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Design Center - How To

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How To: How to Arrange a Bookcase . Bookshelves are a great way to add some functionality and personality into a relatively small amount of square footage in your home. In addition to displaying your book collection, bookshelves can be a great place to display your favorite collectibles or to store other items you want to keep handy. Regardless of how you use them, arranging your bookshelves to look interesting and organized takes a little know-how. Here are a few ideas to help you use your bookshelves to display and store your favorite items: 1. Mix things up. Have some of your books vertical, and some in a horizontal stack. This simple trick can add a professional and interesting touch to your display. It also allows stacks of books to act as bookends for one another and gives a few flat spots for a few special accessories. 2. Introduce items other than books! Try setting off a stack of books with a decorative box, a porcelain figurine or attractive plate. Any of these things, as well as candles, collectibles, woven baskets, framed photos, or even a plant or two, will give your shelves some nice contrasts in shape and texture. Plus, it will create both balance and visual interest at once. A neat and beautiful way to store items such as CDs, DVDs, or toys is to fill the bottom shelves with identical square baskets. The baskets will keep your shelves looking clean and organized, but your things are still very easy to access. Woven wicker or rattan baskets will also lend an earthy and natural texture to your room. It's certainly OK if you want mostly books on your shelves - just create small resting places for the eye every once in a while. Make a few short horizontal stacks of books and place a pretty candle, small vase or a frame on top of the stack. This will help break up the sea of books and give the eye a place to rest. Speaking of that 3. Leave some room on each shelf - at least 10% of space per shelf is recommended. Small amounts of space give the eye room to breathe, and allow the beauty of your books and collectibles to shine. If you have too many books or display objects, rotate them out every season to get a fresh look, or buy another bookcase! 4. Create a pattern with your items. Allow your display items to form a sort of zig-zag down the shelves. In other words, don't allow the items to line up from shelf to shelf. Here's how it works: Tracing the letter "Z," place a large accessory at the upper far left position of the top shelf. Then place another large object on the opposite, or far right position on the next lower shelf. Beneath that shelf, place a dense object or stack of horizontal books in the far left position, until you have zigzagged your way down the shelves with large items. Reverse the zigzag pattern on any adjoining sets of shelves. Once you have the decorative items in place, fill in the Z-shape you have established with alternating stacks of visually dense accessories or stacks of horizontal and vertical books. This allows the display items to lead the eye in a pleasing manner, and not look stiff. 5. Add some lighting. Whenever possible, add some lighting to illuminate and add drama to your bookshelves. If you have the space, a small lamp might be the perfect combination of function and beauty for your shelves. If not, don't worry - lighting has come a long way in the last few years, and there are several cordless, battery-operated lighting fixtures that you can attach to the outside frame of the bookshelf or place directly underneath the shelves. Either way, it's a great way to highlight some of your favorite things. 6. Don't be afraid to move things! You don't have to keep the arrangement the same way for the rest of your life, so play with it. Add new objects, take away some old ones, use some seasonal pieces, and so on. Keep your bookshelves (and your home) looking fresh and different just by changing a few items at a time.

