Wondering how to make your living room feel more cozy and inviting? Today I’m sharing all the interior design tips on how to create a focal point in your living room design! Easy ideas to elevate your space and help create your dream home.
Do you ever walk into your living room and feel like something’s missing, but you can’t quite put your finger on it? You’ve picked out the furniture, hung some artwork, and added a cozy throw, but your space still doesn’t feel pulled together.
You’re not alone!
In fact, the first thing I hear from my fellow homeowners when they hire me to help with their home design is…
“I want it to feel cozy and put together. I’m just not sure how to do that.”
Sound familiar?
Today I want to save you some stress (and money!) and let you in on a magical interior design principle that will instantly elevate your home design.
To create a room that feels cozy and comfortable, you need a focal point.
Every room needs a clear spot that catches the eye and sets the tone, making the space feel both stylish and inviting.
Okay, but how do you create one? Especially in a builder-grade home with no character and maybe even no fireplace.
Here are some inspiring ideas to help you create a focal point in your living room design using wall art, paint, molding, accent walls, wallpaper, decor, a fireplace, furniture, and more.
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How To Create A Focal Point In Your Living Room Design
A focal point is a fancy way of identifying the “main event” of a room.
It’s where your eyes are naturally drawn to in a room.
Many modern, builder-grade homes lack a natural focal point. So you need to create one! Here are a few ideas to inspire your living room design focal point.
Create a Focal Point with Art
Gallery Wall
A tasteful, interesting way to add a focal point in your living room design is with a gallery wall.
Use printable vintage prints, a pre-made framed gallery wall, or DIY a free public domain art gallery wall.
For a modern style, keep the spacing between your frames consistent. For a more organic look, vary the spacing, height, and placement on the wall. Try to stick to a general art theme, like landscapes or watercolors, to create a sense of harmony.
Interior Design Tip
To create a focal point around your gallery wall, add a piece of furniture like a couch or a console table underneath or beside it. You could place a tall plant or lamp to one side as well to frame it on the wall.
Oversized Art
Make creating a focal point super easy with oversized art. In this case, less is more. Invest in a large-scale artwork and place it center-stage where your eye will see it first.
Interior Design Tip
To style oversized art as a focal point, add a picture light above it or lights besides it to draw your eye even more.
Wall Mural
Art doesn’t always need to be in a frame. A unique way to create a big focal point in a room is with a painted mural or a wallpaper mural!
This can add lots of color, interest, or depth to a space, if it fits your style.
You can apply the mural to one entire wall, or just a section. You could also create a frame on the wall and apply the mural just inside the frame to create a large-scale piece of art.
Interior Design Tip
Coordinate the colors in your art with the colors of your furniture, rugs, decor, and walls.
Create A Focal Point With Furniture
Shelves
Bookshelves can make a easy focal point in a living room design, offering both style and function.
To create a visually stunning display, start by mixing books with decorative objects like vases, framed art, and plants.
Vary the heights and textures to add interest, using a combination of vertical and horizontal book stacks to keep things balanced.
For a cohesive look, choose a color palette that complements your room’s decor, or even paint the back of the shelves for an extra pop.
By thoughtfully styling your bookshelves, you can transform them into a statement feature that enhances the room’s design while showcasing your personality.
See how this easy living room makeover design idea totally transformed this space? That’s the magic of a focal point.
Statement Furniture & Accent Chairs
In any living room design, statement furniture can serve as the perfect focal point, instantly elevating the space.
Whether it’s a bold sofa in a striking color, a vintage accent armchair with intricate detailing, or an oversized coffee table with a unique design, statement pieces draw the eye and set the tone for the entire room.
By making one item the star of the space, you create a natural anchor for the rest of the decor, allowing other elements like rugs, lighting, and accessories to complement and enhance the overall design.
Interior Design Tip
Make sure your furniture is facing or is open to the focal point so it really centers the room.
Position an accent chair in an area that naturally stands out, like near a window or in a welcoming corner. Pair it with a side table or lamp, and style it with a cozy throw blanket or decorative pillow too.
Create a Focal Point with Finishes
Paint, Wallpaper, and Accent Walls
Using finishes like paint and wallpaper is a classic way to create a focal point in a living room, but there’s a fine line between making a bold statement and creating a disjointed feel.
Accent walls, once a big trend, can sometimes feel out of place if not done thoughtfully.
A single painted wall or wallpapered area can feel disconnected from the rest of the room unless the colors and patterns are repeated elsewhere.
To avoid this, try to ensure that your accent wall complements the rest of the space by incorporating similar tones and textures throughout the room.
