In praise of circles

What is the most used shape in home decor?  It's the rectangle of course!<br /><br />Tables, sofas, beds, dressers, area rugs etc;  even the shape of our rooms are rectangular.  When you have that many  similar shapes,  it is important to bring in another  shapes to create some variety  in a space.  Of course, the perfect pairing with all those rectangles  is a circular shape .<br /><br /> Nothing pleases me more than circles and spheres. I use them liberally in both my art work and in home decor.   I don't consider a space complete until I have several  circular shapes in a room.  I have a fondness for circular tables in particular. Then there are all those objects you can find that are circular: mirrors, globes, glass spheres, clocks, ... the list is endless and there are so many ways to weave them into a space.  A poke around my <a href="http://pinterest.com/mryall/tablescapes-vignettes/">Pinterest vignette board </a> revealed lots of circular motifs. <br /><br /><br />I spy with my little eye lots of ...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">  circles and spheres</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YUKrd3MDIcwIYIJ-VwtEGmxVbzbSL7zNVjS9R6Ev-67SiAmjvRzBXAlpTXN5HKlZzZzYc-_WfZ4QW9j9kh9gqMehuIRDGEKBqeFvt970Y8KpZY5susiRCqKMn6WdXtbA8_qZ4MFL0RKj/s1600/122512052333037523_rkaQdkol_f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YUKrd3MDIcwIYIJ-VwtEGmxVbzbSL7zNVjS9R6Ev-67SiAmjvRzBXAlpTXN5HKlZzZzYc-_WfZ4QW9j9kh9gqMehuIRDGEKBqeFvt970Y8KpZY5susiRCqKMn6WdXtbA8_qZ4MFL0RKj/s640/122512052333037523_rkaQdkol_f.jpg" width="480" /></a></div> Moving your eye around a room by creating constants (shapes, textures, colours) is a well known design principle.  Can you see how this homeowner created  visual flow with circular shapes? <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivTctcentvKS2dIHyESF4_BTN2y3PDRRtHIpnMRh4LrMAyh1yHD4SJaFn3Oy5z1KoSo-DWsJDk2NQ5stmMxc8Gqan2YsgQyIHXun9HDCgw8T3a4v9RsQLNn7XRirBXjeq8hBE37CLOed2C/s1600/128423026843714464_NbPh8sX0_f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivTctcentvKS2dIHyESF4_BTN2y3PDRRtHIpnMRh4LrMAyh1yHD4SJaFn3Oy5z1KoSo-DWsJDk2NQ5stmMxc8Gqan2YsgQyIHXun9HDCgw8T3a4v9RsQLNn7XRirBXjeq8hBE37CLOed2C/s640/128423026843714464_NbPh8sX0_f.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"> Love the freshness of this arrangement.  There's nothing like the colours of nature  to attract our senses. There are circles/spheres everywhere here. </span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCEVb8KbAQc4BBX5EH_wjLQIOykauiofZedzhCaVnaD04kWrNSw_QoT5HbiY7PEgEFWjlUZWGh1SJIBv5DtKf7VTRn2FeZ4B9UuTucHtaGazwi_Y2qFdp7BWTJexOdy7X2uWKzgP_rs5mj/s1600/225813368785664504_5WYVT4eO_f.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCEVb8KbAQc4BBX5EH_wjLQIOykauiofZedzhCaVnaD04kWrNSw_QoT5HbiY7PEgEFWjlUZWGh1SJIBv5DtKf7VTRn2FeZ4B9UuTucHtaGazwi_Y2qFdp7BWTJexOdy7X2uWKzgP_rs5mj/s640/225813368785664504_5WYVT4eO_f.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This arrangement of two circles inside a square is simplicity at its best.  Our eye is drawn to the juxtaposition in both shape and colour.  Isn't it interesting how contrast continually draws us? You could not sit in this room and ignore this wall. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFoD4mkd_eCaejb1iBtHGDNSuXVasJH1J6YUpvLyGtc54rz5U2J3fFvt8FEAFabC-XXCjrqxQrewMZL4fzZunsP6iYekzr61B4PRtCLwl_S2CX-eKTqJ6HaLUrvQyUDMDTPAiRI6jq-qUT/s1600/72479875222474299_mmu37Uyc_f.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFoD4mkd_eCaejb1iBtHGDNSuXVasJH1J6YUpvLyGtc54rz5U2J3fFvt8FEAFabC-XXCjrqxQrewMZL4fzZunsP6iYekzr61B4PRtCLwl_S2CX-eKTqJ6HaLUrvQyUDMDTPAiRI6jq-qUT/s400/72479875222474299_mmu37Uyc_f.