*Sigh* You live in a modern flat and you don’t have a fireplace in your living room, so how are you going to draw in the eye and make the space feel more balanced and proportional, not to mention a bit more exciting? Fear not – this one feature doesn’t have to dictate the design of your room and it’s not so difficult to grasp how to create a living room focal point with no fireplace.
In this design guide, we’ll lay the foundations for how you can introduce some focal flair with a tasteful living room focal point, the benefits of directing the eyes to a centrepiece and some alternatives to the traditional fireplace statement piece.
But first, let’s discuss why fireplaces don’t have to be the be-all-and-end-all when it comes to building points of visual intrigue in your living room.
The focal point fallacy
While it’s true that if you don’t have a focal point in your living room it will feel not quite right, off-kilter if you prefer, fireplaces aren’t the only features that ‘anchor’ the eye, nor are they perfect. Contrary to popular belief a fireplace isn’t a prerequisite for a balanced room. In fact, they can take up valuable wall and floor space – not ideal for a narrow living room – and wood burners (even the modern ones) have been proven to be a risk to our health.
Where to start: What you need to know about creating a living room focal point
It’s tough to downplay the value of a living room focal point: this simple feature brings cohesion, balance and a hint of glamour if executed properly. No one likes a room with a disorganised, aimless feel (we’ve definitely all been there!), but by heeding our focal point design maxims you will garner the following benefits.
The benefits of introducing a focal point into your living space
Do you ever stroll into a room and feel like something is just a bit ‘off’? It’s not always obvious why. The furniture might be well chosen, well-looked-after and match the overall colour scheme. Chances are the room is missing a focal point. Besides remedying this sensation, there are several benefits to introducing a focal point in your living room, fireplace or not. Focal points…
- Work to make a room more inviting, stylish and eye-catching
- Create a sense of balance and harmony
- Draw attention away from the size of the space
- Emphasise the natural beauty of your furniture and architectural features.
What makes a good focal point? How to create a focal point in a room for a polished feel
So what makes a good focal point when there’s no fireplace at your disposal? Well, here are just a few quickfire tips to get you started:
- Be mindful of the shapes you use – organic shapes will bring calm, while geometric elements will create a more modern, edgy feel.
- Maintain a clear sightline from the entrance of the room to the focal point – this will allow your eyes to gravitate to a point that feels natural.
- Don’t prioritise making a statement over the cohesion of the décor – a bold focal point might be impressive as a standalone feature, but within the scheme, it could overwhelm the room.
- Plan carefully when it comes to scale and proportion – anything undersized will be diminished and features that dwarf the room or feel overstimulating will feel cluttered, both making the focal point defunct.
No fireplace? No worries! 12 alternative focal point ideas
Alongside furniture arrangement and colour theory, there are many ways for designers to draw the eyes to a particular focal point. Textile accents such as curtains, features like stairs, decoration and shape all play a role. See which appeals to you in our ideas below.
1. Let your furniture do the talking
A well-designed sitting room or lounge will make use of furniture that isn’t solely utilitarian; it can work nicely as a focal point for the space, too. Upsize your cabinets and reap the reward of additional storage along with a spot to centre the room – all you have to do is frame it with other pieces or perhaps an artwork or two – once the seating is incorporated everything will harmonise.
Even a coffee table can be styled as to take on the important role of focal point. Get the size and positioning right and your cosy space for reading and snacking will take on a greater significance.
2. Paper or paint a feature wall with finesse
A feature wall is a classic for a reason: it creates a lovely level of depth and an interesting surface for your eyes to digest. When planning your own accent wall, think about accent colours that your furniture will bring into the space: do you want to match your paint or paper colour with your sofa materials, for example, or do you want to create a contrast with conflicting textures?
3. Reflect your personal style with an oversized mirror
If you’re lacking in the fireplace department another beautiful living room focal point involves decking out the place with mirrors. From full-length standing mirrors to a collection of small mirrors or dominating the space with one huge mirror, there are plenty of options across a variety of styles on the spectrum of antique to ultra-modern. Just make sure that you can the placement right!