How To: Add Personality to Your Home . Having a beautiful home is a goal for many homeowners, but no one wants a cookie-cutter approach to decorating. Part of the joy of home ownership is the ability to personalize your space, making it a reflection of who you are and what is important to you. And think about it: the more comfortable you are in your own space, the more time you'll want to spend there and share it with your loved ones. Adding a dose of your personality to your living space is simpler than you might think. Here are a few ways you can make your home a place that is uniquely YOU. Choose a theme Personalizing a space is about surrounding yourself with things that are important to you. However, if there's no order or focus to your items, they can quickly begin to look like clutter instead of a prized collection. Having a specific theme to a room can bring some unity to the look and feel you want to create. Developing a "theme" doesn't mean it has to look juvenile or contrived. A theme is simply a way to showcase something that you love, and that can be anything from your favorite sport to your family photos. Here are a few examples of themes that might interest you: · Sports ­ football, baseball, golf, hockey · Hobbies ­ photography, fishing, music, reading, camping · Traveling · Family · Dolls · Animals · Artwork · Airplanes · Nature · A certain time period or design style ­ Oriental, Farmhouse Country, 1950s-style, African Safari, etc. While a sports fan might love a collection of signed memorabilia and framed jerseys, a music fan might decorate his or her space with a retro record player, instruments and a collection of album covers on the wall. World travelers can group seemingly random souvenirs together in a bookshelf to make excellent conversation pieces, and avid readers can assert their personalities by proudly displaying their book collections. Create a focal point Use your special collection of objects or art as a focal point in the room. One great focal point is over the fireplace in a living room, but you can use a bookshelf, entertainment center, or shelves on the wall. If you can, arrange furniture around or pointing toward this focal point, and choose colors, patterns, and fabrics to highlight your collection. Adding personality also includes your furniture! Even if you have hand-me-downs that you want to keep, make them your own with a fresh coat of paint, a different wood stain, or new fabric. Your story in pictures Most people have some photographs of family or friends on display, but the way you display them can give them more prominence and personality to your space. Collect several generations of family photos, and mix them together in different frame sizes and styles. Consider enlarging some of your best photos to create even more interesting dimensions in your collection. Try using only black and white or color-tinted images to create one unified "gallery" on a wall. If you love different cultures but don't have souvenirs or objects to display, try framing postcards or maps of cities you've enjoyed visiting or favorite places you've lived. Some are free online to download and cost very little to print. Similarly, your hometown newspaper may have vintage photos of your birthplace that they're willing to sell or let you copy. Your favorite resort may have a promotional photo of their most spectacular view ­ ask if they'll email or send you the image, and then frame it alongside your own candid shots. Remember, less is more To get the full effect of your theme, don't go overboard. Too many objects just makes your prized possessions compete for attention ­ or even worse, look cluttered and messy. Accessorize in small groups, and leave some space around the collection so that it stands out better. Having trouble deciding which ones work best? Stick with the things that are the most unusual and interesting conversation pieces. One of the easiest ways to give your room some personality is to add photos, pieces of art or furniture that guests can talk about. Even if you don't entertain guests very often, having your most unique items on display will make your space even more personal for your own enjoyment.

How To: Trading up: Getting Rid of Hand-Me-Downs . As we get older and begin furnishing our own homes, it's common to inherit a few pieces of furniture from parents and friends. But sometimes we hold on to these items well past their due date. There's definitely a difference between keeping classic, well-made pieces of furniture that have been cared for, or holding on to run-down and out of style pieces that just bring the room down. Plus, as our lifestyles change, so do our tastes and needs in home furnishings. If you're ready to trade up and replace those worn-out hand-me-downs, here are a few tips to get you on your way. Get inspired. Take a fresh look at your room. What do you love about it? What would make it better? Are your sofa cushions flat and uncomfortable? Is the fabric worn and dirty? How about that old recliner? Is your old dining room table scuffed and scratched? Do your furnishings work well together or are they just a mish-mash of items thrown together by necessity? Envision the home you want, and be honest about what works and what doesn't. Find your style. Check out home decorating magazines, books, and websites. Save the photos of rooms of pieces of furniture that inspire you. Start analyzing your choices by making a list of your favorite colors, textures and patterns. Do you prefer bold colors or pastels? Solids, stripes or plaids? Soft, light fabric covers or rich tapestries? Light, medium or dark wood finishes? The five most common furniture styles are casual, contemporary, traditional, country and an eclectic blend. Knowing which style you lean toward will help you focus in your shopping efforts and will help the salespeople assisting you as well. Size up your space. Measure the space you have available for the type of furniture you're looking for, and keep a list of those measurements handy while you're shopping. Also consider how you use the room and what type of furniture would work best. Do you need (and have space for) a sofa big enough for your entire family, or just you and your faithful four-legged friend? Do you have lots of entertainment