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This guide discusses an important concept in interior design: the focal point. This guide will give you a brief overview of what a focal point is, why you need one and how to either find and enhance an existing focal point, or create one.
Whether or not you use an interior designer , your goal is to make your home look well-designed rather than haphazard. One of the simplest ways to achieve that goal is to make sure that every room has a focal point.
Some rooms have clear focal points before you even furnish them. A window that looks out onto a spectacular view is one example of an obvious focal point. A dramatic fireplace is another. In some rooms a dazzling chandelier creates a focal point. In other rooms an interesting architectural detail could become a focal point.
Walk into the various rooms in your home and pay attention to where your focus is first drawn. This is your current focal point. If you can’t decide where it is, it means you most likely don’t have one at all or else you have too many of them.
In general, rooms should have one focal point and the rest of the furnishings should be arranged to emphasize it. That isn’t to say that you can’t have both a fireplace AND a window that looks out onto an incredible view- you surely can. The trick is to pick which feature you’d rather have as your focal point, and design the rest of your room to emphasize it.
If you don’t have a focal point at all, it’s an opportunity to be creative and design one! There are many practical ways to do so.
One approach that is becoming increasingly popular is to create what’s called a “Feature wall”. A feature wall is one wall that stands out from the other walls in some way. It could be through use of a different color of paint or faux finishing or even a unique wallpaper . Feature walls are usually created around the most dramatic or obvious wall in the room; for example, the feature wall in the bedroom would usually be the wall that is directly behind the headboard of your bed. Adding a piece of original art directly overtop can really tie the whole look together.
In fact one of the most obvious ways to create a focal point is choosing original art to design your focal point around. Original art makes an outstanding focal point for many reasons. It will often be the most colorful part of the room and can easily become the center of attention. Art expresses its owner’s personality and vision in a way that few other objects can. It can be spectacular, engaging, entertaining, calming, intriguing, mysterious, energizing, puzzling, fun, whimsical, or any combination thereof. Attention naturally gravitates toward it! As a focal point, artwork is a natural.
Resources for Planning A Room:
If you feel overwhelmed trying to plan your room and find or create your room's focal point, Ebay has many resources that can help you. First of all, there is a specialty services category for interior designers . Some of these interior designers offer consultations, and some are even set up to work with clients online. Sometimes all it takes to have a well-designed home is a nudge in the right direction from an interior design professional; many of the designers who offer their services through ebay are affordable.
If you'd rather do it yourself, ebay has an interesting selection of interior design books that offer fantastic inspiration.
You can also participate in interior-design related ebay community groups. There are several good ones, and the group members range from interior design professionals, to professional sellers of home and garden furnishings, to artists, to fellow design enthusiasts. In these groups you can post questions or ideas, and other group members will respond to your posts with their thoughts and opinions. It's a great way to exchange information and get feedback from others who are knowledgeable.
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