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div>This high contrast room has a similar design aesthetic to the one above, but there  is more variety in sizes.<br /><br />  <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4C7JEeP5TLjBwTOdEPdLd0JarbaHgTx4ilVHqtUXA1Bv8QxwDaCc_0pM0eBBC_bBkV1VKNTVYInbqoqIRLut4IiBLe22OMN0PcDZQ8WF9-tER_vKAOTAZHxdnd1TpsYnLED5JWRuDb-B7/s1600/152700243585760927_yAJcW34w_f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4C7JEeP5TLjBwTOdEPdLd0JarbaHgTx4ilVHqtUXA1Bv8QxwDaCc_0pM0eBBC_bBkV1VKNTVYInbqoqIRLut4IiBLe22OMN0PcDZQ8WF9-tER_vKAOTAZHxdnd1TpsYnLED5JWRuDb-B7/s640/152700243585760927_yAJcW34w_f.jpg" width="440" /></a> </div> In this room we are first drawn to colour and pattern and the coloured spheres in the lamp add to the overall effect.    The lamp  is stunning and not easily ignored .  The second lamp looks almost insignificant and perhaps (in my mind) it needs to be a tad larger. Scale is so tricky! Purple and light wood- it doesn't get any better than this. <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5A2Wme6yL0nTz-B5yziPyOUGBldm-Gd7goJR2G0jLynPbGPdqvkBrduI8FhpN9eDjGC_6n3MN4ffc8Red-xNPZRb9a00kcHCH8Bt70R8vYf2QiOa-mBRoe5DkoPt7nCmEo0eCsQQHC6Yd/s1600/162903711490792850_7ihsLskT_f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5A2Wme6yL0nTz-B5yziPyOUGBldm-Gd7goJR2G0jLynPbGPdqvkBrduI8FhpN9eDjGC_6n3MN4ffc8Red-xNPZRb9a00kcHCH8Bt70R8vYf2QiOa-mBRoe5DkoPt7nCmEo0eCsQQHC6Yd/s640/162903711490792850_7ihsLskT_f.jpg" width="420" /></a></div> One of my favourite tricks is to overlap shapes when I pair objects.  Love this simple mantle arrangement that sends your eyes round and round. Additional circular shapes are repeated with the table, vases and wheels on the coffee table. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4k9_-QNS8B64RL9G8n3HGOczlZXtmu7-ufDPhJJsuas10mOWxJFPSh_fjhR8MFrBv631kZwLJXkaDTRUoeDUPAkdogQdnl-ComdxfbZ6VOV0hPG2lIlPhOLYKr-UitZrpni7adAjNvTKs/s1600/171277592048216554_4D9RvySw_f.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4k9_-QNS8B64RL9G8n3HGOczlZXtmu7-ufDPhJJsuas10mOWxJFPSh_fjhR8MFrBv631kZwLJXkaDTRUoeDUPAkdogQdnl-ComdxfbZ6VOV0hPG2lIlPhOLYKr-UitZrpni7adAjNvTKs/s640/171277592048216554_4D9RvySw_f.jpg" width="598" /></a>Another circular shape overlapping a rectangle.  Notice how the handles and the tufting creates visual flow? If I could wave a magic want, I would make the mirror just a tad larger.  <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcHk-t1_YN_TuTv_am7o3EPIvsYrT44I2ejfm0j81aN8zUnAaXqE11Er48KIqsDMBomZyVGBdOurP4upSG-H7kIJ_Om_vVDVly7zMqGtLZORqWF-L7M-OeONcd2jZyi3JNRTb6swrs_sgf/s1600/171277592048127157_9miV5ohE_f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcHk-t1_YN_TuTv_am7o3EPIvsYrT44I2ejfm0j81aN8zUnAaXqE11Er48KIqsDMBomZyVGBdOurP4upSG-H7kIJ_Om_vVDVly7zMqGtLZORqWF-L7M-OeONcd2jZyi3JNRTb6swrs_sgf/s640/171277592048127157_9miV5ohE_f.jpg" width="542" /></a></div> When you pair something red, with print and add in a circular shape, you have the ultimate pairing if you want to create a focal point.  The additional  rounded shapes in the carved letters move our eyes throughout the vignette.  This odd  assortment of objects is very eye catching.  I'd edit the hide rug because I would like to see the cabinet  without visual competition. