Focal Views vs. Focal Points in Your Interior Design and Interior Décor

In the realm of interior design, there is always a lot of talk about focal points. Most often, the options include the fireplace, the view, or the grand piano as the focal point. I think too much emphasis is placed on the concept of focal points. Did you realize… that I’m making a big fuss about points? In my opinion, we should be thinking about the views! My concept is all about focal views… like what you see when you look through a video camera. In essence, you’re framing a view, and that view changes with every turn of your head.

The problem with focal points is that they change. For example, in winter the fireplace or the views to the outside can be the focal point. During that same time within that room, the grand piano is the focal point for a person who is musically involved. With this example, depending on the time of year or whether it is light or dark outside, the focal point changes. If you base your room on the concept of focal points; at certain times it will be, and at other times it will not. You can lose your balance and balance at different times and under different circumstances.

I think the concept of focal views is much more realistic, because of the way we actually see. We do not look and see points; we look and we see views! You don’t look out your hotel window and say, “What a wonderful point!” You say: “What a wonderful sight!” When you go to a restaurant, you don’t ask for the best spot, but rather the table with the best views. Now it may be the best point in the restaurant, but that best point is the one with the best view.

We have both a cone of vision and our peripheral vision. Although we can fixate on a point of interest, in general we use our cone of vision more when looking at our surroundings. The human eye has a forward-facing horizontal field of view of nearly 180°. The vertical range of our field of vision is usually about 135°.

When we take pictures with a camera, we are always looking through a viewfinder of different kinds. We compose the shot or view inside the viewer. Although there may be a focal point or area of ​​interest, it’s still a composition, for better or worse.

When you walk into a room, you see a focal composition. And that composition changes as you move around the room and turn and look in different directions. Therefore, the focal point within the focal view changes, each time you turn around.

There is no question that every composition has a focal point within the composition, whether it be a painting, a photograph, or a room. But, we do not want to focus on that exclusively. We want our eye to move. Us I do not want things are static. We want movement; much like music. We want things to not only flow, but we also want things to be rhythmic and dynamic, with points of emphasis and relaxation or rest. Thus, the eye can be in movement, but also rest and rest on something of interest that can be contemplated.

The idea of ​​focal views is to allow your eye to “take it all in”, while at the same time allowing your eye to dwell on things of interest. In this way, you can experience your environment with much more body. I think you will enjoy this new point of view and delight in a new sensitivity to your environment and surroundings wherever you reside and wherever you go.