No Fireplace? No Problem. 10 Ways to Create a Focal Point

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The American ideal of the cozy living room with a roaring fireplace is often easier said than done. Less traditional spaces, climate and home size might sway you away from planning your space around a large fireplace. Still, even if you don’t miss a fireplace for warmth, it does make design a no-brainer. Fireplaces almost always become the focal point of a room, making it easier to anchor the rest of the room’s decor. If you’re fireplace-free, how do you make a room stand out?

There are plenty of ways to anchor rooms without the upfront expense and ongoing cost of a fireplace. Whether you’re just renting or you’re opting out of a traditional space, check out some of these focal points to draw the eye and simplify the rest of your interior design.

Accent wallpaper

Accent wallpaper gives a room more interest. Image: Photographee.eu/Shutterstock

It’s true: fireplaces are a handy spot to break up large expanses of boring walls. But you can pull the same look off with textured or patterned wallpaper. Choose the wall with the most visual impact as you walk into the room. Then, use a bold, graphic paper to draw the eye and anchor other elements like furniture, lighting and artwork. This is especially useful if you’re a renter since today’s wallpapers are easy to install and remove.

Framing windows

Center a room around large picture windows. Image: PlusONE/Shutterstock

Stop thinking of windows as room accents and, instead, think of them as room features. Cool casings and gorgeous grids look great on display, so try grouping your furniture around a couple of windows. You’ll create a cozy nook with the best view in the house.

Gallery walls

Hang art as your home’s focal point. Image: Photographee.eu/Shutterstock

Fireplaces are a natural place to hang art or prop up your favorite mementos, but you don’t need a mantel to show off your stuff. Create a gallery wall using similar size parameters as a fireplace. Mix up the mediums by hanging art, things you’ve picked up on vacation, wood signs and even framed tickets or maps. Grouped together, your stuff makes a bigger visual impact and can act as an anchor point for your furniture.

Going graphic

A graphic painting anchors the room. Image: Photographee.eu/Shutterstock

More of a minimalist? One large, impactful piece of artwork can give you all the character you need in a fireplace-free home. Look for oversized works that pull in colors from the rest of your place. Use art as a tie-in to other rooms and decor in your home. Or, mix it up by playing with opposites. Try a large, graphic print in a home with bohemian flair or a colorful, delicate piece in an otherwise neutral palette.

Dramatic lighting

Interesting lighting draws the eye up. Image: Marko Poplasen/Shutterstock

If you’re on a tight budget, you might be left scratching your head. But lighting is often overlooked as a main focal point, simply because most people think of lighting as an accent only. Lighting can be an inexpensive way to direct focus in a room. Choosing a large, overhanging lamp can center a room, while an antique lamp on a table creates a cozy focal spot. For under $100, your room can take on an entirely new look based on where you direct the light.

Built-ins and storage

Bookshelves mimic the shape and size of a fireplace. Image: alexandre zveiger/Shutterstock

If you’re lucky enough to have a wall of built-ins, you can use that as a stand-in for a large fireplace. Books and wood offer a great alternative to the warmth and texture of a fireplace. Still, even if you’re working with a bare wall, you can mimic the look of built-in shelving using storage units of the same color. Configure taller units at the end and a low, long unit in between to fill the space and give it a custom look.

Mirror, mirror

Use an oversized mirror to expand the space and create a focal point. Image: Basileus/Shutterstock

Mirrors are a simple way to draw focus and make a room look much bigger than it is. The trick to choosing a mirror for your focal point is to be intentional. Instead of a builder grade mirror from the hardware store, look for mirrors with interesting frames from estate sales and antique stores. And remember that mirrors always look smaller when you put them in a space, so go larger than you think you need.

Urban jungle

Bring plants in for a pop of color. Image: Photographee.eu/Shutterstock

If you love an organic look, use plants as your room’s main focal feature. It’s a great way to pull in color and texture without permanence. Try pulling focus by grouping plants of different heights together. Use pots and pedestals to change up the heights until you get it just right and can ensure each plant gets the sun it prefers.

Ceiling treatments

A cool ceiling treatment gives the eye somewhere to look. Image: solepsizm/Shutterstock

Not sure where to create a focal point? Look up! Your ceiling can become the main focus of your room with a cool ceiling treatment. Simply painting the ceiling an unexpected color like navy blue pulls the eye like a magnet. This is especially helpful if the room is otherwise kind of architecturally awkward. You could also install paneling or slide in some faux beams to recenter the room and give it more interest.

Go faux

Fill in a non-functional fireplace. Image: Photographee.eu/Shutterstock

If you really miss the idea of a fireplace but can’t have one for whatever reason, try going for a faux fireplace. You can check thrift stores for mantels and surrounds that simply prop up against bare walls. Then, stack the interior of the “fireplace” with pillar candles, driftwood or even firewood remnants. You won’t get the crackle of a traditional fireplace, but you’ll still get every bit of the warmth.