equipment, CDs and DVDs that need storage space, or will a simple TV stand work best? Does your dining room need a large, rectangular table for frequent family get-togethers, or would a smaller table with a few coordinating pieces be a better solution for how you really use that room? Set your budget. Know what you are able to pay for a particular item before you get to the store so that you can buy the best-constructed piece of furniture within your price range. Don't be afraid to spend more for better quality! Just because you can buy a new sofa for $299 doesn't mean you will love it and that it will last very long. No matter what your budget, you can find good values and great style at any price. Choose the things you really love. Trust your own judgment, and buy what you like! Don't be afraid to be bold or different. Your home should be a place that you love and feel most comfortable in. It should be a reflection of your own style and personality, so enjoy the process and feel good about the things you purchase. We get excited when we find an outfit that fits us perfectly or when we're finally able to purchase something we've wanted for a long time ­ so why shouldn't you feel that way about the furnishings that you come in contact with every day? Can't let go? If you really can't bear to part with a hand-me-down piece of furniture, it's ok. By all means keep it if it holds sentimental value for you! However, do consider breathing new life into the piece by getting it reupholstered, re-finished, or redone with a new coat of paint or new cushions. Just because it's a hand-me-down doesn't mean you can't show off your own personality and style!

How To: Freshen up your Home for Under $100 . When money is tight, we tend to spend more time at home, so we want it to be a stylish and fun place to be. But how can you give your home a fresh look without breaking the bank? If HGTV and decorating magazines have taught us anything, it's that we can makeover a room without spending thousands of dollars! There are plenty of ways to improve the look of your home without a big investment. Whether you're looking for ways to put the finishing touches on your room or just wanting to refresh your space, here are a few tricks and some well-picked accessories for under $100 that can go a long way to making your home look like a million bucks. Paint Nothing can transform a room as quickly as a great coat of paint. Splashing some color on the walls can bring together all the elements in a room and refresh the look of any space. Better yet, you can get a couple of gallons of paint and supplies for less than $50. Welcome mats and small rugs What an easy way to dress up the entrance to your home! A new welcome mat or small area rugs (typically around $20) inside the door can add a nice punch of color and freshness to the room. Add a couple of large, potted plants and your doorways look completely welcoming to all who enter. Lamps Liven up your space with light! An evenly lit room is boring - variations in brightness, highlight, and shadow make a room more interesting and livable. The key to a great design is a balance of task, accent, and general lighting that allow you to perform a variety of activities in one room. Artwork Displaying your favorite photos, painting or prints on the wall will dress up any room. Since so many of us have digital cameras now, it's easy to forget to make prints of some of your favorites, but it only costs a few cents per print! For under $10, you can enlarge some of your favorites and make a great focal point on a wall with a collection of framed photos in various sizes. Similarly, it's easy to find cheap vintage prints, posters and other artwork ­ gather a few and display them together, and you've got a great-looking collection and conversation piece! No matter how simple an object may be by itself, a grouping in the same scale or color scheme gives a polished look to your collection. Pillows Think of accent pillows like fun, trendy jewelry - they allow you to change up your décor seasonally and keep your room looking fresh and new throughout the year. Accent pillows enhance your existing home décor by bringing fun colors, patterns, shapes, and textures to your room. Depending on the amount of detail or hand-stitching, accent pillows can range from $15 to $99. Mirrors Mirrors can liven up a space by bouncing more light around the room. Whether you buy one large mirror to hang above a fireplace or piece of furniture, or a few small ones in a pattern on the wall, mirrors add interest and depth to any room. New linens Whether it's a new quilt draped over the end of a bed or sofa or some new hand towels for the bathroom, new linens can quickly make a room feel new again. You can find a set of new hand towels or colorful blanket for under $20, and a complete set of incredibly fine bed sheets for under $75. Transform your old furniture Even if you have older furniture or hand-me-downs that you can't replace yet, give them new life with a fresh coat of paint, a different wood stain, or new fabric. Similarly, transform your kitchen and bathroom cabinets and dresser drawers with new knobs. Decorative knobs range from simple versions that cost as little as $.50 to more unique ones that cost around $3 each. Clean up the clutter Perhaps the cheapest way to improve your home is to simply get organized. High shelves and mantles are great for dressing up a space and cleaning up clutter from books, magazines and knick knacks that don't really have a good home. Dress up lower shelves with several matching baskets or boxes for papers, colors, toys, DVDs, and games. Use large baskets or bins in an unused corner to serve as a toy storehouse that is both quick access and easy pick-up. The best tip we can give is to have fun with your decorating. It's your home, and no one has to love your choices but you. Don't just buy things because they're cheap ­ make sure you buy things you really love and that reflect your personality. Otherwise, you'll simply end up spending more in the long run. Sprucing up your home doesn't have to be pricey, and $100 can go a long way. With some well-chosen accessories and a little creativity, it's possible to make simple decorating changes that will help your home look like a million bucks.