Interior Design Tip
Whether through accessories, textiles, or furniture, use a color palette throughout your entire home for a cohesive look.
Statement Rugs
Many designers actually begin a room design with the rug. A bold, patterned rug or one with rich textures can act as the primary or secondary focal point, anchoring the space and dictating the color scheme and furniture arrangement.
Rugs have the power to influence the entire room, for better or worse, so make sure you use the right size rug!
Create a Focal Point with Architectural Elements
Wall Treatments and Trim Molding
Architectural elements like molding, wood slats, or exposed brick can add depth and visual interest to your living room, making them a great way to create a focal point.
Whether you go for classic picture-frame molding or a more modern feature like vertical shiplap, these details draw the eye and bring texture into the space. You can paint these features in a contrasting color to the walls to make them stand out even more.
Windows
Windows naturally draw attention, and with the right styling, they can become a stunning focal point in your living room design.
To emphasize them, use curtains or drapes that are the correct length—ideally, floor-to-ceiling—to create a dramatic effect. Long, flowing curtains add elegance and make the room feel taller and more spacious, while shorter drapes can look unfinished.
Choose materials that reflect your style, from sheer fabrics for a light, airy feel to heavier, more luxurious curtains for a sophisticated look.
The key is to make your windows a featured design element, not just a functional part of the room.
Fireplace
A fireplace is often a natural focal point in a living room, but how you style it can make all the difference.
Consider a fireplace design that draws the eye upward, whether through a tall, dramatic mantel or decorative elements like artwork or mirrors above it.
Avoid common mistakes like cluttering the mantel with too many small decor items—this can distract from the fireplace itself. Instead, opt for a few carefully chosen pieces that enhance its architectural beauty.
Additionally, think about the materials surrounding your fireplace. Natural stone, brick, or even painted wood can help create a strong visual impact, making the fireplace the heart of the room.
Interior Design Tip
Notice how the fireplace below takes up the most visual weight in this room. That’s what makes it the main focal point!
Interior Design Tips For Creating Focal Points
The focal point should be the main event of the room. It’s where your eyes are naturally drawn to first.
Try to set up your furniture and flow so that you aren’t closing off the focal point. For example, set up your couch and chairs so that it’s either facing or is open to the focal point. Or so that the focal point is emphasized by the furniture, like for a wall treatment or art.
Can you have more than one focal point?
Yes and no! For best results in your living room design, try to have one main focal point. This will be where you face your furniture in the room. But you can add other statement pieces and visual interest around the room too.
For example, your main focal point might be your fireplace. So your couches, chairs, and everything else are open around the fireplace. But you can also have a beautiful set of windows with statement curtains in the same room.
Is an accent wall living room out of style?
If you want my honest answer, yes. The days of slapping colorful paint on one single wall in your living room are definitely out of style, and definitely not practicing good interior design (in my opinion).
However! I think what will always be a good design choice is adding cohesive, interesting wall treatments to your space. Think about how you can incorporate a design element like wood panels or paint colors around the room to create a connected space.
And if you enjoy the look of an accent wall, or need a cheap design change in your living room, the question of trends shouldn’t stop you from enjoying and styling your home in a way you love.
Can I create a focal point with no fireplace?
100%! While fireplaces are a natural architectural element that create an easy focal point in a room, not every home is built with a fireplace. You can create a focal point using wall decor, statement furniture and statement rugs, an accent wall mural, wall treatments, and more.
Can a living room tv wall be a focal point?
Yes, it can be. Most interior designers would encourage you away from putting a tv in your living room because they can make living room layouts and wall decor difficult to design around. Plus, TV’s usually don’t make for a pretty focal point. But there are lots of creative ways to decorate a living room TV wall to create a focal point.
- Use a statement TV console or built-ins
- Add art or plants to the sides of the TV
- Add a wall treatment around and/or behind the TV for interest
- Opt for hanging the TV close to the TV stand or built-in’s
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How to Create A Focal Point in Your Living room Design: Summary
Every room needs a focal point! A focal point anchors your space and provides visual interest in the room. It also makes it easier to decorate the rest of your room! If your living room design doesn’t naturally have a focal point like a fireplace or set of windows, you can easily create one using…
- Art
- Furniture
- Finishes
- or Architectural elements
I know how overwhelming it can be to create a space that feels cozy and inviting. But it doesn’t have to be! My goal always is to make home design feel achievable and actionable.
I’m a big believer that you can make any house a home, as long as you have good design principles in mind. I hope to empower you as a homeowner to create a space that you love, while saving your money and stress at the same time.
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