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Shop with Your Eyes - Browse
Before You Buy
The best tip is to shop with your eyes first - not
your wallet. You might find something even better
than what you had in mind. Maybe a new design or a
more suitable color. Keep yourself open to new
possibilities. When you have your choice narrowed
down, then it's time to think about your budget. If
you first choice costs too much, look for a similar
design in a less expensive rug. A synthetic material
instead of wool. Machine-made rather than hand-knoted
or hand-woven. It might be hard for your friends and
visitors to tell the difference, but your wallet
will know. Whether you get a area rug at one of our
recommended rug shopping sources
or not, you should at least browse around. You'll
see many different styles and designs in one place.
It helps you narrow down what you want.
Area Rugs Open a Crowded Space
The right Area rugs can make any room seem more spacious.
Light colors, simple patterns, and loose designs
(less ornate) create a sense of expansion and airy
freedom, giving even the most cramped spot a fresh,
open feel.
A Area Rug Makes Your Living
Space Cozy
Deeper, darker colors in a Area rug can create a sense of
warmth and coziness in a room. Area Rugs with dark or
dense patterns also work well to provide a cozy
feeling.
Use a Area Rug to Highlight OR
Downplay the Existing Floor
In a room where you'd like to show off or highlight
the existing floor, select a smaller size Area rug in a
soft-hued solid color or perhaps a tone-on-tone
pattern to enhance the flooring's character. Place
the Area rugs where they'll draw a viewer's eye to the
floor beneath. Area Rugs with light tones or simple
patterns can also be used with great effect. Area Rugs can work like "exclamation
points," drawing the eye to the floor's natural
design with an enhancing splash of excitement. On the other hand, if you want to
downplay the existing floor, then select a large
Area rug
with a strong, vibrant overall pattern.
What is Your Room's Focal Point -
Furniture or Area Rug?
Area
Rugs are highly flexible design elements. They can
draw attention to certain parts of a room OR they
can serve as focal points on their own. If you want the
Area rug to be the focal
point, go with a pattern that grabs people's
attention. Bold or busy patterns do that easily and
intrigue the viewers. These Area rugs work even better
when the surrounding furniture and décor is a subtle
color with little or no pattern, acting as a frame
to the floor art. If you want your furniture to be the
focal point, consider rugs with soft colors and/or
subdued patterns. One or more smaller Area rugs might
work better than a larger sized Area rug. Select rugs
that complement the furniture color. You don't want
the rug (s) to be busier than the room décor;
otherwise the two elements will compete. Sometimes, a fireplace can be a
focal point in a room. In that case, it works well
to go with a rug having a more subdued all-over
pattern so that the rug is not a distraction. When two or more items are competing
to be a focal point, it can upset the balance or
harmony of the room. This can be avoided with good
planning and/or placement. Here's a good rule of thumb: A rug
can be "busy" or other colors and patterns in the
room can be "busy," but it's not good when
everything in the room is that way.
Use Area Rugs to Complete that
Special Theme
If you've decorated a room with a theme, a
complementary rug really completes the look and feel
of the room. Too often people will decorate a room
with a specific theme and not pay any attention to
the rug. For example, a Southwestern Style living
room with a random Persian rug lacks balance. That
style of rug looks out of place in such a room. Area Rugs can add that finishing touch to
your theme. If you're using nautical elements,
consider a coordinating rug that reminds you of your
favorite seascape. If you're going for a Victorian
look, try a Area rug with a lush European floral design. If you're trying to avoid obvious
prints, you might want to consider color schemes
that complement your décor. A Southwestern style
room doesn't necessarily need a Navajo rug. A
palette of turquoise, rose, sand, and brown will
also do the trick. Select any desired aspect (style, color,
material, size, etc.) and narrow it down, one option
at a time, until you have a Area rug that's just right
for you!
Area Rugs Transforms a Room
You can use a Area rug to change the personality of any
room, instantly. If you don't have the budget or the
time to completely redecorate, but your room could
use a new look, then consider a dramatic centerpiece
rug that will give the room a new feel. Area Rugs with
ornate, detailed, vibrant, or unusual patterns can
really re-do a space. An area rug can also be used instead
of getting a costly carpet replacement. If your
carpet is old, but still good, and has a bald spot,
use a rug to transform that spot from worn to
wonderful.
Use a Textured
Area Rug to Create
Depth
Adding texture can bring new life to any layout. If
your room is smooth all over, as is the case with
many hardwood floors, wall-to-wall carpets, or
laminates, something textured can break up the
"glassy" feel. A nice textured area rug balances
the room with its uneven surface. Think about using
cozy shag rugs and luscious Flokati rugs. Add a
touch of depth and warmth to your home environment
and break up the monotony.
