1. Place the sofa on the longest wall of the room; it's an easy place to establish your focal point. Hanging a large painting or framed mirror above the sofa immediately draws attention to this area.
  2. If you don't want your couch to go directly against the wall, pivot the conversation area into the corner. Place a painted screen at the center behind the couch so that your focal point can become more inviting and visually more arresting. Add more drama and elegance with a statue or small bust placed in front of the screen.
  3. Reinforce the fireplace as a focal point. A large piece of art hung above the mantel, or propped on the mantelpiece if you don't want it hanging too high, is an ideal way to enhance the fireplace. Keep your accessories simple, and leave the walls on each side of the fireplace free of artwork so as not to distract from it.
  4. Place two pairs of throw pillows on the sofa, one pair with their points up, and they will create a vertical line to balance the other pieces of the same height in the room. They will also carry the eye up and away from the heaviness of the sofa.
  5. In a bedroom, the bed is almost always the focal point simply because of its size. If you have a simple headboard you may want to hang a wide painting or a trio of framed prints above the bed. A simple or elaborate headboard will serve as a focal point. Or matching end tables with lamps will make the bed seem wider, giving it additional prominence as the focal point.
  6. Your dining room table is not a focal point; the focal point must dominate one wall. What will work? A buffet with a large painting, a grouping or a framed mirror above it. If you choose to make your sideboard the focal point, you can use two dining chairs to flank it and make it more important.
  7. Collections can be arranged to make them the focal point of a room, but this should always be done with an eye to creating a well-organized display. Remember, whether you choose to use one object or a grouping, place it against the wall if you want to have an effective focal point.
  8. If you own a grand piano, no matter how grand it is, it is still a piece of furniture. I'd like to suggest that the only time it should be considered a foal point is in the home of a professional pianist, where all of the furniture is grouped around it.
  9. Don't worry about balancing two focal points in the same room. If you are lucky enough to have both a fireplace and a spectacular view, the view should take precedence.
From Use What You Have Decorating by Lauri Ward