There are plenty of reasons a homeowner might opt out of a traditional fireplace setup. There’s something to be said, however, for creating a cozy focal point in the main room of your home. Think beyond the traditional layout and you’ll be able to draw guests in without lighting a fire.

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Sneaky Sustainability: 7 Ways to Design a More Efficient Home

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If you’re interested in building a more sustainable, eco-friendly home, you probably already know most of the basics: installing solar panels for power, opting for water-saving fixtures in the bathroom, you know the drill. But while that takes care of some of the biggest uses of power and water, you might be overlooking some of the smaller factors. Fixtures, solar panels and sustainable landscaping can definitely reduce your environmental impact, but the very design of your home could help you shrink that impact even more. Some of the smartest ways to increase sustainability might actually be the sum of a few small changes to your home’s design. Consider these sneaky sustainability hacks for a more energy efficient home.

A two-story home is often more energy efficient. Image: Omni Customs

1. Size Matters

It’s no secret that a smaller home is typically more energy efficient than a larger one. But it might not be just the size of the home, but how you use it. Consider two homes of the same square footage: one is 2,000 square feet on one level and the other is two levels, with 1,000 square feet on each. Which is the more efficient home? Stacking your square footage is almost always more energy efficient than a sprawling space, which costs more to heat and power.

Think about how much space you need and how it can be configured for energy savings. If you can get everything you want in a smaller, more compact footprint, it’ll be more sustainable in the long run.

2. Think Passive

Your mother-in-law might be passive aggressive, but an energy efficient home should be just plain passive. Passive design means creating a home that can basically take care of itself. When your home is designed so that it takes in the most sunlight during the winter, you can spend less on heating. The same home can offer shades to draw against hot summer sun, or windows that are situated for a cool breeze. Think of the ways you can decrease your home’s energy expenditure simply by where it sits on your lot or its layout.

Think about shade trees to keep your home cool. Image: 186 Lighting Design

3. Smart Landscaping

When talking about landscaping for sustainability, you’re usually referring to plants and grass that naturally do well in your home’s climate. It’s definitely a great way to save money on water and energy, but you can also use landscaping for even more sneaky sustainability. Simply plantings trees so they provide your home with natural shade and coverage helps you save on energy costs. Choose a leafy deciduous for hotter climates and you won’t need to crank up your A/C. Just make sure you plant trees where they’ll block sun in the summer, yet allow the sun to keep your home warmer in the winter.

4. Reclaim and Recycle

Building a home isn’t always the most eco-friendly way to procure a place to live. Even if you’re designing for a sustainable space, having new materials manufactured and delivered to your building lot requires a lot of energy. Thinking about how you source various materials can help you lessen the environmental burden. Choosing materials that are recycled or reclaimed from other projects reduces your environmental impact while giving every inch of your home more character. You can check with local builders, scour online classifieds and even check out demo projects to see if you can find solid materials with life left in them. If not, choose materials created from recycled goods whenever your contractors offer the option. Your environmental footprint will thank you for it.

Opt for natural light whenever possible. Image: Art of Architecture

5. Let in the Light

Indoor lighting can definitely drain you when it comes to energy costs. Besides a hefty electric bill, you’re also left with the burden of buying and swapping out bulbs. Instead, ask your architect to design your home for optimal natural lighting. It’s not just a question of installing windows, but utilizing your home’s orientation to make sure you get more light without sacrificing heating or cooling.

You can also sneak in sustainability by opting for LED fixtures and bulbs. Don’t worry about sacrificing ambiance: new-school LED bulbs can cast a natural, warm light. They’ll be more expensive up front but last much longer than traditional bulbs. What’s more, they’re cheaper to use because they consume less electricity.

6. Home Automation

Making your home a smart home can seem like an unnecessary expense. If your goal is a more efficient space, however, you might want to rethink technology’s role. Home automation puts some of your home’s energy-wasting processes on autopilot. The result? A more efficient home that adjusts itself when necessary. A smart thermostat can adjust the temperature based on when you spend time at home. Smart blinds can close themselves to block out hot sun in the middle of the day. Home automation isn’t just about convenience. It can create a space that is hyper-efficient and easy on your wallet.

Utilize organization for smaller, smarter spaces. Image: Tim Moss

7. Organization Solutions

An organized home means everything has a place. And when everything has a place, you can use less space storing your stuff. Smart organization solutions allow you to reduce the size of your home and storage space so you make less of an environmental impact. Whether it’s installing outlets in some of your most-used cupboards and drawers or building shelves into tight corners, think about organization from a sustainability point of view. Shelving, cabinets, attic spaces and closets can be retooled so they take up less room and store more stuff for a more efficient home.

When designing a more sustainable home, it’s important to think about how you’ll live in the space. Solar panels and energy-efficient appliances are great, but day-to-day sustainability might come from a smaller master bedroom or better kitchen windows. By working with your architect, you can design a space that is beautiful, functional and energy efficient.

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