Although it takes several thoughtfully arranged pieces to make a room interesting, the foundation of a harmonious space is focus. All elements need to center around a clear focal point, the organizing principle, the first thing your eye notices upon entering a space. This might seem an elementary topic to write on, but I’ve realized that focal points (and arrangements that support them) are not always as easy to achieve as we think.
The primary parallels in our interior lives are pretty apparent and likely overwrought but nevertheless true. We’re called upon to do many things, but we’ve got to order them around some highest good—a good higher even than ourselves—for them to find their proper priority.
In relation to practical interior design, many rooms that feel disjointed or visually overwhelming lack a clear focal point that corresponds with their architecture. The furniture might be arranged without reference to the room’s features. The room might be holding numerous subtle (or flashy) elements without a clear central piece that makes a statement.
Finding or choosing the focus and working outward can ensure that a space is pleasing, balanced, and in fact functional—all key prerequisites for beauty.
In some homes and spaces, focal points are something like a mathematical equation expressing the relationship between architecture and function. For example, many historic living rooms boast a fireplace and mantel in the living room, typically centered on one wall with perhaps a pair of windows or doorways flanking either side. This kind of architectural presence determines the room’s focal point, providing a large central piece around which furniture naturally comes together. Because the purpose of a living space is likely communal and, if a fire box is used in lieu of HVAC, necessary for warmth, such a space functions well and usually appears orderly.
Dining rooms and bedrooms are other spaces that come together intuitively if we attend to the qualities of their spaces. In dining rooms, the table is the center of function and aesthetic value, and so, ideally, it should be centered in the room, with a light fixture above it to further direct the eye. If a bedroom’s size and orientation allow, the bed should occupy a central position as the main point of interest and the rest of the furniture balanced around it. Similar to the light fixture above the dining table, a collection of art above the headboard draws the eye, creating an axis that extends up from the focal point.
However, not all houses present architecture that lends itself toward focal points. Asymmetry is essential to some newer houses and accidental to poorly designed ones. But fear not. When a house’s architecture does not immediately suggest focal points, we encounter the fun opportunity to create our own. In most cases, art is the key. A collection of paintings or a mirror hung above a sofa or bed suddenly give it a rootedness, again creating that vertical axis that guides the eye.
In these cases, the focal point shifts from the center of the room and balance becomes the critical element. By balance, I mean an equal amount of visual weight. If a midcentury house’s fireplace is not centered but rather toward one end of the living room, we arrange the furniture such that the other side balances without detracting from the focal point.
To discern whether your rooms have focal points (or whether they are what you’d like them to be), try walking into various spaces in your home without an intentional gaze, and notice which area naturally draws your attention. If your eyes are not sure where to look, your room might need its main pieces of furniture to be centered or better arranged to correspond with architecture. Try moving the functionally important pieces to a more central position and balancing the rest of the furniture around them, defining the vertical dimension with light fixtures and artwork.
Much of design we do intuitively, but sometimes mapping out the intuitive process clarifies weaknesses and shows the way to greater order and beauty. Ultimately, it is the simplicity rather than complexity of stunning interiors that invites us to pause and to rest.