How To: Frequently Asked Design Questions . The Design Center on this site is intended to take some of the "pain" away from your home decorating challenges and at the same time give you ideas and suggestions. The following are a selection of questions that you have probably asked but may not have found the answers.   Q: I want to get new end tables for my living room. Is there a "proper" height that I should look for? A: An end table should be no more than two inches higher or lower than the arm of the accompanying sofa or chair. Not only will that give your grouping a more cohesive look; it will also make reaching for something on the table much easier.   Q: How can I avoid "cookie-cutter" decorating and create an interesting room without straining my budget too much? A: First and foremost, select accessories, fabrics and furnishings that reflect your individual lifestyle and taste. Keep fresh flowers and potted plants on hand for the gardener in you. A table top completely covered with your cache of elegantly framed family photos adds unique personality and a sense of tradition to a room. Tossing a few colorful, even whimsical pillows into an empty corner adds a surprising touch to an otherwise monotone room. And for the intellectual types, a wall of bookshelves filled with favorite volumes will take center stage.   Q: Flowers and green plants look great in the home, but I have absolutely no knack for gardening. Any ideas? A: Nothing beats a vase of springtime flowers to brighten up your décor. However, one of today's permanent floral arrangements will also do the trick. These realistic arrangements range from the small and subtle to big, lush and full. So you don't really need a green thumb to bring nature indoors!   Q: What can I do to create a warm, cozy atmosphere in my home? A: First, establish a warm color scheme. Soft, natural colors and earth tones are always popular, and soothing. Enhance the atmosphere with richly textured upholstery fabrics that feel good to the touch, such as velvet and chenille. Decorate with books, photographs and mementos that reflect your interests and tell about your family. Finally, light your rooms with lamps, wall sconces, torchieres and candles instead of overhead lighting. Together, these elements will add a snug, cozy feel to any home!   Q: I need storage space for my china, stemware and serving pieces. I'm looking for something other than the conventional china cabinet. What can you suggest? A: If you're looking for enclosed storage, consider a sideboard. Small servers can tuck into niches, too; use a pair to flank a doorway, giving you table top space for barware, bowls or tureens. Make a dramatic statement by positioning an armoire at one end of the room. If you have dinnerware that you like to display, look to glass-enclosed display cabinets, baker's racks, or etageres.   Q: What is the most popular form of window treatment these days? I am in the process of redecorating my master bedroom and can't decide between the traditional look of curtains, or a more contemporary approach. My furniture is contemporary styling in light oak, but many of my accessories, including a vintage dressing table and crystal dresser top set, were once my grandmothers. What do you suggest? A: The sky is the limit on window treatments. First you must decide if you want to let a lot of light in or go for all privacy. With new home construction emphasizing large windows, many decorators are opting for subtle top-of-the-window treatments that add only a small amount of color and pattern while hiding a blind or a shade. With what sounds like an eclectic environment that mixes different styles, this may be the way you want to go. Choose the dominant colors in the room for your treatments, but keep the patterns simple.   Q: After entertaining I noticed a large white ring on my new coffee table, probably caused by someone not using a coaster. What can I do? A: Use one of these stain removal techniques as soon as you notice the ring. · Rub with paste wax using very fine (4/0) steel wool. · Rub the spot lightly with a soft lintless cloth moistened with camphorated oil. Immediately afterward wipe with a clean cloth. · Dip a small piece of cheesecloth in hot water to which three drops of household ammonia have been added. Wring cloth out tightly and rub spot lightly.   