In the realm of interior design, there is always a lot of talk about focal points. Quite often, 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 notice… I’m making a big fuss about points? In my opinion, we should be thinking about the views! My concept has to do with focal views… like what you see when you look through a video camera. In essence, you are 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 views 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’s 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 won’t. You can lose your footing 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 don’t look and see dots; we look and see sights! 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 point, but the table with the best views. Now it may be the best spot in the restaurant, but that best spot is the one with the best view.

We have both a cone of vision and our peripheral vision. Although we can focus 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 vision 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 different type of viewfinder. We compose the shot or view inside the viewfinder. Although there may be a focal point or area of ​​interest, it is 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, every time you turn around.

There is no doubt that every composition has a focal point within the composition, be it a painting, a photograph or a room. But, we don’t want to focus on that exclusively. We want our eye to move. Us I do not want things are static. We want movement; very 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 perch and perch 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 surroundings with much more body. I think you will enjoy this new point of view and revel in a new sensitivity to your surroundings and environments wherever you reside and wherever you go.