Has something extraordinary ever caught your eye? Perhaps it was a leaping dolphin in a calm sea. Maybe it was a red umbrella in a sea of black umbrellas. Perhaps it was a shimmering mirage in the middle of a serene desert, or a shooting star in a sky of stationary stars.

When decorating any room of a home, creating a focal point is crucial. The focal point grabs the attention of anyone in the room and says “Look at me!” Sometimes, the “focal point” can be an entire wall, which experts refer to as a “focal wall.” Here are some tips for creating a striking focal wall in your finished basement.

Use Paint to Accentuate

The colors that you use when painting the focal wall are crucial. You can use a variety of methods to achieve your goal. For instance, if the wall is white, you can draw attention to the wall without painting the whole wall orange or neon green! A focal wall can be in a deeper tone of the same shade as the remaining walls in the room or it can add dramatic contrast. This will add depth to the wall, and thus draw people’s eyes to it.

Accent the focal wall with wall art including wall architectural pieces, metal or wood wall art, wall clocks and mirrors, paintings or framed photographs. Let the color of the wall art inspire the color of your focal wall.

When using wall art, how you arrange it on the wall is as important as the type of wall art that you choose. For instance, when hanging wall art such as framed photographs, consistency is the key. Unite your composition with the same frame and matting to create a pleasant wall arrangement. Choose canvas wall art to create a horizontal or vertical influence on the wall to manipulate the space in the room.

Display Techniques

• Use a display with strong vertical line to add the illusion of height, and a horizontal lines for the illusion of width

• Create a diagonal arrangement of wall art to form a more spectacular look

• Arrange framed photos or paintings of different sizes in close proximity to create a single image

• Display multiple works of art with the same theme on the same wall

• Place one enormous painting on the wall
• Make an asymmetrical arrangement to create a more exciting and casual look

Highlight Your Style

The low-key atmosphere of the basement is the perfect place to have a little fun. Enhance a media room with framed posters of celebrities, movies or pop art or favorite musical artists. Or create a collage of family vacation photos or sports memorabilia, classic cars, wildlife, or whatever it is that inspires you

Use an assortment of wall decor to make a wall more dazzling. For instance, install an attractive wall shelf and to display framed photos or accessories. Enhance a Mediterranean theme by mounting a wall wine rack filled your favorite wines. Add modern expression with a unique-looking wall clock that not only tells time, but also draws attention. Hang architectural pieces and contrast their colors with the wall or create a subtle textural effect by using similar hues.

Enlist the aid of furniture or floor art sculpture to create contrast with the wall and support the style and theme of wall art. Hang wall art slightly above pieces of the furniture or sculpture adjacent to it. This will further accentuate the focal wall and create a well designed look around the room.

Finally, be sure to highlight a basement focal wall by literally shining a spotlight on it. Consider using track lighting to accentuate certain areas of a wall, such as a collection of wall art or a shelf full of eye-catching collectibles and make them the stars of the show!

All text copyright Shanel. Photo from Flikr - "Contemporary gathering place" courtesy of NancyHugoCKD.com.