The Center Focal Point

Hi Christine,

I came across your blog the other day as I was searching for decorating ideas for my living room, and I since then I can't stop reading all of your amazing suggestions and advice.

My husband and I moved into our first home 6 months ago and I purchased all of our larger pieces of furniture.

My living room is one of the first rooms you see when you walk into my house and I really want to make it look like a completed space that you see in Pottery Barn. The problem is...I have no idea where to start!

I need everything from tables to lamps to wall decor and everything in-between, but I'm hesitant to purchase anything because I don't want the room to look dark and dreary with the leather couches.

Also, the room is long and I'm just not sure how to lay out the furniture properly to make it the cozy, yet entertaining space I hope for it to be. Please help!

Tanya

Hi Tanya,

Let me start with your focal point.  Your room is not letting you put your sofa anywhere except for where you have it.  As you do not have a natural focal point, like a fireplace, and the wall the sofa is facing is not an ideal focal point wall- with the two doors on it, I would make the focal point the center of the room.  Move the love seat to a different room, or sell it.  (I know you mentioned that you just purchased it...  )  Add two high chairs opposite the sofa.  You want the chairs to be large enough to visually balance the sofa, and also keep the eye in the room, not peering over the top to other rooms. Don't write me back and tell me that your husband doesn't want chairs there because he would have to walk around them to enter the other rooms.  Your living room is not a hallway.   

Now- we want to make the focal point in the center of the room.  We do this from below and from above.  Because the room is long and narrow, I would get three different light fixtures- a larger one, and two smaller ones- and hang them in the center of the room.  I can visualize a set of three lanterns.

Finish off the look with a great coffee table that has a plant centerpiece on it.  You want there to be movement upward from the coffee table to the lights.  Remember the center of the room is the focal point.  Your furniture is drawing the eye to the center; the lights and the centerpiece is all bringing the eye inward. 

OK- now- I have to say- look at the photos that show part of your dining room.  The red paint is not a good selection.  You can see my rant on red walls here.

Now for your offset set of two pictures.  You can see my opinion here. 

Now for my opinion on sofa/love seat combinations- see here.

Your pattern in the rug is overwhelming, without more pattern in the room to balance it out.  You need to add at least two more strong patterns to the room.  Do this with your chairs, do this with new drapes, wallpaper, bolder pillows, something.  Only one strong pattern in a room doesn't work. Keep in mind that your pattterns should be different scales (sizes).

OK- now one more thing.  To achieve rhythm in the room, you need some height.  I would put a high piece of furniture on the wall that currently has your love seat.  This same rhythm could also be achieved with a very large piece of art work- but your room needs more movement- and that comes with height variation. 

Is that everything? No- but go that far- take some new photos and write me back.  ;-)

The chair and bookcase are from Bernhardt, the light is from Lighting Universe.