Q: My upholstery seems so dark, but I can't afford both winter and summer upholstery. A: Why not try swapping dark, textured pillow covers for soft pastels, florals or springtime hues such as yellow, lilac or green. Consider a double-duty slipcover sofa.   Q: I have an active family. What upholstery fabrics will stand up best to everyday wear and tear and still give the room some style? A: Many of today's most fashionable fabrics will withstand the most active family. Microfibers, for instance, are one of the most durable fabrics available; even most grades of leather will fit your parameters.   Q: I'm ready to purchase a new dining room table but I'm not sure what size to get to accommodate my family. A: As a general rule, figure two feet per person along the sides of a table; a 10-foot-long table, for instance, will accommodate five people on each side. At the head and foot of the table, allow 15 to 18 inches per place setting.

How To: Decorating without Fear . Redecorating your home, or just one room, can be a daunting task. Many of us are plagued with unanswered questions from the outset: Where do I start? Am I making the right choice? Is this the right color to pick? These questions can leave us full of self-doubt, indecision and fear. These simple guidelines are intended to help you decorate your home without fear and self-doubt, so you can live your life in a setting that improves your attitude, state of mind and over-all well-being. Start with a plan Planning in advance can alleviate decorating anxiety and save you time and money in the process. Planning Checklist: · Room Function · Room Measurements · Scale · Style · Color Scheme Room Function Before you begin, take some time to look at your lifestyle: How do you currently use the rooms you will be decorating: Sleeping? Eating? Relaxing? Working? Who in your family uses the room: Adults? Kids? Pets? Next, consider how you would like to use the room: What functions would you like to add to the room? Would you like to be better-able to browse the Internet while you are watching TV in the family room? What about a quiet reading corner in the bedroom? Just as important, consider how you would like the room to not be used. Does your living room catch all your kid's toys? Does your mail stack up on the hall table? This might be an indication that additional functions (or storage) should be added elsewhere in your home. Room Measurements The old advice "Measure twice, cut once" could be reworked for decorating to "Measure twice, buy once." The pros know ­ you should go to the store with your room measurements in-hand. This includes entry ways and hallways leading into the room, after all, what good is it if the sofa will technically fit the room's space if you can't get it through the door. This is especially true when shopping for your anchor pieces (the large, dominant furniture) in a room. Whether you draw it out on paper, or use an online room plan application, understanding the layout of your room will better equip you to furnish it to best suit your needs. A room plan will also allow you to move furniture around to determine what will and what won't fit in the space. One thing that professional interior designers know that the rest of us often forget is that furniture doesn't have to be up against a wall. If, for example, you have a large greatroom, putting a sofa against one wall and the TV on the wall opposite it, you don't have the optimal viewing position and you have a lot of wasted space in between. In this example, floating the sofa in the middle of the room would create an opportunity to include other pieces in the room, like a game table and chairs, further increasing the functionality of the room. Scale The high-ceiling environments of many retailers can be misleading. What looks like a reasonable scale on the floor of a showroom may be either too large or too small once it is placed in a home environment. The age of your home could have an impact on the scale of furniture you select as well. Older homes, with traditional eight-foot ceilings, would feel cramped when filled with a larger-scale canopy bed. Conversely, a newer home with soaring vaulted ceilings might feel bare with a pared-down, platform bed. Style Many home design experts recommend that you create an idea file. Whether you plan to do the design yourself or take advantage of a retailer's design services, it's a good idea to have a place to start. Start with magazines; cut out pictures of rooms that you like, whether it's an article or an ad. You can also