Advertisement
Aesthetic is an important part of everyday life – every one of us likes to have their senses caressed sometimes. Why not give your living room something exciting and interesting by giving it a focal point? There’s nothing as impactful as a focal point in interior design.
One is just about enough, as having too many focal points can get overwhelming. There should be enough space in the room even with this focal feature, so make sure it complements the seating arrangements. With some tips and directions, decorating the living room around a focal point is very easy and doable.
The Layout
Image source: Possibilities for Design, Inc.
The use in the room dictates the type of layout it will have. Are you using this room for social gatherings and entertaining activities, or is this your leisure center where you read and relax?
Is the space supposed to be divided amongst several individuals, or does each person have their own place where they go on with their daily routine? Ask yourself this before planning any kind of arrangement.
Conversation is Good
Image source: Stacy Curran
Furniture in the living room should be set in a way that makes it easy for the people to interact and converse; after all, it is the main room where people gather. Make the seats face each other to allow better communication; it’s important you also bring them closer to each other and further from the walls.
If you’re dealing with a larger space, then maybe two conversation areas will work better, especially if you plan on having a larger number of guests over. A good addition for this purpose would be a nice couple of chairs and ottomans.
Create a Focal Point
Image source: Lux Decor
You can perfectly complete a room and attach all of its elements by having a focal point. Most common known focal points include something home-y like a fireplace or noticeable like a television set.
You can even make your focal point a combination of the two – it’s a sure way to extract both of their benefits. Other focal points may include an elegant artistic piece or an arrangement of several smaller ones.
The Pleasant Fireplace
Image source: Michael Abraham Architecture
A pleasant and warm way to bring some vigor into your home – a fireplace enhances the overall look and makes the home look elegant and gives off a welcoming vibe. The fireplace is the most natural and cozy place you can turn into a focal point.
To enhance its appearance you can line its interior or you can make it appreciable by creating an interesting surrounding for it where you can combine different colors that will work well.
The Relaxing Sofa
Image source: Starr Homes
The sofa is most often the main seating place in the room, so working on the sofa will definitely enhance the mood and dictate the style of the area.
The best place where you can locate a sofa would be the longest wall in the room and you can even increase the overall effect by adding some sort of artwork or a mirror on the wall above the sofa.
If you don’t prefer having your sofa against the wall then a lounge corner is just the thing for you; you can even add a painted screen in the whole mix accompanied by a simplistic statue.
Hang some artwork
Image source: Fine Rooms Design Konzepte
Almost every part of the wall is ideal for displaying some sort of art. You can attract the needed attention to anywhere you choose – over the sofa, over the fireplace, or it could be standing on its own across the doorway.
The art can even be done by you; that’s a sure way to add some personality into your home décor. Whatever you chose, it wouldn’t be nice to base the room’s design on the attention-grabbing piece of artwork you plan to be your focal point.
The best way to do this is by decorating with colors that match the ones on the art piece.
You can’t go wrong with a mirror
Image source: Lea Frank Design
It’s amazing what just one big mirror can do. Hanging a mirror at eye level will not only make your room feel more spacious, but it will also brighten up the whole space.
What to do with the walls
Image source: Oliver Burns
Painting your walls is just one of the countless options available for wall decorating. A feature wall could be just the thing to brighten up your space; having an accent wall is neither expensive nor difficult to achieve, yet the results are amazing.
You can also enhance the dramatic effect of the accent wall by adding a hanging collection which will save you some storage space while having visual appeal; shadow boxes and self-stick hooks can be used to display anything you’d like.
Another interesting idea for a feature wall is to cover it with an interesting fabric combined with a decal or a painted design. Installing an indoor wall fountain would also be a great alternative to create a refreshing ambiance to the room. If you have a long empty wall or a wall with windows you don’t like, you can always use ceiling-to-floor curtains to add a dramatic effect and cover up those windows.
Many Types of Shelves
Image source: Folio Design LLP
Bookshelves are known for being a cheap way to store most of your smaller belongings, yet most open storage is not always the smartest move. Covered storage, on the other hand, is an elegant and sophisticated element meant for almost every home.
The space between the objects shouldn’t be too small because it may look cluttered and utterly unattractive. Mirrored photo frames and glass vases could be stylish additions to shelves, and you can even incorporate under-counter lighting for mass appeal.
Playing with lighting
Image source: Ownby Design
Contrary to popular belief, overhead lighting is a big no for the living room. The light itself doesn’t leave enough space for relaxing. Lamps are a better alternative to overhead lights because their soft tones, especially when carefully arranged throughout the room, illuminate the space well without being too harsh.
Other good ways to improve the ambient lighting is by using track ceiling lighting, art lighting and even under-counter lighting.
A stylish idea would be putting sconces close to your fireplace or on your feature wall; it’s a great way to subtly illuminate the room without taking up too much space.
Don’t forget the rugs
Image source: Elad Gonen
If you have nothing else to experiment with, don’t forget about how creative you can get with a rug. They come in many different shapes and sizes and in many different colors and patterns. An area rug is a floor covering that if chosen accordingly could be a perfect attention-grabber as many other elements that can be great living room focal points.
Armoire
Image source: Ernesto Garcia Interior Design, LLC
Just by being large, a cabinet or armoire can be the immediate focal point of any room. It’s a really great element meant not only for decorating your space, but for getting rid of all that clutter. Talk about a organization helper with style!
Less Is More
Image source: HomeSmiths
You can choose a simpler style for your room, maybe even something like country. Pack everything up and put it in a sideboard that will be strategically decorated and put into an alcove. There are no mistakes when choosing minimalism – combined with simple and comfortable furniture, a little decorating goes a long way.
Statement Wallpapers
Image source: The Society of British & International Design
Why not add some personality to the room by adding something like library-style wallpaper? Putting in a couple of authentic decorations and combining them with eye-striking colors is a perfect way to make a real impression.
Texture
Image source: Callender Howorth
Deepen the vibe of your room by having a monochromatic focal point which has an awfully impactful texture. Combined with shiny and smooth reflective objects, the area will seem interesting and will create a relaxed feeling when combined with softer textures.
Pattern
Image source: Patrick J. Baglino, Jr. Interior Design
For the rooms that don’t have much architectural features, a tile or stone permanent finish could be just the element the room needs to make the statement it’s intended to make.
For something more elegant, like a powder room, an organic or flowing pattern in a soft color is the best way to go; it’s all the decoration the room needs.
.