This paper discusses a computer vision based approach for enhancing a physical environment with machine perception. Using techniques for assessing the distance and orientation of a target from the camera, we detect user presence and estimate whether an object of interest is the focus of attention of the user. Our solution uses low-cost cameras and is designed to be robust to lighting variations typical of home and work environments. We argue why this approach is a useful component for the incremental construction of aware environments and discuss some practical applications of using such a system.