look online, there are many sites dedicated to collecting and cataloging photos of interior designs. If you know what you like, but don't know what to call it, you might try taking a style quiz. This can point you in a design direction and equip you with a vocabulary to communicate your needs when you go shopping. Are you formal or casual? Traditional or cutting-edge? This self knowledge can help you achieve a more satisfying design in the end. Color Scheme A color scheme usually consists of three to four colors to be used throughout the room, with one color more prominent and the other colors serving as accents. A pre-determined color scheme will lead to a more cohesive, polished look for your room. Your idea file can provide inspiration for your color scheme as well, but it doesn't have to be the only source. If you have a piece of artwork, an accessory or a collection you plan to include in the room, then take your color cues from there. You can also draw your inspiration from a fabric that will be included in the room. Select the dominant color and accent colors from that pattern. Paint samples are another great resource for developing a color scheme: you can use the individual cards to create your own scheme or rely on the paint company's ready-made color schemes. Shopping Take-Alongs If you plan to keep some of your existing furniture, take the measurements of that piece with you when you shop. If there are loose pillows or spare fabric, throw a sample in a bag to take along to the store so you don't have to rely on your memory of the color. You might even want to take a quick picture of it to bring with you as a reference as you shop. Professional Advice Find a retailer you trust, one that has been around for a long time and one that you know will be there tomorrow. You will often find more personalized service at family-owned, locally-operated retailers, rather than nation-wide chains. Many offer in-house design services and are willing to work with you to create a satisfying interior design.

How To: All Things Considered: Got Decorating Questions? . Whether you're working with a designer or doing your own decorating, planning the perfect room requires a little homework first. Here are some questions you should ask yourself, and the other members of your family: · What styles do you like? Have each person in your family gather magazine photographs that depict the looks they like. · Which styles don't you like? This information can be equally important. · What are your favorite colors? (Here's a hint: Determine the predominant colors in your closet.) · How will the room be used? Will it be completely casual or used only for formal entertaining? Your answer will determine many aspects, right down to the durability of fabrics. · Do you have children or pets? Don't forget to consider their needs! And the most important decorating rule of all: There are no rules! Please yourself! Once you have answered those basic questions, there are some easy steps to follow which will make your life easier and enhance the finished room. 1. The first step in planning your space is to determine the focal point of the room. Find the dramatic element that draws your immediate attention. If your room has an attractive feature, such as a fireplace or picture window, center your furniture arrangement around it. If your room doesn't have one, create a focal point with furnishings. Dramatic window treatments, an interesting display of artwork, or a beautifully decorated bed can help define the space. 2. After determining the focal point, go to our online room planner found on our homepage or at http://www.FurnitureFirst.com/roomplanner). Or, you can draw a floor plan of your room using graph paper or furniture templates. Use one graph square for every foot of actual space. Be sure to include windows, staircases, doors, fireplaces, and the focal point of your room. 3. Measure major furniture pieces and make a template of each piece. Our online room planner allows you to change the size of the furniture piece so that they can represent what you already own. After your Room Plan is complete, you can print it out and add the color of each piece to the plan. After you have cut out the templates, color each in the hue of the piece it represents; then you can get a good idea how color is mixed throughout the room. Move the templates around to find the best arrangement before moving the first piece of furniture.