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIwUe4XMm68F4xm1A4Aj4MrIKrdOznEUMBOn8TGcbnBlI18wTGX-Ns5sNp6wwr3VVy4esQwM9Ma_tJZdyhjYaLsf-J0YCvHpr_dtGz3RqoMcxjk_b_J65Aej3ddmHjW9m9Q_Np3xOConOo/s1600/171277592048127164_aVziArA8_f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIwUe4XMm68F4xm1A4Aj4MrIKrdOznEUMBOn8TGcbnBlI18wTGX-Ns5sNp6wwr3VVy4esQwM9Ma_tJZdyhjYaLsf-J0YCvHpr_dtGz3RqoMcxjk_b_J65Aej3ddmHjW9m9Q_Np3xOConOo/s1600/171277592048127164_aVziArA8_f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9CaepvprOazE3rhI3AKKSlo7y-I3F_ygnHnAkWnyELY89fxxHR8uzI52D1bZe093-Fv9tywWguRH2eKlAJZuSH1-5haBfUM28ai7xi0omHF4NueM2hIACXieY8-eNMnP69_Dvn8BiRn3K/s1600/177962622744862079_g0vwkOkn_f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9CaepvprOazE3rhI3AKKSlo7y-I3F_ygnHnAkWnyELY89fxxHR8uzI52D1bZe093-Fv9tywWguRH2eKlAJZuSH1-5haBfUM28ai7xi0omHF4NueM2hIACXieY8-eNMnP69_Dvn8BiRn3K/s640/177962622744862079_g0vwkOkn_f.jpg" width="518" /></a></div> A strong colour and  variety in shapes create an eye catching arrangement. Imagine how boring this vignette would be if all the objects were rectangular!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheNKaslgwjhdQ-mkcTZnAQ3LqpDywSSlohkhzWyNVxYr-221NsirXGMk_bvDN6zew97xN8m9grfGPVcVxiTIsB7Ugb_z7jGIGwVCm7QYrZ-eALFZWnpJvcntIT40PUTFpP_QcOgtCbgwpa/s1600/81487074477488175_LvUD4Fcv_f.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheNKaslgwjhdQ-mkcTZnAQ3LqpDywSSlohkhzWyNVxYr-221NsirXGMk_bvDN6zew97xN8m9grfGPVcVxiTIsB7Ugb_z7jGIGwVCm7QYrZ-eALFZWnpJvcntIT40PUTFpP_QcOgtCbgwpa/s640/81487074477488175_LvUD4Fcv_f.jpg" width="490" /></a><br />I think  the textures, light wood and circular motifs make this a very inviting room. I just want to see more of it.  <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh16lmdkakLJV5rhEd_NdUVNjJ7OmzoamtitEUr8Zq4a5V-NiCTMkTVodIef9x5E8PWs9-yIaoAoPhtR3Ru1UcgDqftosjAU4UncIyDNa0cKN37Z-T0Ce-9wWWN7TWNvAKDs0IrACxLREGE/s1600/187180928233505872_wIMWg04m_f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCEVb8KbAQc4BBX5EH_wjLQIOykauiofZedzhCaVnaD04kWrNSw_QoT5HbiY7PEgEFWjlUZWGh1SJIBv5DtKf7VTRn2FeZ4B9UuTucHtaGazwi_Y2qFdp7BWTJexOdy7X2uWKzgP_rs5mj/s1600/225813368785664504_5WYVT4eO_f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAgCy7xkrvohJUIdfsXnc4Yc8A1JcwAWcDKVWzvtcMXb8kSOseJhg-ASJE0yWFRWwJ638pDeKQXdlicOtL22IKIJ9MJ4w0A28VBpDzFd3TF1L9v2kEEKndyQLdd2aZEpavrNV7N2l5eVqq/s1600/284993482639213214_qiLpxzx6_f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAgCy7xkrvohJUIdfsXnc4Yc8A1JcwAWcDKVWzvtcMXb8kSOseJhg-ASJE0yWFRWwJ638pDeKQXdlicOtL22IKIJ9MJ4w0A28VBpDzFd3TF1L9v2kEEKndyQLdd2aZEpavrNV7N2l5eVqq/s640/284993482639213214_qiLpxzx6_f.jpg" width="514" /></a></div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbj4ACsPHPSC5UEvo1QrjgMI6KN382DXnrKKoIquBSYu6N76S9j1AIydhVSL_wWD7GBmLgO2C3sC0ZA1w1mett27w6Dt0k70WmUaji_I4QAA-zgJIHU_mR4wc1G8Sp7k3ss9U0yOXZ3bcN/s1600/140878294563880216_rkeaj6F6_f.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbj4ACsPHPSC5UEvo1QrjgMI6KN382DXnrKKoIquBSYu6N76S9j1AIydhVSL_wWD7GBmLgO2C3sC0ZA1w1mett27w6Dt0k70WmUaji_I4QAA-zgJIHU_mR4wc1G8Sp7k3ss9U0yOXZ3bcN/s640/140878294563880216_rkeaj6F6_f.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"> Maybe you can have too much of a good thing.  What do you think? </div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFoD4mkd_eCaejb1iBtHGDNSuXVasJH1J6YUpvLyGtc54rz5U2J3fFvt8FEAFabC-XXCjrqxQrewMZL4fzZunsP6iYekzr61B4PRtCLwl_S2CX-eKTqJ6HaLUrvQyUDMDTPAiRI6jq-qUT/s1600/72479875222474299_mmu37Uyc_f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Links to all of these rooms can be found on my Pinterest site highlighted at the beginning of this post. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">How do you feel about circles.  Do  you consciously use them when decorating? </div>

In praise of circles

What is the most used shape in home decor?  It's the rectangle of course! Tables, sofas, beds, dressers, area rugs etc;  even the shape ...

Read more »