A Guide to Buying Area Rugs

With a huge array of designs, textures, and complimentary colors, area rugs are an accessory that make a big difference for a reasonable amount of money. They can bring together all of the colors of a room and create a feeling of more continuity. They can help mark out the boundaries in large rooms and can immediately update the decor of almost any space. Rugs provide protection for the floors in well-used hallways and can create warmth and sound proofing in bedrooms and other areas of the house where “noiseless walking” may be desired. In the kitchen and other areas that may be slippery, area rugs can provide traction.

Since there are literally thousands of styles and colors to choose from, making a choice is probably going to be the most difficult part of getting a new rug for your home. Getting the right size at the right price is as important as choosing the proper design and color. Here you will find some suggestions that will help you make the right choice. They will help you narrow your search to something that will fit your space, your lifestyle and your budget. There are many things to consider when purchasing a rug.  Let’s look at some of them.

Size and Shape

The size and shape of your new rug will be determined by the size of the space you want to cover. Now is the time to get out the measuring tape and see just exactly what size you need. Remember that area rugs usually come in standard sizes so you may have to round down to get a good fit.

The most popular area rugs are rectangular. This is for a couple of reasons. The shape is more attractive to the eye than a square, and most homes have rectangular rooms. Sometimes, a rectangular-shaped rug will be called a ‘regular rug’. As a regular rug you will find them in what are for the most part standard sizes with a few variations. The smaller rugs range from two feet by three feet up to five feet by eight feet. Medium-sized rugs go from six feet by nine feet to 10 feet by thirteen feet. The larger rugs are usually up to fourteen feet by twenty-one feet. 9×12 area rugs are the most popular with the second favored probably being the 5×8, although the 8×10 area rug is not far behind. These sizes are readily available in most stores that carry a good selection.

When purchasing a rug for the center of a room, be certain it will come close to the furniture or it will seem lost in the middle of the room. Leave a border of about one and a half feet to three feet if there is no furniture between it and the wall. The rug should serve as an anchor in the room and you do not want it to be a distraction.

More popular shapes

Rug runners are long narrow rugs that are perfect for stairways, halls and any long space. They are normally between two and three feet wide and the length is up to about twenty feet. They can also used to protect well-used hard wood floors. Look for one with a backing that provides traction.

Round area rugs are very popular right now but it is difficult to properly place furniture on a round rug in a rectangular room. The perfect place for a round rug is under a round table. This can be particularly effective in a formal dining room. However, a small round rug can still add interest to  just about any room.

Square area rugs fit best in square rooms. Since there are not many square room, these rugs are more difficult to use and are not as available in stores.

Oval area rugs provide a soft look that goes well in rooms with soft furniture. This shape is a hybrid of a rectangle and a circle. They are nearly as easy to fit into a room as a rectangle and seem to be the perfect accessory for bedrooms, entry halls and dining rooms.

Odd and Novelty Shaped Rugs

Since area rugs really are the perfect accessory, they come in literally thousands of shapes. One can find over sixty thousand shapes and variations from retailers online. There are half oval rugs that are made to be placed in front of a fireplace or doorway. Octagons, triangles and hexagons are readily available as well. You will also find various animal or flower shapes, shapes that are copies of cartoon characters and even cars or buildings and houses.

Consider the Color

Choosing the right color for your room is one of the most difficult factors when buying area rugs. The color needs to be appealing and coordinate with the existing furniture and it needs to bring just the right feeling to the room. Rugs can bring in a new color, coordinate with the colors already in the room or contrast pleasingly.

The more popular colors are ivory, brown, beige, red, black, blue and green. Some colors are linked with some styles of rugs such the use of burgundy being a tradition in Persian and Oriental rugs. You will find that the borders are usually a shade or combination of shades of the predominant color in the main area of the rug. This border design is often the portion that is more easily incorporated into your room.

Design Pattern

The pattern of a rug is what makes it unique and what makes it hard to describe easily. Rug shopping is better accomplished when one can see the rug or there is a good picture available. There are many more designs than there are designers. Some designers have several lines of rugs with many different patterns and designs. Nonetheless, there are usually three main categories. They are geometric, pictorial and curvilinear.

Geometric designs are composed of placing colors and fabric in various straight lines that create rectangles, triangles and squares. One sees this type of pattern used a lot in Southwestern and Navaho rugs.

Pictorial rug designs show an image of something, such as flowers, animals or people. These rugs are not as commonly seen as geometric patterns. It is also possible to see them used as wall hangings.

Curvilinear or smoothly curved lines are often found in rug patterns. These can be used effectively in any room décor from traditional to a child’s room to a contemporary studio space.

Style

The style of your home or the style of the space that needs a new rug is the main consideration when choosing your rug. If the rug is to be placed a formal traditional living room, then it should be formal and traditional as well. A rug for the bedroom should fit in with the style of the furniture and atmosphere of the room. One can easily use a novelty rug in a child’s room but it is not such a great idea in that formal dining room.

