The Use of Emphasis in Interior Design

Every room needs a focal point.

Even if you have beautiful furniture and use the most gorgeous colors, your decor will still be missing something if you give every item equal emphasis. Every room needs a focal. A focal point is the most dramatic, noticeable spot in the room. It's sort of like 12 on the clock or the front of the classroom; you orient yourself in relation to the focal point.

Architectural Focal Point

Some rooms have a built-in focal point, a place where your eye goes as soon as you walk in. A fireplace or a wall of windows with a stunning view are almost always natural focal points. Your furniture should be arranged to emphasize the focal point. Place seating across from it so you can look at it, or place matching pieces on either side to emphasize it.

Furniture and Accessories

If your room has no natural focal point, you can create one with a combination of furniture and accessories. A focal point must emphasize one wall of the room. A sofa by itself is just a piece of furniture, but a sofa with a large painting or framed mirror over it is a focal point because the arrangement emphasizes one wall in a room. Likewise, a bed is just a large object, but a bed with a dramatic headboard and a tapestry above it is a focal point.

You can further emphasize the focal point by arranging smaller pieces of furniture or accessories close by, such as small end tables and artwork.

One Wall

A full wall of shelves or an entertainment center with a TV and several other components can also serve as a focal point. In this case, place the seating on the opposite wall, so that visitors can feast their eyes on the focal point. The height of the shelving will emphasize the wall as the place where the eye will naturally go.

What to De-emphasize

You can further emphasize a focal point by downplaying the rest of the room. Leave some bare wall on either side of the focal point so that nothing will detract from its importance.

References

• Use What You Have Decorating; Lauri Ward
• The Apartment Book; Carol Spier