Interior Design Tip: Focal Points Are Key
In the world of interior design, the goal is to express yourself through the layout and atmosphere of a room. However, this expression cannot be achieved by simply throwing your new furniture into a room and hoping it looks good. Before you bring one ottoman, lamp, or couch into a room, you must first create a plan of action—a strategy—for all of the home furnishings you have purchased.
If you are not a professional interior designer, strategizing your room plan may seem like a serious challenge. Fortunately, the best interior design tactic for beginning your furniture placement is to establish a focal point in the room.
What Is a Focal Point?
When you enter a room, there should be one design element that immediately catches your eye and becomes the focus of the room. This element is the focal, or emphasis, point. It can be a naturally built-in feature of the room such as an ornately-designed fireplace with matching mantle, or it may be a point that you have had to create such as a lovely bed.
What Is the Purpose of the Focal Point?
From the interior design perspective, the focal point plays a crucial role in the placement of all other home furnishings. Establishing your focal point allows you to see where the rest of your furniture should be placed for the most organic, welcoming feeling. It also provides you with an opportunity to accessorize!
Although the focal point may be beautiful in and of itself, the item will still need accent pieces in order to create the overall style and ambiance you are attempting to portray in the room. For example, a bookcase’s exquisite craftsmanship may be astonishing in the showroom but won’t “pop” as a focal point without accessories. Adding color-coordinated books, vases, framed pictures, and small art pieces will draw the attention you need and create the overall experience you desire.
How Do I Create a Focal Point?
Creating a focal point always begins by deciding which piece will be your emphasis point. Depending on the particular room, this piece may be the bedroom set, a sofa in the living room, a bookcase, an entertainment center, a china cabinet in the dining room, fabric panels in covering a large window or any other extraordinary piece. Once you have made your decision, place the item against the dominant wall—the one you notice first when entering a room.
After placing the item, you have the focus of the room established and are free to pleasingly arrange your other home furnishings and accessories throughout the room. Achieving a comfortable balance with these pieces is essential. You can do so by creatively incorporating color, accessories, and patterns to subtly emphasize the focal point.
Clearly, there needs to be a good deal of planning and consideration involved in creating a stunning focal point, and Newport Furnishings in Albuquerque, NM wants to help.
Contact Our Interior Design Specialists
At Newport Furnishings, we are not your typical Albuquerque home furnishings store. In addition to offering you a wide selection of traditional and contemporary home furniture and accessories, we also provide you with free interior design services. Our experts will come to your home, discuss your room’s design plan, help you establish a focal point, and assist you in choosing coordinating pieces. Contact Newport Furnishings today to discuss our interior design services.