"Focus" Points the Way into a Room
An impressive element of great design is a focal point that needs no introduction! And your room can have more than one. It is an area(s) that takes center stage, a place that commands attention to itself before you notice other details. With color, texture, light and a sense of adventure, you can accent these focal points by pointing to a variety of elements:
• Architectural details: fireplaces, columns, crown moulding,
• Furniture and Lighting: your “one fabulous sofa or sectional”, upholstered tall back chairs with interesting lines and fabric or leather, fancy face mahogany dining table, a custom painted French inspired chest, a statement chandelier-multi-tiered.
• Fine art: a splendid impressionist oil, oversized abstract paintings hung vertically stacked, lifesize sculpture in marble or wood!
• Outdoor view: the city at night, a lovely courtyard garden and flowing fountain.
The “heart” of a room can also be staircases, other distinctive case goods and even media equipment. What helps to define these significant hubs is the convergence of seating around them for everyone’s enjoyment. Focal points are the spotlights where the eyes also rest to indulge in the beauty of a room! So be extravagant with your choices in color, texture, space, and light.
• Color: Select fresh exciting wall color and accessorize in splashes of that color around the room.
• Texture: Let it be about how light reacts to the surfaces: shiny, rough, fuzzy, iridescent, etc. Add mirrors to reflect these surfaces.
• Space: Have breathing room amidst seating and between other focal points in one room.
• Light: Illuminate what is significant in your room; do it in layers with ambient and task lighting. It is crucial for seeing the totality of a space, for creating moods and for emphasizing noteworthy focal points.