build the drama of the room. This can be intimidating because it is tantamount to a facing a blank canvas, or the blinking cursor on an empty page. Once you realize though that a focal point is simply anything that takes up a reasonable amount of space and is capable of holding interest, selecting a focal point becomes easier. It is however important to remember that the size of the focal point must be relative to the size of the room. In this context a single small vase may not meet the requirements of being a focal point, but a collection of vases certainly could.

In a bedroom the bed is almost always the focal point. The bed not only defines the purpose of the room but it is also the single largest element in the room. All other items play off the bed and its color and style should be allowed to set the tone of the room. If you have a bed made of hardwood with clean straight lines your room should echo the warmth of the bed, but also speak to its contemporary style.

In the living room a large piece of art, a huge sofa or the fireplace are all examples of possible focal points. In instances where several elements have the potential to compete for attention it is necessary to take a step back to assess which of the items should take precedence. Natural focal points generally trump other elements, so if there is a beautiful fireplace and a large piece of art, the fireplace should be allowed to reign supreme. Try finding another place for the oversized art so the room does not feel overwhelming. It is possible to have a secondary focal point, and many designers use this as a trick to lead the eye around the room. The key is not to have two elements of equal strength but to have one definite leader and a supporting item. In our living room example, the fireplace may be the main focal point, while the large sofa can be the next major ticket item in the room.

Smaller items should be placed around the room to accessorize the space and bring character and depth. These elements should of course complement the style and color palette of the room. A room that is decorated around a focal point feels balanced and usually has an easy natural flow. Try these design tips out at home and transform an ordinary room into one that looks like it stepped off the pages of a designer magazine.

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