14 Beautiful Focal Point Ideas for Living Rooms

By
Deirdre Sullivan
Me-head-shot
Deirdre Sullivan
Deirdre Sullivan is an interior design expert and features writer who specializes in home improvement as well as design. She began her career as an assistant editor at Elle magazine and has more than a decade of experience. Deirdre contributes content for brands including The Spruce and Realtor.com, and has been a featured speaker at various conferences.
Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process
Updated on 09/11/24
Tan stone fireplace of decorated living room with small coffee table in center

The Spruce / Christopher Lee Foto

What is a living room focal point? It is the "thing" your eyes land when entering a space. Think fireplace, window, artwork, or wallpaper.

Typically, a focal point faces the main entrance for your living room. Another good to know, while an area's focal point usually dictates furniture placement, your seating arrangement does not have to face it. Also, some spaces have more than one focal point. The following 14 examples share beautiful ways to create or optimize a focal point in your living room.

  • 01 of 14

    This Living Room Has Three Focal Points

    antique marble fireplace
    Alison Jennison Interiors

    Your room may already have several focal points that you can accentuate with a plant or two and decorative shelving—case in point, this living room in a Brooklyn townhouse decorated by Alison Jennison Interiors. The spot has three gorgeous focal points. Rustic wood ceiling beams make the room feel bigger by drawing the eyes upward. The home's original antique, stone mantel and brick firebox provides an anchor for the furniture placement. The exposed brick walls are a robust architectural detail that adds warmth to the modern space. 

    6 Best Faux Fur Blankets to Buy
    Continue to 2 of 14 below
  • 02 of 14

    Create Double Focal Points

    living room focal point between windows

    Desiree Burns Interiors

    Create a secondary focal point in a living room that is open on two sides. Desiree Burns Interiors filled the blank space between windows with an arched glass-front shelving unit that creates a focal point on one wall, while the fireplace provides a central focal point on the adjacent wall in the seating area.

    Continue to 3 of 14 below
  • 03 of 14

    Create a Focal Point Using Wallpaper

    Floral wallpaper accent wall
    Alvhem Makleri

    Bold wallpaper can add focus to a room that lacks it. In this example spotted on the Swedish site Alvhem Makleri, a dramatic peonies wallpaper topped off with a large round mirror creates a dramatic focal point in a cookie cutter apartment. On the left is the room's second focal point. Framing the doorway leading to the small bedroom is a stylish gallery wall.

    How to Choose an Accent Wall: Essential Dos and Don’ts
    Continue to 4 of 14 below
  • 04 of 14

    Grouping Furniture Around a Window Focal Point

    Bungalow Living Room with colorful decorations
    Sheer and Company

    Furniture is typically grouped around a focal point as shown in this living room by Sheer and Company, a high-end interior design firm based in Austin, Texas. The window is the room's primary anchor. The gallery wall over the sofa and the corner shelving unit also add visual interest.

    Continue to 5 of 14 below
  • 05 of 14

    Dramatic Red Brick Wall

    Brick wall focal point in London apartment
    Black and Milk

    In this open plan urban apartment by Black and Milk, an interior design firm out of London, the red brick wall on the right is the living room's focal point. Painting the brick wall on the left white is what makes the red bricks stand out. The gold sofa and cityscape print helps to draw the eyes to the stylish sitting area.

    Continue to 6 of 14 below
  • 06 of 14

    Paint a Wall Black and Create an Eye-Catching Gallery Wall

    traditional black living room with gallery wall
    Philip Gorrivan

    Sometimes, all a room needs is an eye-catching gallery wall that serves as a focal point. The trick is mounting the artwork on a wall that is visible from the living room's main entrance as shown in this lovely Connecticut home by the New York City situated interior design firm, Philip Gorrivan. We appreciate how eyes cannot help but be drawn to the artwork thanks to the jet the black wall.

    Continue to 7 of 14 below
  • 07 of 14

    Make a Plain Window Feel More Dramatic

    moody living room with bright colors
    Alison Giese Interiors

    When you enter this living room by boutique interior design firm Alison Giese Interiors out of Northern Virginia, the large window grabs your attention. So it made perfect sense to decorate the area around the focal point. Two different seats, a leather lounger, and leopard chair carve out a spot to sit. A large white African Juju hat hangs from the wall. A potted tree adds a pop of greenery.

    Continue to 8 of 14 below
  • 08 of 14

    Potted Tree Makes a Beautiful Focal Point.

    elegant home office in living room castro district
    Lynn Kleonidas

    A sizable potted tree or a collection of smaller plants makes an attractive focal point as shown in this living room by California based interior designer, Lynn Kleonidas. There is a lot to consider when choosing the perfect plants for your home—lighting tops the list. The potted tree shown here is flouring because of the south-facing window. 

    Continue to 9 of 14 below
  • 09 of 14

    How to Turn an Empty Corner into a Stylish Focal Point

    Corner with wall gallery
    A Beautiful Mess

    Turn a naked corner into an eye-catching focal point with this idea by the Elsie and Emma, the stylish bloggers behind A Beautiful Mess. Floor to ceiling artwork sets the stage for a small home bar.

    Continue to 10 of 14 below
  • 10 of 14

    Perk up a Focal Point With Unique Features

    retro tiny living room in NYC
    The New Designer Project

    The first thing you see when waltzing in this small living room is the window. To give the focal point some extra appeal, the creatives at the The New Designer Project based in Brooklyn created a Mondrian inspired display using thin wood strips painted black. For a pop of additional interest, they also built in a small shelf for decorative accents.

    Continue to 11 of 14 below
  • 11 of 14

    This Shiplap Feature Wall is a Rustic Focal Point

    small livingroom with gray carpet and blue accent wall
    NK Living

    A rustic inspired shiplap feature wall is the focal point in this living room by U.K. based interior design firm, NK Living. 

    Continue to 12 of 14 below
  • 12 of 14

    Patterned Cement Tile Fireplace Makes Stylish Focal Point

    Cement tile fireplace
    Veneer Designs

    Veneer Designs, an award-winning interior design firm out of Los Angeles, California created this boho-chic living room. The crowning jewel in the space is the patterned cement tile fireplace. It is a stylish focal point that feels thoroughly modern.

    Continue to 13 of 14 below
  • 13 of 14

    Light Fixture as Focal Point

    blue black living room walls
    Lindsay Pincus

    A Sputnik inspired light fixture steals the show in this living room by California based interior designer, ​Lindsay Pincus. The secret that makes this focal point work is size. A smaller light fixture wouldn't grab your attention.

    Continue to 14 of 14 below
  • 14 of 14

    Dark Wall With Built-in Storage Doubles as Focal Point

    blue black and gray living room
    Jenn Feldman Designs

    A moody, dark wall with built-in storage can be a chic focal point. A, for instance, is this space by Jenn Feldman Designs in Los Angeles, California. Here is another décor tip. A navy blue or black wall will make a large flat screen seemingly disappear.

14 Beautiful Focal Point Ideas for Living Rooms