Find room’s focal point before placing furniture, accessories

DEAR GAIL: Help! I just inherited everything from my grandmother's house and have no idea how to place it in my rooms. Where do I start? -- Darlene

DEAR DARLENE: That's a good question and one I'm asked many times, especially when couples are blending households.

First, decide which of the pieces are your favorites and that you want to use. Then determine which of your pieces you are ready to let go of. The pieces you're not going to keep should be taken out to the garage or an extra room -- some place where they will be out of sight.

Next, pick one room and empty it of everything, yes everything. This is the place to start: an empty room. But you may ask why? It's so that you can look at the room's bones and best features.

You want to identify in the room's focal points, which are the architectural features that came with your house, and any permanent fixtures. A focal point is what your eyes are drawn to first, or defined as "the center of your visual attention." So, if you're starting with your family or living room, what you're looking for are a fireplace, a window with pretty view or a built-in wall unit.

If you don't have any of these elements, then you'll need to create one with a piece of furniture or artwork. Some examples of this are a piano, TV entertainment unit or a grandfather's clock. The piece doesn't have to be a statement piece, just something that will be attractive to look at.

What you want to do next is place your largest piece of furniture, which is normally your sofa, addressing your focal point. It doesn't have to be directly across from it, but you must be able to see it without turning your head over either one of your shoulders. If you can easily see it when sitting, you're addressing the focal point.

Now let's look at some of the other rooms in your home.

In your master bedroom the bed is your main focal point. Why? It is the largest piece of furniture in the room and your eyes are drawn to it first when the bed is dressed. You may have a fireplace, a beautiful view or a large armoire, but the bed is normally the first thing we see. If you have these other focal points, of course you'd just want to make sure that you can see them from your bed.

You probably wouldn't think you have a focal point in your master bath but you do. It might be a fabulous sunken or free-standing tub, beautiful tile work in the shower, a fireplace or stunning countertop. All of these things reflect in your mirror, which then doubles the view. If you don't have any of these items, place something colorful on your counter. When doing models, I always place a large colorful floral on the counter in front of the mirror, doubling the effect.

How about your kitchen? Do you have a large island, impressive range and hood or a great view to the outside? If it's your island, then dress it up with a grouping of large accessories, of course still giving you plenty of work space. Purchase nice bar stools and upholster them in an attention-getting fabric. If it is your range and hood, add to it with a great tile design over the range. For that view, bring more attention to it with a window treatment.

In your dining room, the table is your focal point. Dress it up and bring out that china. Why should you only enjoy it on special occasions?

Your entry, no matter how small it is, also has a focal point. Most likely you will be creating one unless you have niches, unique architectural features or the shape itself stands on its own. You also want to take special notice to what you see first when standing in your entry; wherever your eye goes first, make that into a focal point. Most times, unless you have something straight ahead, you will look to the opposite direction that your door opens. So if your door swings to the left, you will look to the right. If it opens to the right, you'll look to the left.

If you're still unsure about focal points, take notice where you look the next time you're in someone's home. It's amazing what you'll notice once you learn a little bit more.

Gail Mayhugh, owner of GMJ Interiors, is a professional interior designer and author of a book on the subject. Questions may be sent by e-mail to: gail@gmjinteriors.com. Or, mail to: 7380 S. Eastern Ave., No. 124-272, Las Vegas, NV 89123. Her Web address is: www.GMJinteriors.com.