Hi Kjmama. Les917 asks the right question: why do you need a focal point? Sure, some successful rooms have them, but others don't, and they're certainly not a requirement of a good looking room--or a beautiful landscape, or whatever. Ask yourself: what is the focal point of a flower-strewn meadow? Or a pine forest in the snow? When is the last time you heard someone say about a sunny beach "It's nice, but there's no focal point." It doesn't matter, and anybody who thinks it does has been been watching too many TV decorating shows. Often, though, when people talk about a room's focal point, what they're really talking about is just a big piece of furniture or a big painting or a fireplace, but as Les917 points out, in most homes, the actual focal point--versus the alleged focal point--is the TV anyway, and if you don't believe me, stick the TV at one end of the room & the fireplace at the other end and watch which way people turn their heads. Let's face it, Real Housewives beats burning logs any day. I'm not saying that's a good thing, but it's a fact. Might as well face it. So if the fireplace with its a careful arrangement of wooden candlesticks, wood box & scrolly iron clock ends up an also-ran in the attention department, don't worry about it. Stuff happens. And if you don't even have a fireplace for people to ignore, well, that's one less thing to fret about. Besides, here's what Nancy Lancaster, one of the biggest names in 20th Century English decorating had to say about focal points, even though she uses another term: "You never want to have only one 'mouvement' thing like the Savonnerie rug that would stand out. You must have 'mouvement' everywhere." In other words, keep the eye moving. Let people focus on whatever they want. They will anyway, so you might as well give 'em permission. Let's take as examples my two most-recent places. In the living room of my former apartment, there was a camelback sofa with a Rococo-style mirror above it centered on one wall. Another wall was centered on an eight-foot-high bookcase; another wall had a Chippendale-style table flanked with farthingale chairs, with an arrangement of paintings hanging above everything in the middle, and the fourth wall had a triple window in the center, in front of which I positioned an antique daybed. It was all very calm & orderly, but with a major symmetrical arrangement centered on every single wall, which wall was the focal point? Actually, none of them, because I don't do focal points. At least, I don't plan them. They just happen. Sometimes, that is, they happen. Anyway, like I said, that was my old place. My new apartment has more or less the same set up that you face: four walls, each of which is centered on a door or a window. There's not a single unbroken wall. Oh well. Which means the pieces of furniture that used to be set against the walls are either floating in the room for the simple reason that there isn't anywhere else to put them. or they've been banished to another room, and other, smaller pieces have taken their place on either side of the openings. And you know what? It's OK. Likewise, if you concentrate on making your own room comfortable & attractive, no one will even notice that there's no focal point. Magnaverde Rule No. 16: Decorate for the life you really have, not the life you wish you had. Regards, Magnaverde.

Sorry about the missing windows in my plans - we left them off because we are undecided about placement. There is one now above the tub that needs to be replaced, and we also want to add one in the toilet area. Chisue, we know moving windows isn't cheap. But given what we expect to spend on this we want to make the space work right. The exterior is siding which is also badly in need of replacement. Everything is 30 years old. Right now the balcony is a wasted space. We need storage not a sitting area, or office/library space. There are 2 other bedrooms - one is on the other side of the master bath - 10 x 12 or so. The other is on the front side of the house and is much larger. On my proposed plan with the angles that everyone seems to hate, the bathroom door,entry door and closet doors were all in the same corner. I thought that was good to allow someone to get ready for work without disturbing the other sleeper. Funny thing is that I keep hearing/reading that angled walls create wasted space, but in this case they seem to work pretty well - a lot better IMO than the floating bed idea with the "hallway" between the bed and closets (which were both drawn on the balcony wall with separate entrances. There may be some wasted space, but it sure seems to make the remaining space more functional.

thanks for your help. I do have to leave the tv where it is because it's all wired through the wall and we really like it there since its not visible as soon as you walk through the front door and we can watch it from the kitchen. I'm flipflopppng between leather and fabric for couches, I have three young kids but they never have food in the living room. I'm looking for couches that are dark grey....I wanted to go with red originally but thought I may get sick of it after a year.

Hi Thanks for your help. I really do like the idea of two seating areas in the room. That is the direction we will take. We realized we have a 24" deep Shaker armoire/hutch (closed upper and lower cabinet) that we will probably need to put in the room. Now it's in the dining room, but is not a great match, so any suggestions on how to use would be helpful. I'm thinking on wall right of sofa towards window with chair in front or left side of sofa toward French doors. The door could still be open and sit against wall. I think it is two large to have on stair wall as I should keep it closed as it holds lots of dishes, but I would also lose a great place for a painting. Your thoughts? Again thank you for your time. .