The rug has been a part of interior design for generations, and it’s usually a safe bet for bringing any room together. But you don’t want to just be “safe” with your design, do you?

Rectangular rugs are safe, no doubt about it. There are some stunning ones available, featuring florals, geometric patterns, swirls, colors… A rectangular rug will always fit your room, so there’s no worrying about positioning or spacing. It’s a natural fit. Not so the circular rug.

A circular rug needs coaxing to look great, but if you get the sweet spot with positioning, color, pattern and texture, it will make your room pop.

Circle rugs are great for small spaces, as they open up a room. If the rug you choose is a bolder color than the colors around it, it will draw the eye inward, away from the walls, and make the space appear larger than it is.

Circles have no edges, no boundaries. They represent infinity, and when incorporated into a space, this sensation of never-ending form will permeate the atmosphere.

Think about adding a circular rug underneath a sofa to pull it, visually, away from the wall and move it towards the center of the room. Or, you can add a circular rug to the center of a room for a great, eye-catching symmetry.

The possibilities are as endless as the edge of a circle.

Today’s Friday Fun post is all about cartography. While it might not spark that “fun” sensation on first glance, your standard map has the potential to spice up your home and add a unique splash that your neighbors can’t compete with.

Take a gander at the image above. The world map above the sofa brings in a lovely blue color, and compliments the beige colors around it. And, it’s a wonderful talking piece – your guests will love examining the map as they chat during cocktail hour before a scrumptious dinner in your modern dining room.

Maps come in all shapes and sizes. For instance, the world map above is oversized and extremely detailed. You can also find maps that enlarge a certain area. Try looking for a map of your hometown, or where your house is, to add an interesting conversation piece to your wall.

Sepia toned maps are also a wonderful addition to any wall. That warm, “archived” look is something special, and will give your room an inviting atmosphere.

Some of the best maps are the authentic ones – those old maps you’ll find at flea markets and in antiques shops. You can also find local artisans to hand paint older maps to give them a touch of color, like the azure in the map above.

If you are already a map collector, putting your collection up on the wall is a viable option to improve your home’s aesthetic value. However, if you haven’t considered maps as both an investment and a style statement, maybe it’s time you should!

Electrical outlets are necessary to power all of our modern appliances, but they often power-down when it comes to style. The plain white, flat electrical outlet is fine for some, but for the modern home designer who is fanatic about details, it’s just not up to snuff. Here are three ways you can upgrade your electrical outlets to spark some more style.

If you have a whimsical air to your modern home, you can surround your electrical outlets with fun and fresh decals. Frame them with flowers or surround them with swirls. Decals are cute and will make your electrical outlet look as if it was part of the design plan all along.

Image courtesy of Ziemowit Maj

Covering an electrical outlet with a modern plate is a tasteful and cost-effective way to make them appear as part of the design – or disappear altogether. You can purchase outlet plates that will blend in with your paint or wallpaper, or get zany or sophisticated patterns to make them pop.

Image courtesy of Kyle Designs

Covering electrical outlets altogether is also an option. You might have to do a little hunting to find the right approach, but many designers today have responded to the need to upgrade electrical outlets. They have produced covers like the one pictured above, that make an outlet stand out not for its blandness but rather for its modern style.

Image courtesy of Design Spotter, designer: Johann Aumaitre

Looking for a way to add some oomph to your home? Try strategically placing mirrors where art would go, and watch your room appear to grow. Mirrors are stylish, functional, and have the extra benefit of making a space look larger.

There are plenty of options when it comes to modern mirrors. You can go for the traditional rectangular mirror with or without a frame, and hang it slightly higher than the center of a wall. However, many designers have created mirrors that break out of the status quo and shine as works of art.

Textured mirrors are something you could consider. You can find leather frames that feature snakeskin texture, or go straight for the eye-catching textured glass itself. Mirrors don’t have to provide a true-to-life reflection to be useful, and mirrors that are textured like the oddly shaped mirror pictured above will be more stunning than their flat counterparts.

Playing with shapes is also an option with incorporating a mirror into your home. They come in the traditional rectangle, of course, but you can also find circular, square, triangular and irregular shaped mirrors that will add a little spice.

