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By: Mike Dennis
When it comes to home design, there are no hard and fast
rules to go by. The most difficult part of the process is
deciding when or where to start. Whether you’ve chosen
to carry this entire task on your shoulders or have opted
to hire the services of a designer, using an area rug should
always rank somewhere on the top of your list.
Though not too many homeowners realize it, no piece of furniture
or item brings a more dramatic transformation to your room
than an area rug, which is literally its centerpiece. Choosing
the right rug is crucial in your home decorating success.
However, picking the appropriate floor covering material can
also be a daunting task. Below are some tips which we’ve
put together to make your area rug shopping experience both
fun and challenging.
1. Choose a Shade or Color
Whether you’re working on an empty room or already
have furniture, it is essential that you pick the right shade
that would be consistent with your room’s motif. Taking
a photo of your room is advisable to help you visualize how
your rug would blend with other elements in your room.
For areas exposed to busy traffic such as stairs and hallways,
you might want dark patterns. Rooms with busy interiors require
subdued colors. Ornate wall papers and intricate furniture
designs go well with light colored rugs which do not compete
with design. The general rule is that light color rugs make
rooms appear larger and less constricted. Darker shades bring
warmth and helps enhance a room’s color scheme.
2. Determine the Right Fiber, Material and Weave
Your choice largely depends on your rug’s purpose.
For instance, cotton backed wool rugs go well with hallway
entrances because of their durability and inherent resistance
to stains. http://www.NaturalAreaRugs.com provides useful
tips and advice on the various natural fiber rugs and their
suitability for particular applications.
3. Request a Sample
Some customers get disappointed when they end up buying rugs
that fall below their expectations. The best way to address
this is to request a sample which reveals the most intricate
details about your rug. A swatch allows you to match your
rug with your room’s furniture and inspect how the lighting
bounces of your rug’s weave patterns. The last thing
you’d want to do is to rewrap a huge area rug for return
or exchange (there are no returns for made to order rugs).
4. Check the Appropriate Rug Size
Large area rugs go well with living rooms, bedrooms and dinging
rooms. Smaller rugs work best in foyers, hallways, and bathrooms.
For living rooms with hardwood floors, you’d want approximately
eighteen to twenty four inches of wood to be exposed around
the rug’s perimeter. In dining rooms, you’d want
room to pull the chairs out from the table with the back legs
of the chairs remaining on the area rug. For accurate measurements,
use a tape to outline the area to be covered by your rug.
Generally speaking, you’d either want all your furniture
on top of your rug, or everything outside of your area rug.
Having pieces of furniture partially on your rug gives that
appearance of furniture falling off.
5. Using Multiple Area Rugs
While it is a general rule to use only one area rug per room
for better coordination, exceptionally large rooms might require
more than just one. In such cases you have to be sure that
both rugs complement each other and that one should be dominant
in size.
6. Rug Shape
While it would be safe to use a standard sized rectangular
rug, you might want to explore your imagination and consider
other shapes. Your room should have no restrictions when it
comes to flooring design. A custom-shaped rug tailored after
your room’s specific requirements can help enhance its
beauty. Rectangular rugs work well for bedrooms and living
rooms while round and oblong rugs are suitable for dining
rooms.
7. Furniture
In order for your area rug to work, any additional furniture
should be consistent with the design you initially intended
for your rug. Try not to over-decorate if you have a bold
colored rug which might clash with too much clutter.
8. Changing Through the Seasons
For added life to your room, try using different sets of
area rugs for winter and summer. This is the most economical
way of transforming your room without investing so much on
expensive furniture.
10. Do Your Research
Try to keep a record of all flooring and room designs that
catch your attention. This assists you in visualizing and
implementing a methodical decorating plan for your room. This
allows you to safely experiment on priorly tested designs.
We hope these tips can aid your assessment in choosing the
right area rug for your home. Remember, shopping for rugs
should be a fun and enjoyable experience, so don’t restrict
your imagination. Go ahead and test your creativity. But if
you still have apprehensions about making these decisions
on your won, you can always consult a local designer.
About The Author
Mike Dennis, publicist for Natural Area Rugs, posts about
the inner workings of Natural Area Rugs, a national leader
in natural area flooring. Topics include business strategies,
new products, and information on natural rug materials including
sisal, seagrass, jute, bamboo, and wool.
http://www.NaturalAreaRugs.com
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