Rooms always look their best when the furniture is balanced on the architecture. But what if you have a room with multiple focal points that don’t line up with each other?? This is a common problem for homeowners and was a big issue in my client’s living room project.

Let’s start out with the “before” photos. First, look at the furniture in relation to the focal point opposite the entry:  the bank of windows.

before

The conversation area in this room certainly doesn’t balance on them. Most people don’t think about a bank of windows as a focal point, but it certainly is! There are multiple focal points in this space, and you are about to see two more.

If there is a fireplace in the room, it is always an architectural focal point.

If possible, the furniture placement should be balanced on the fireplace. The sofas are equidistant from the fireplace here, but the conversation area is soooo far away from it.

before

Finally, we have to consider that ruthless tyrant of the living room.

Yes, I’m talking about the television!

The television has certainly mastered this living room. The furniture is oriented close to this end of the room (vs. the fireplace end) to cluster near the television. BUT, you can see the furniture is not balanced on the television.

before

The biggest problem in this living room? The fireplace and the television are not lined up to one another on opposite ends of the room. So the furniture doesn’t know where to go or what to orient on. And the window is ignored altogether.

What do you do when you have multiple focal points in a living room? Never fear, The Decorologist is here!

We wanted to brighten and freshen her living room, bringing in an updated color scheme and a few new furniture pieces. The sofas were in great shape, so we opted to retain those and work them into our new color scheme. As you are about to see, COLOR changes the entire feeling of the room. But getting the furniture arrangement right is incredibly important in making this room feel balanced and welcoming.

Now I’ll show you the befores/afters of this room. Let’s start with how it looks upon entry, which is the most important view of the room!

before

after by The Decorologist

Can you feel the shift in BALANCE?

Now the room’s furniture is centered and balanced on the bank of windows. The new color scheme includes dark blue, russet, and grayed green. Don’t you love those club chairs from Merridian Home Furnishings?

before

after by The Decorologist

The sofas are still centered on the fireplace, but now they are closer to it than they were before. One of the chairs is nestled up to it – can’t you imagine reading a book beside a nice roaring fire this winter?

What’s new in the room? The paint colors, drapery panels, pair of club chairs, tables, lamps, pillows, and throws. The rug was moved in here from the dining room, and the art and other decor already belonged to the homeowner.

before

after by The Decorologist

We couldn’t balance the furniture on ALL of the focal points, but 2 out of 3 ain’t bad!

Moving the sofas AWAY from the television actually makes it easier to view it. The chair nearest the television is actually a swivel chair, so it can address the conversation area OR turn towards the television for viewing. Best of both worlds, right? Plus, the chair is low enough so it doesn’t block the tv.

before

after by The Decorologist

You may notice that we added a shelf above the television. That simple change takes the emphasis off the black box a bit, as does the dark blue paint in the backs of the bookcase. Another shelf below it would have been good, too.

I hope this helps you figure out the best way to lay out furnishings when you have multiple focal points. If you need more help, check out this instructional video packed with lots of light bulb moments.

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If you are following the renovation of my 1807 Federal-style home, here’s Part 3 of the video tour that takes you through the upstairs rooms.  I am working on putting together episodes of the progress, so be sure to follow me on Instagram TV or my YouTube channel!