In Art, a focal point is the feature of an artwork, that is strongly highlighted to make people concentrate on or pay a lot of attention to it. And, interior design is a work of art, so it will absolutely appear in interior design. This article will mention the focal point in interior design and some tips to emphasize it by using lighting, color and stuff arrangement….
Focal point definition in interior design
A focal point in interiors is a feature which attracts visitor’s eyes immediately when they go into that room or space. It can be a picture, mirror, television or artwork…. it is also one of the most fundamental elements of interior design. It is not necessary to be located in the center room or space, the interior designer will do the arrangement of stuff such as furniture, decorative elements and lighting… to highlight the focal point.
Why focal point in interior design is important?
For homeowners, the focal point will create interest for the visitors when they walk into a room and are attracted by the thing which the homeowner wants to show off. The focal point usually is the hobby of the homeowner, for instance, if the homeowner is a picture lover, there will be at least one with the picture in the house. It can be considered a signal that the homeowner wants to send to find out the people have the same hobby.
For interior designers, If the homeowner has a focal point request in detail, it will help the interior designers very much in their job. They will know what they have to do to meet the requirements of the homeowner. They will easily arrange furniture and set decoration elements to highlight the thing which the homeowner wants to show off. In contrast case, the homeowner will give interior designers nothing, but his demand has to be satisfied. Sometimes, the brain of interior designers wants to explode in this hard case.
Some focal point ideas in interior design
Picture
If the homeowner does not plan to use wallpaper or draw Murals, let’s try setting up the focal point with pictures. To catch the eyes easier, the main color of that picture should be outstanding with the wall paint color. If there is a blue wall, the dominant color of the picture should be a warm color such as red, orange, yellow…
Television
Television is also a good choice if the homeowner’s family has a watching TV habit. It will be better when using a TV that can turn into a picture when it is turned off, then the focal point will change from a television into a picture. However, there is a small note that setting a spot light for television or placing a light nearby is not necessary, it will distract the attention from watching TV.
Flower vase
The flower is the best idea for the flower lover and it really suits rooms with natural light. The flower will bring the room closer to the natural mother and provide a fragrance to the house. However, it will be inconvenient, for natural flowers, as they will be replaced often before they wilted, and for artificial flowers, it will get hard for cleaning work when they are stuck by dust.
Mirror
The mirror is one of the common options for the focal point. The homeowner should consider whether the mirror suits the room in size, shape and frame… to catch the eyes of visitors easily. The size of the mirror should be large enough with a customized shape or a beautiful frame also a good option to create an eye-catching mirror.
Fireplace
Along with warmth providing function, a fireplace can be designed as a focal point. Interior designs usually make the surround of the fireplace outstanding to attract attention. The surround should have a contrasting color with the wall and adding some textures is also recommended.
Furniture
Furniture also can be a focal point such as the bed for the bedroom, bathtub for the bathroom, working table for the home office… It is not necessary that it must be the bed for the bedroom. However, when stepping into a bedroom, the bed is usually the first thing people think about, so it is an advantage for making the bed a focal point. This also applies to with the bathroom, home office, kitchen…
Tips to emphasize the focal point (using lighting, color, texture and stuff arrangement….)
Lighting for the focal point
Lighting is a considerable element that highlights the focal point, it will be more effective at the night. Scientists believe that lighting will attract the attention of people. Therefore, the focal point should have a spotlight on them to attract visitor’s attention except for the television. Lighting will have a bad effect on the experience with the television.
Negative space
The focal point is absolutely a positive space which can be outstanding by being surrounded by negative spaces. However, if there are too many negative spaces, that “positive space” will be isolated and become a mistake.
Read more: Positive And Negative Space In Interior Design
Many focal points in a house but should be one in a room
Homeowners can totally build many focal points in the house following the path that visitors have to go through to make their home visit a journey. However, there should be one in a specific room or space. If the room is big, there can be more than one , but it should be one main focal point and others is auxiliary
Contrast color
Contrast color will help the focal point be more eye-catching. For instance, if the wall is white, a picture with a dark color theme will be outstanding on that wall. For other elements nearby, it will be better if their color is not too outstanding to avoid causing distraction.
Outstanding texture
Adding some beautiful texture is a method that interior designers usually use to create a stunning focal point. For example, a fireplace surround will be more attractive if it has some special textures on it.
Frame the area
“Framing” is the way interior designers emphasize the focal point area by stuff arrangement. For instance, the picture below is the simplest way to frame the television
The interior designer put the TV stand below it although the TV was hung on the wall. He put a lamp and a basket of wool on the left side to balance the tree and bracket on the right side. The lamp and basket have a similar height to the tree and bracket respectively. The tree and lamp were placed on the outermost of either side, and the next things were the bracket and basket. The stuff on the TV stand is also small and has a balanced arrangement, so they do not cause distraction from the TV.