How To: Area rugs help make the room . Do add rugs wherever you can! Throw rugs and area rugs provide an additional visual layer, while adding warmth to your home. Layering in design is extremely important for creating depth. Rugs define specific zones such as seating or dining areas or in places like foyers. They promote feelings of order and completion. Once you start incorporating rugs and then visit a house without them, you will sense that something is missing. Whether an area rug provides the springboard for your color scheme or quietly accents the rest of a room's furnishings, the bottom line is that it makes a big impact. · To make a rug the focal point of a room, create contrast. Paint your walls a hue that echoes one of your rug's accent colors. · To determine the proper dimensions of a room-size rug, subtract three feet from the length and width of the room. Runners should be four inches narrower than your hallway and 18 to 24 inches shorter. · Be sure to use the proper liner to keep your rug from slipping or "creeping." · Keep in mind that you need not reserve rugs for the floor; they can make equally impressive wall hangings! Depending on how you want to 'define' the area, you would pick the shape of your rug because ultimately most will organize furniture around the rug. A handy hint is to get your furniture, organize it around the room and decide if that's where you want the pieces to sit and then take a look at the area in the middle (where the coffee table usually resides) and visualize if a rectangular piece works better or a circular or oval piece. Choose your rugs carefully; opt for colors that match your furniture cushions and window treatments.

How To: Creating a focal point in a room . By Lynne Black Wall, Hatch Furniture The phrase, "You've got to start somewhere," can refer to a lot of different things, but when you are talking about good room design, it can only mean one thing - Focal Point. The question "Just what is a focal point and how do I get one?" may be running through your mind. A focal point is the main point of interest in a room: the place where your eye is drawn to first. The flow of a room starts at the focal point and travels around the room taking in the scale, balance, textures, patterns, and proportions of all the other objects in the room. The flow is affected not only by what you put in the room but by where you place it at within the room. Focal points anchor rooms and their contents. Some rooms have architectural focal points such as fireplaces, others have natural focal points such as a wonderful view, and some rooms have nothing but plain white walls void of architectural interest and views. It is in these spaces that contrived focal points are created. A contrived focal point is just that, contrived, made up, and brought into being by the imagination. If you have a room with no existing focal point, it is easy to create one. You don't have to have a large budget and undergo a major remodel either. Many simple and budget friendly things can be done to create a focal point. One of the easiest is to paint a wall in a contrast color to the others, then arrange a collection of photographs, pictures, decorative plates, or even clocks on it, in an interesting fashion. By framing photographs in the same way, or grouping pictures with similar frames, you help to create flow in the room. It is quick, easy, and if you have an existing collection, costs only the price of a can of paint. If you don't yet have a collection of items, you can still start and then add to it. If you just aren't into collecting, try placing a single large, very large, piece of artwork on the wall will work as well. You can also place a bookcase, console, or desk in front of the wall and hang a picture over it as another option. Even a smaller scale entertainment center against a painted wall with a few candlesticks, and a green plant on top can be utilized as a focal point. If your budget allows, a large piece of furniture, such as an armoire, can be used to anchor your seating, plus provide storage for your television and accompanying electronics. By using a unique piece, perhaps with carved or hand painted accents, you can create your focal point, provide additional storage, and add pattern or texture to the room as well. That's what good design is all about, function and "fashion". Many furniture retailers carry electric fireplaces, which not only provide an architectural focal point, but also serve to provide additional warmth and ambience to the room. Newer models have flickering flames that are hard to distinguish from an actual fire flame and have remote controls. You just set it in place, plug it in, and sit back to enjoy your new focal point. Hanging a picture or mirror above it, as well as, adding a few accessory pieces to the mantel, finishes it off nicely. Because focal points have visual weight, other items in your room need to be placed so that they balance that weight. Each room should have only one focal point, but it can have other areas of interest or emphasis. If you have an architectural point of interest on one wall, such as a fireplace, and have a contrived point of interest on an opposite wall, such as a large entertainment center or projection television, it is best to create two separate seating areas, each with their own "focal point". Another thing to consider in good room design is the facing wall. This may or may not be the wall on which the focal point is located. The facing wall is the wall opposite the entry into the room. Because it is seen first, it makes a good location for a contrived focal point, but in rooms with architectural or natural focal points, it should be treated as a point of emphasis. It is important that this wall create interest and excitement, after all, first impressions of your room shouldn't be boring. In summary, remember, focal points are what the eye is drawn to first, and around which seating is arranged. It can be architectural, natural, or contrived and created by you.