4. Curate a contemporary art wall
This living room focal point idea is ideal if you’ve no fireplace as it allows you to express yourself to the fullest. Whether you want to stick to the centre of the wall or build up ceiling-to-floor interest, you can add a sense of balance to a room by decorating with art pieces, tapestries and mounted decorations.
5. Showcase your tech
Some consider it gaudy, but there are ways to use your TV as a centrepiece without straying into tacky territory. Rather than simply hanging your device on a wall or mounting it on a low-profile TV stand, allow it to sing by placing and framing it in a bespoke cabinet or bookcase.
6. Take on the painted arch wall trend
Want to create a living room focal point with no fireplace? Here’s a slick and joyful way to achieve a similar effect for a fraction of the price. A painted arch wall can do many things from highlighting the shape of an arched doorway, adding a minimalist twist to the traditional feature wall or drawing attention to a zone such as a desk setup or shelving unit.
7. Direct the attention upwards
Struggling to find a focal point? Look up! Your ceiling is the perfect canvas to get your imagination whirring. With a good dose of colour, you can completely upturn the feeling of a room. Want a more intimate cosy feel? Paint the ceiling a similar hue to your walls and then place a statement chandelier at the centre. Want to create drama and inject a high-concept motif? Paint the ceiling a darker more vibrant shade.
8. Go down the industrial chic route with an exposed brick wall
We’ve covered the industrial chic style for dining rooms, but what about living rooms? Well, an industrial vibe can set up plenty of opportunities to build a truly captivating focal point. Allow the exposed brick to steal the show with added texture and a dash of colour. Then introduce contrast with sleek raw metals and organic materials, including soft textiles and leather such as this gorgeous diamond stitched armchair.
9. Fake it till you make it with a faux fireplace
Endlessly versatile, but particularly suited to townhouses and country style living rooms, it’s still very difficult to deny the charm of a fireplace. If you don’t quite want to commit to the price tag or effort of installing a wood burner per se, this is a brilliant second choice. You can scour charity shops and online retailers for mantels and surrounds and affix them to your walls. Fill the internal space with dried flowers, candles or ceramic ornaments to finish off the look.
10. Step things up with a statement staircase
Staircases don’t have to be grand and stately to make an impact; with a little thought and some TLC, it’s not difficult to create a showstopping focal point. Whether you decide to utilise paint combinations to outline the stairs, add a classy carpet runner, go rough and ready with weathered wood or line the ascent with family portraits, the way you present your staircase can transform it from an invisible functional component into an architectural feature worthy to be gazed upon.
11. Make up your windows
If you’re blessed with gorgeous features such as a bay or sash window, it makes sense to draw attention to them. And, lucky for you, there are plenty of ways to turn it into the living room focal point you were dreaming of.
Dressing your window with bespoke curtains in a luxurious material and adding elegant trinkets to the window ledge instantly adds grandeur to a room; especially if you raise the curtain pole as high as you feasibly can and allow the curtains to drape to the floor. Pair this with a painted frame in a bold or soft complementary colour and it will become hard to peel your eyes away. If you’d rather obscure the view outside painted shutters are also an option, and a characterful one too!
12. Panel away!
Formerly reserved for the likes of aristocratic landowners and royalty, panelling has been transformed into an accessible trend anyone can get behind regardless of the period of your pad. It’s a clever way to add texture and a sense of historical intrigue to a modern property and the perfect pairing to an older home. You might’ve seen them in natural-grained wood to complement wooden furniture or painted in sultry shades of designer paint such as these beautiful teal walls from Farrow and Ball – both equally as impressive.
Eyes on the prize
By the time you’ve got to the end of this guide, you should have cracked this tricky design dilemma. Simply follow our tips and you will be well on the way to creating a living room focal point, no fireplace necessary!
Did we miss any creative hacks? Reach out to us on social media to share your thoughts.