Use a Area Rug to Show Off Your
Interests
We all have interests and favorite things. It might
be fun to share some of those interests with others.
A good area rug can do the trick by helping to break
the ice and start a conversation! Greet your guests
with a well-placed area rug that showcases your hobby,
personal interests, or beliefs and you'll get many
smiles. Enhance the game room with a rug
that features the logo of your favorite sports team,
or personalize your sewing room with a cute, quilted
theme. Choose a rug that matches your
personal style, or that enhances the décor of the
room through its color scheme.
Area Rugs for Teens
It should come as no surprise that teens are hard to
please. They like things "hip" and "cool" or
whatever the current buzzwords are. Ornate rugs,
floral rugs, and anything that looks old-fashioned
might not work for them. Consider a contemporary rug or one
with a pop-art design. Teens and young adults still
enjoy many of the rugs with cartoon characters. There are so many styles and design
choices that even the pickiest teen will have plenty
of rugs to choose from to personalize their space.
Make Your Hallways Bigger
Use a hall runner rug with light-colored or
open-patterned design in your cramped, stuffy
hallway to instantly make it seem bigger.
Bring Your Bathroom to Life
It's easy to fall into the routine of buying a
3-piece bathroom rug set, just to have something on
the floor and perhaps a bit of color. However, it's
not always the best route to go for a unique
decorative experience. Try using better-quality rugs in
your bathroom space and witness the difference.
Flat-weave braided American oval rugs look great.
Textured rugs are also great. Just choose a style
and color that complements your bath and you'll
probably never want to use those cheap area rugs
again.
Use a Area Rug to Complete Your Kitchen
The kitchen is often overlooked as the workhouse of
the home, but a well-placed kitchen rug can turn it
into an inviting living space. Choose small accent
rugs to keep things simple (and easy on your feet),
or go all-out and dress up the floor with a big area
rug. Consider matching your area rug to your cabinets, or
to your kitchen's overall theme. Use a light area rug to add an open, airy
feel to the room, or a darker rug to make it more
elegant. Contrasting colors also work well when used
as accent rugs in the kitchen.
Use Area Rugs to Highlight
Outdoor Focal Points
The quality of outdoor rugs make them a go-anywhere
solution. If you want to draw attention to your
pool, a patio table, or your favorite deck bench,
consider a rug with a simple, but complementary
color scheme. Match the rug with your outdoor
furniture's look and feel, but don't pick something
that's too loud as it might distract the eye from
admiring your layout. Solid or natural colors also
work well. If you want to feature a rug as
outdoor art, you might choose a busier pattern -
something with a multitude of colors and/or visual
interest.
Pair that up with solid color furniture for a
crowd-pleasing look.
Use a Area Rug to Carry a Color
Scheme
These days, white walls are blasé. When your
favorite room is done in shades of purple and
silver, you'll need a rug to match. Try using solid, complementary
colors to carry a painted color scheme through the
entire room. A strategically placed accent area rug
that matches your wall, trim, or ceiling color can
really make a design come together.
Remember, Area Rugs Come in All
Shapes
Don't limit your decorating plans to just
rectangular Area rugs. Give consideration to round
Area Rugs, oval rugs,
hexagonal rugs and octagonal rugs as well. They can add
flair and elegance to your floor in ways you might
not have thought of before.
Use Area Rugs to Blend Rooms
Sometimes, people living in larger homes want to
decorate each room in a different theme. However,
the shift between two rooms can sometimes feel
awkward or clunky—especially when the themes are
quite different. To ease the "bump" between styles,
try using transitional (blended-style) rugs or solid
color rugs that complement BOTH rooms. Choose a
common color that exists in both layouts, or a
contrasting color that isn't too loud. A subtle transitional rug print
(like a collage, cascade, or hodge-podge rug) can
also do the trick, if some of the design motifs from
both rooms are present in the transitional rug.
Area Rug Pads
A good rug pad should be used under all rugs. It
makes no difference if the rug is on wall-to-wall
carpeting, or on a wood or tile floor.
Use Area Rugs in Heavy Traffic
Areas
There's no doubt that rugs can add charm and style
to your floor, but rugs can be very practical as
well. A good rug does double-duty in areas of heavy
traffic such as hallways and near stairways and
entryways. There are many choices for a durable
rug that holds up well in traffic, including wool
rugs, and many of the indoor-outdoor rugs. A rug
with a dense weave can also be used in an area that
gets trod on often. Match the area rug to your room's
color scheme or décor style and guests will see it
as a design element and not as a "bullet proof vest"
for the floor.
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