I see so many clients unable to make a decision when it comes to buying an area rug. What makes choosing an area rug for your home so difficult anyway? First of all you have to figure out the right size, pick one too big and it covers all the beautiful hardwood you just installed (might have well kept the old wall to wall carpeting), too small and it looks like an island floating in the lagoon. Then you have to decide on the color, design, style, shape, quality, and material. If those aren't enough decisions to make you have to wade through an overwhelming selection with a wide price range. No wonder people have difficulty deciding and walk out empty handed. Here are a few tips which will help you to start the shopping.
Size does matter, to determine the maximum-size rug that will fit in a room, subtract three feet from the room's width and length, which will create a frame of flooring between the rug and the walls. For a dining room, choose an area rug that is four feet wider and longer than your table so that the chairs will remain on the carpet even when pulled out. There is nothing more annoying than sitting at a table and having your chair wobble because the back legs of the chair are on the bare floor and the front legs are on the rug. In a living or family room, the furniture should be sitting on or touching the rug. For the front door my fellow decorator Janice Funston points out " If your guests start doing an awkward dance once you let them in your house it means a) they started partying without you or b) the rug at your front door is much too small, and they are trying to be polite and not step off of it with their shoes on." Get yourself a nice generous sized rug for the front door. A 2'x3' rug is perfect for in front of the sink or tub where generally only one person at one time stands.
Define the quality and type of material that you need your rug to be. How much traffic will the rug be exposed to? Is there a traffic path right through where the rug will be? Will the rug be in an area that is not used much. These are factors you must consider when deciding on the rug material. Rugs basically fall under two categories:
The characteristics for a few of the more popular rug materials are defined below.
Wool absorbs and retains dyes amazingly well. It is naturally resistant to fire, water and stains. Wool is a resilient material and it has greater durability than synthetic material. If you want to add a soft, beautiful, natural and luxurious rug to your space try a Flokati rug. These beautiful rugs have been hand made in Greece from wool for hundreds of years.
Polypropylene or olefin fibers are petroleum-based products that are derived from propylene and ethylene gases.
an amazing high end line of poly rugs called the Elementz Fettuccine Shag, they are woven in satin ribbon-like strands with a glorious sheen available in 7 different hues (Wine, Silver, Gold, Black, Bronze, Raisin & Champagne). Olefin, which has a soft wool-like feel, is one of the more widely used synthetic fibers for machine made rugs. Polypropylene can be heat-set to give it more durability and less sheen, for a look that is
more like wool.
Polypropylene/olefin rugs
are
popular but beca
use they are lightweight, they may not be the best choice for areas with high traffic although Dash & Albert Rug Company has some rugs made of superheroic polypropylene. These indoor/outdoor area rugs are terrific for high-traffic areas and muddy messes. Scrubbable, bleachable and UV-treated for outdoor use, this collection of woven rugs can stand up to all that you dish out.
These fibers are strong, colorfast, quick drying, abrasion resistant, mildew resistant, along with soil and stain resistant. Rugs made from these materials are at the lower end of the cost scale, making them more affordable than some other types of rugs.
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Nylon, another of the synthetic rug materials, is widely used in rug making. Nylon rugs have great characteristics such as uniformity and strength as well as stain and soil resistance. Nylon area rugs come in an unlimited variety of colors and they can be easily cleaned. The resilient nature of nylon rigs makes them a good choice for placing under furniture and for areas of heavy traffic. The cost of a nylon rug is usually less than that of rugs made from natural materials. However, nylon rugs do not hold their value as well as a quality wool area rug.
Remember when you walk into a room thirty percent of what you see is the floor.
If you need help finding that perfect area rug contact me.
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