Most area rugs fall into the traditional category and are timeless in pattern and design. There are usually borders and even borders within the outer border. Many of these designs come from established works of art and can be quite intricate. Antique rugs usually are classified as traditional. These rugs tend to be expensive.

The country where the rug originated can also define style elements that will classify it as traditional as well. Rugs that are considered Oriental are typically made from natural materials. Chinese rugs rarely have a pattern. The design is usually a message or has a meaning. These can be more colorful.

Contemporary rugs feature bright and often bold colors with unusual shape and layout of pattern. You will find squares and rectangles as well as waves or circles. Sometimes, there are bold line slashing across the entire design. These rugs are usually very easy to find and are easy to choose.

Casual area rugs are more subdued in color and design with more simple patterns or no pattern at all. The borders are plain and they are usually solid colors. Most often they are made of natural fibers.

Transitional rugs blend the lines between contemporary and traditional. The colors may fall into the traditional style while the pattern is geometric or you will find Persian influences but very bold colors. These rugs are helpful for homeowners whose personal style is a blend of several schools of style. These rugs give them the opportunity to match their existing decoration or mix it up a little.

Flokati rugs are pure sheep wool and will remind you of the shag rugs from the 1970′s. Available now in many dyed colors, these rugs were traditionally left in their natural fiber colors. Being able to get them in colors makes them easier and more fun to use in most homes.

Braided oval area rugs are easy to manufacture and readily available. Their construction makes them sturdy and easy to maintain. They can be reversed and that feature is useful to hide the signs of wear.

Southwestern area rugs are part of the Navajo weaving culture and are usually striped. They can always have patterns that are simple geometric designs. They are unique and are a wonderful addition to your walls as well. These rugs are considered art and should be placed areas where they will be not of the sun.

Understanding Knot Density

A good way to classify and compare rug quality is to check for the number of tied knots per square inch. A high number is not an automatic indication of good quality or durability, but it does indicate that the appearance of the rug will be dense. A dense rug is usually a better looking piece. A handmade piece with a high number of knots gives you an idea of how long it took to complete and what the cost is. Silk knot densities can over nearly one thousand knots. That is certainly one explanation of their high cost.

Pile

The material a rug is made of is the pile. Pile can be a synthetic or natural fiber. Natural fibers are either plant or animal based and are very popular materials for rugs. Some of these include:

• Bamboo is one of the natural fibers that are readily renewable and very friendly to the environment. However, bamboo is difficult to dye.

• Coir is a plant fiber that comes from the coconut and makes a very strong and waterproof rug.

• Cotton is a commercially produced fiber that is strong, soft and easy to dye.

• Hemp is a fiber that usually mixed with other materials to make durable rugs.

• Jute resists heat and fire and does not loss its shape.

• Sisal is water resistant, takes color wells and is very strong. Sisal rugs also add a lot of texture and that feature adds to their popularity.

• Leather is an unexpected material for a floor, but it can be made into strips and woven into flexible rugs that smell like western saddles. Leather can also be used on wool rugs to accent the borders. Suede is softer and less durable but is combined with regular leather for some rugs.

• Silk rugs are expensive and beautiful. Silk is very strong but does not do well in areas that are prone to getting wet. Silk is another material that is natural. Damage can occur if it is stretched or infested with insects or left in the sun. However, the good qualities of silk such as its sheen and feel outweigh the bad and silk is worth the investment.

• Wool is the most used fiber for area rugs. It is strong but soft, moderately inexpensive and readily dyed. These characteristics make it very popular. This is another material that is easily renewed.

After the natural fibers and fabric, you will find synthetic products that were originally created in scientific laboratories. These are called man made products and can be quite beautiful, very durable and readily available. Most of them take dye very well and are easy to maintain.

• Acrylic fiber dyes very well and is soft, light and has the same feeling as wool. However, acrylics can fuzz.

• Polypropylene is synthetic wool. It lasts a long time, easy to clean and can be recycled. This is a good choice for busy home with pets and children.

• Nylon is similar to silk. But, it is resistant to insects and mold and not as sensitive to abrasions as natural silk. Other qualities include its strength and the fact that it is lightweight.

• Polyester can be stiff but it is very long lasting. Blending it with a natural fiber such as wool will soften it slightly.

• Rayon makes soft and smooth rugs with a good sheen. However, it does take well to wet or damp conditions and can be easily stretched. Rayon is also known as viscose.

Rug Manufacturers

Shopping by brand can be one way to limiting your choices while ensuring quality and price. Warranty may be one thing to consider when shopping by brand. Some of the best manufacturers are Mohawk, Oriental Weavers, Capel, Couristan, Radici, Shaw, Surya and many others.

Cost

Cost is always a factor that is individual as the person who is purchasing the item. There are many thousands of rugs available that under $100 in price and just as many that are over $1000. A silk rug from the 16^th century was the most expensive ever sold. Its price was over $4 million when it sold at auction at Christie’s, New York. Most people are not planning to spend that much on a rug for their floor. However, setting up a budget is another good way to limit the choices of rugs. Knowing what you can afford is important when choosing a rug. With all of the information you now have, making a good selection for your home should be fairly easy.