BY REBA BYRD AND SHERI WISDOM
Do you want to add a little style to your floor? Area rugs can quickly and easily give rooms character. They add warmth to a room, not only taking the chill off cold floors but also producing a mood of intimacy.
Questions like how large or small, what color to choose, or how a particular design will fit in with the rest of the décor are usually just a few of the basic questions to take into consideration when shopping for a new rug.
To help in the quest for the perfect rug for your home, follow these tips to make shopping easier:
- Take a photo of the room you are decorating to the rug store. It is easy to get distracted or excited when presented with so many choices. Using an image as reference will keep you on track. Think about how the room is used, how much traffic it gets and who will look at the rug under what lighting.
- If the room is already decorated, use the rug to help pick out one key hue. If you are painting or repapering a room, a color found in an existing rug can give you inspiration and help bring the room together. Light colored rugs make a room feel bigger and dark colors creates coziness. But be careful the pattern of the rug does not clash with the curtains (consult the room photo that you have brought with you to the store).
- Select a rug with the best combination of density and fiber, the denser the pile (with closer tufting or stitches), the better your rug will wear. Do not underestimate the importance of padding. It will lessen wear and tear on the rug and make vacuuming easier, and it will also absorb the impact of feet and noise. Good padding will allow you the option of buying a less expensive rug that will wear and look good longer.
The important thing to bear in mind is that there are no rules and you can opt for the rug you like the best.