What’s the best accessory to add some flair to a room that also protects your flooring?

An area rug is one of the most versatile and functional add-ons that’ll spice up your living space or provide more coziness to a bedroom. It can serve as either a focal point or an accent, depending on your decorative needs.

Area rugs are textile coverings that are placed over a finished floor. Unlike carpeting, they do not extend from one wall to the other. Often, they are used to determine placement of furniture since most rugs are centered in the room. They also add texture and warmth and help define the “boundaries” of a space, like in the case of a living and dining room combo.

Some advantages to incorporating an area rug into your décor include:

• Protection of flooring, especially hard wood.
• Safety that prevents skidding
• Added warmth as opposed to stepping on a cold floor
• Additional color where the walls bear a neutral tone

There are many factors to ponder when you’re shopping for an area rug. Rather than simply going into a showroom and picking something that stands out, you might take a photo of the room in question and consider the following:

• Style
• Shape and size of the room
• Shape and size of the rug
• Overall color scheme of the room and furniture
• Material that is comfortable and easy to maintain
• Function
• Budget

By making a mental (or literal) list of traits and measurements, you’ll be more prepared to decide on an area rug that best suits your family’s needs for that particular space.

TYPES OF AREA RUGS

There are several types of rugs. Each one has its own unique qualities. However, having an awareness of the various types helps with narrowing your preferences during the shopping process.

The different categories of area rugs include:

• Hand-made
• Vintage rugs
• Shag
• Cut and Loop
• Flat Weave
• Cut Pile
• Loop Pile
• Oriental
• Kilim
• Floor Cloth
• Jute

In addition to the broad spectrum of categories, you’ll also need to contemplate what shape would best accentuate the space that you’re decorating. Some shapes might give the visual effect of making a room look bigger while others would “block off” areas of a more open space.

Here are some of the most common shapes:

• Round
• Square
• Rectangle
• Asymmetrical
• Oval
• Unique shapes (picture a flower-shaped rug that might go in a child’s room or any other quirky design)

Basically, shape, along with size, is a major determining factor for choosing an area rug. So, taking a photo of the room might help when making this decision.

For example, for a space that has bay window, a round shape would complement the curve of the structure. If you have a large living area that you’re consider sectioning off, a large rectangular area rug would help to separate a reading area from the sectional in front of the television. In relation to dining rooms or a large eat-in kitchen, the shape of the table would determine the shape of the rug.

The type of material that you’re looking for in a rug would more than likely depend on its overall purpose. Nonetheless, the two general categories of materials that you’ll find are natural fibers and synthetic.

Some materials that you’ll find online or in a showroom that are derived from nature are:

• Wool
• Cotton
• Jute or sisal
• Silk or viscose

The synthetic materials include:

• Nylon
• Olefin
• Polyester

Each type of material has its own advantage. Wool, for instance, tends to resist moisture and repels spills. Olefin, also known as polypropylene, is another material that’s easy to clean and maintain. Cotton dyes easily which allows for a variety of colors to choose from. Jute and sisal are excellent alternatives if the family is prone to allergies and are quite durable. As you can tell from their benefits, some area rugs are suitable for entryways while others would work out well in the kitchen or den.

And of course, you’ll need to accurately measure the area of the room (length x width) and possibly the spot where the rug will be placed in order to gain a solid idea of the size of rug you’ll need. You might even consider measuring at least the length of the furniture that’ll be placed on or around the rug to ensure you don’t buy a product that’s too small or too large.

When obtaining this important final touch to your interior decorating, visit Sussex Home and talk to one of the experts who’ll guide you to choosing a superb, high-quality area rug for your space.