Consider the placement of your mirror – is it centered? Does it compliment its surroundings? You can place a mirror on a blank wall to give it some character, or hang one above a couch for good measure.

Mirrors offer endless customization and intrigue, so start reflecting on which type is best for your home today.

Image courtesy of Toxel, designer: Hemlock Design

This post is for all of our do-it-yourself readers: those who aren’t afraid to get a little dirty, work with their hands, and create home accents on their own. Making decorations for the fall can range from the very easy (think carving a pumpkin) to the extreme. We’ve hand-picked three DIY projects that beginners can tackle over the next few days to have a beautiful autumn-ready home for September 22nd when the seasons change.

1. A nature walk’s bounty. When the leave begin to turn, take your family out on a relaxing walk through a forest or other area surrounded by nature. Bring a tote bag with you, and gather up all of the fall goodies you see – leaves, acorns, pine cones. When back at home, you can make a family project out of combining these fall items into several displays. Using earthy, woven bowls or flower vases to hold your found items, you can be really creative with colors, textures and placement around the home.
2. Life’s about the little things. You can use dried fruits, nuts, grains and seeds to create beautiful accents as well. Small grains like dried wheat or corn kernels can be used to fill up a glass jar about two thirds of the way, surrounding a thick, honey-dew candle in the center. Or, you can take one or two handfuls of dried cranberries and fill a wineglass, adding a red candle for effect.
3. Pumpkin 2.0. Pumpkin carving is a nice activity to do with the kids, but why not make a more adult-friendly pumpkin for your home? Cut a circular hole in the top and scoop out the insides like you would when preparing to carve, but don’t cut any holes into the sides or base. Instead, fill the pumpkin (which is conveniently waterproof) with water and use it as a fall flower vase.

Shelves offer unlimited customization. They are really a blank canvass for modern interiors, as their surfaces can be covered with any number of items. Of course, you incorporate a shelf for its functionality: to hold books, Blu-Rays and baskets of knickknacks. But there is the other side of the shelf too – its stylish side. Here are some items that you can use to dress up your modern shelf.

Why not try adding a simple vase with flowers? If you can’t get a fresh bunch every week, go for the dried variety – in the fall, you can choose orange flowers accented by earthy sticks and cattail, while your spring arrangement can feature bright pinks and greens.

If you’re looking to fill up a smaller shelf that couldn’t hold a usually tall vase, you can visit your local craft store and pick up some decorative balls. Dusted in silver or gold leaf, these various-sized balls can be used for functionality as bookends, or just for style placed strategically on a few shelves.

Decorative plates are another way to go, if you have some you’d like to show off. You don’t have to have a china cabinet to display your china. Simply purchase a plate stand and position the plate facing outwards on a central shelf to minimize the possibility of it getting knocked down.

And finally, candles are always a tasteful, beautiful way to add style to a shelf. You can add tall votive candles along the top of the shelf. Just be sure that there is plenty of ventilation and space above the candle so that there is no risk of fire, and you’ve got yourself a stunning, simple accent piece for your modern shelf.

How do you dress up your shelves?

Modular furniture is an urbanite’s dream. It can be moved, shaped and re-shaped to fit whatever space you need it to, large or small. And because of its modularity, it usually features a bubbly, minimalist, or artsy form.

At their core, modular furniture are sets of pre-made furniture pieces that can be combined in several different ways. They are often storage units that can be stacked, chair and table sets that can be folded into each other, or sofas and coffee tables that can slide together when not in use.

Because of their movable, flexible nature, many modular pieces are minimalist in design. They are made for people looking for a compact way to incorporate functionality and style into their home.

For the urbanite with a flair for interior decorating, modular furniture is just perfect. Take the above laptop stand – it is a cabinet in its most basic form, but it includes several compartments that can be opened up to reveal a laptop stand, a mouse pad, four large drawers and electrical plugs. All in one unit!

The benefits of modular furniture are both fashionable and functional. Modular furniture looks stunning in a small space, and it makes it feel larger, too. In a downtown, one-bedroom apartment, bringing in furniture that is both stylish and has multiple functions is a great way to embrace the urban lifestyle without sacrificing your sense of interior design.