What’s The Point?
January 18, 2011Integrating Interior Elements into Focal Points,
not Faux Pas!
Upon entering any space, there are areas of immediate interest that the science of interior design recognizes as focal points. Focal points include anything that immediately, and often unconsciously, captures the viewer’s attention and is interesting enough to make them want to look further. Interior designers are skilled at creating focal points, assembling all elements inside a particular room so they work together and complement each other to strengthen the whole composition. All great interior design begins with focal points!
Now, fade to the picture-perfect covers of magazines like Veranda or Architectural Digest, and you will see the most masterfully organized focal points designed by the most talented and sought after interior designers across the globe. These ethereal interiors are perfectly choreographed combinations of scale, balance, unity and harmony. As such, they have the ability to momentarily transport us to nirvana amidst a world otherwise so filled with unrest and disorganization. Structural walls, grand staircases, decorative details and precise furniture placement are all examples of traditional focal points that vie for the attention of a homeowner’s guests and potential buyers. But because they are not always handled properly, they are also the most commonly seen focal point faux pas seen in the interior design industry.
Architecturally designed fireplaces, revolutionary flat-screen televisions, and the coup de grâce – those natural, not to mention very expensive, views of breathtaking mountains, illuminated skylines and expansive waterfront footage – are the most intricate focal points to work with. So how do you design an interior with these challenging elements to make their impact magazine worthy? Very carefully!
1. The Fireplace and the Television
If you have a fireplace in your space, it is likely that it is placed on a wall, and that means that your fireplace automatically becomes a focal point. Place your television above the fireplace and either let it stand proud or disguise it with a modern picture/mirror frame kit that transforms it into a mirror. When you turn on the television, the mirror magically disappears to reveal the television screen behind. Should you want artwork in lieu of the traditional television set, invest in a screen projector. A recessed cavity in your ceiling can camouflage the retractable screen when not in use.
2. The View and the Television
Your picture-perfect views will always be your focal point, and considering the price you paid to have them, this should be just fine with you. However, combining the function of a television set into this focal point is a very delicate task. A room bordered by a large wall of windows leaves you with limited options for where to place the television. Certainly, it should never be placed on or inside any furniture piece that will block a window and leave it visible from the outside! Instead, you can invest in a projector screen that is retracted and camouflaged into a custom-designed ceiling cavity when not in use or – depending on the height distance between your windows and the finished floor, you may be able to place your television inside a low cabinet outfitted with a hydraulic lift that allows the television to be raised and lowered as required.
3. The View and the Fireplace
If you are fortunate enough to have both of these focal points as elements in your room, let them command their own space. Arrange your furniture placement so that you have two conversation areas, allowing each one to enjoy its dedicated focal point. The primary seating area should face the natural view, while a secondary seating area placed by the fireplace can be more intimate for such tasks as reading or talking. In any instance, your furniture arrangement should be placed in such a way that it does not require the body to pivot to face the focal point, but only for the head to slightly turn to see it.
The key message: Whether your interior space includes one or even all of these focal points, tread carefully, so that your space becomes one that motivates and inspires everyone who sees it.
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