By Mi-Ling Stone Poole  

DEAR MI-LING: I have an awkward living room with multiple focal points. Trying to design this space is totally frustrating to me and I’m having a hard time pulling all the pieces together in order to create a livable, functional space for my family.

The room just doesn’t seem to flow with the intended purpose of the space. I am beginning to question how I should lay out the space and position the furniture in order to take advantage of my focal points. 

In a maze

DEAR IN A MAZE: When it comes to dealing with an awkward space I can totally relate. I have lived in a number of homes that were not designed with the function of the space in mind. It’s difficult to live in a space with two focal points.

One challenge I have had over the years is living in a room with a large fireplace in the center and a large TV on the other side of the fireplace. There is a built-in cabinet for the TV, but it’s too small and facing the wrong direction so anyone sitting at the kitchen table is not able to see the television. The light from the wall of windows pours in the room during the day putting a glare on the TV.

Welcome to my world. But the good news is, I have solved most of my problems and you can too.

The first step is to decide on what your focal point will be in the space. You may need to have multiple focal points in a room to fulfill the functions of the space.

After you determine what your focal points will be, work within those perimeters. You might even have a different focal point for different times of the year. In the fall and winter, you might decide to pull the couch and chairs closer to the fireplace and in the summer months you might want to move the couch to face the backyard in order to take advantage of the views.

Take your time and focus on the comfort and purpose of the room or merge them together by adding the TV and fireplace in one unit.

Do you have a problem or solution to dual focal points?