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Website:
http://www.naturerugs.com/
When you begin decorating your home there are some important factors to consider. Your
floors will usually be the foundation for your design. An authentic hand made area rug
can visually integrate or harmonize diverse elements in any decor or can reenergize
a room.
Below are various factors to consider for purchasing & decorating with an oriental rug
:
1. Size of the Rug - Area to be covered
- Size up the room and the area you want to cover.
- The most common area rug sizes are 4-by-6 and 6-by-9 feet. They work well under
a coffee table.
- An 8-by-10-foot area rug or larger can cover an entire room.
- Smaller area and scatter rugs can be ideal for adorning smaller spaces—a hearth,
a bedside, the area in front of a kitchen sink—with a splash of color and warmth.
2. In the Home
Living Room
- In a living room the area rug would most likely be placed in front of the sofa
and under the coffee table
- To place a room-sized area rug on a hardwood floor, choose an area rug which
allows eight inches (twenty centimeters) of wood to be exposed around the rug's perimeter.
- Measure the open space up to the sofa and chairs making sure that the individual
seated will have both feet on the area rug.
- More than one area rug is acceptable.
Dining Room
- There should be room to pull the chairs out from the table with the back legs
of the chairs remaining on the area rug.
Stairs
- Look for Busy & Dark patterns
Hallways & Entrances
- Dense Patterns
- Wool pile (Most durable) with cotton foundation (strong and does not loose shape)
is ideal.
Bedroom
- Do not recommend a room size Persian/Oriental area rug for the bedroom. Most
of the pattern will be hidden under the bed in the dark making the rug prone to moth
damage.
Instead, use multiple area rugs. A rug at the foot of the bed and two on each side
Or use several scatter rugs to fill areas around the bed as needed. It will actually
cost less and compliment your furnishings better.
3. Furnishings
- Begin with the end in mind. Visualize the finished look of the room. Do you prefer
the sparse, uncluttered look or you have a room rich with colors and textures?
- Remember that a rug is the largest splash of color in any room. Select your rug
first, and then the upholstery to blend with the rug. Furniture should enhance the
rug design or colors found in the rug
- Next comes window treatment and walls; neutral shades are recommended.
- Elements of a rug design can be further incorporated into the overall design
scheme. For example, if the rug is floral, add framed prints or flowers in similar
colors.
- Conversely, should your focal point be furniture, choose a rug to pick up the
colors used in your furnishing patterns. Patterns can be mixed if they are coordinated
by color.
- Don't get discouraged if you are having problems finding an area rug to blend
in with your decor. We suggest you surf NatureRugs.com for the vast variety of Rugs
that will suit your situation. For some reason, Jaipur & Agra Rug designs and colors
tend to work with many fabrics.
4. Using Multiple Area Rugs
- Should you use one rug or two?
~One rug is the general rule as it coordinates the room together and helps select
fabrics for furniture, curtains, etc.
~In a very large room, more than one rug can be used to separate the room. The
designs of the rugs should be different enough to create spatial separation, but
similar in color and quality to maintain the integrity of the room space.
- Two or more rugs should complement each other
~ One needs to be dominant in size
~ They should be similar in at least design/color/size
~ Smaller rugs should not look like clones
5. Color
- If redecorating an already furnished room, choose a rug to pick up the colors
used in your furnishing patterns
- Paint or paper the walls in colors found in the rug when color coordinating.
- Look for a rug that has commonality with the existing color of the walls.
- A rug with a bold, overall design can be the focal point of a room with a chair
and sofa in solid or subdued patterns.
- Light colored rugs make a room look more spacious, and deeper colors lend coziness
to a room.
6. Durability
- For floor rugs wool is usually a preferred choice as it resists daily wear better
than synthetics. Wool has many wonderful qualities- deep, rich color tones, high
durability and relative ease of care. For more information you can read article Advantages
of Wool over Synthetic Fibers.
- Silk rugs are better used for walls, throws etc. Living rooms are ideal to showcase
silk rugs.
- Chromium dyes are strong and deliver consistency and durability of color.
- Vegetable dyes give the rug a patina of color, a casual look that is very attractive.
7. Shape
- Let your decorating style determine your rug shape.
- Don't be limited to the idea of getting a rectangular rug.
- A circular or octagonal-shaped floor covering can add flair and elegance.
8. What is the dealer return policy?
- You should at least have one week risk free trial period to experience the rug.
You can test the wool texture, dye quality (take a moistened paper towel and run
it along the edges & center, the dye should not bleed out) & see if it fits into
your home décor.
Other considerations:
- Medallion and round rugs should be centered in the room & directly under the
chandelier.
- Don't select a busy area rug if the room's color scheme and patterns are busy
as well.
- Keep your family safe by making sure that rug corners do not extend into high
traffic areas.
- Watch out for the fringe. If the rug you like has fringe, make sure it's sewn
on well, and very carefully use the vacuum cleaner.
- Look at the back of a rug, as this will usually tell if it is machine or handmade.
If the fibers are stiff and run straight up and down, it's a machine rug.
- When buying oriental rugs, avoid going-out-of-business sales and auctions where
sellers aren't likely to be around later if your rug has a problem.
- In all rooms try to avoid having the corner of the rug end up in the middle of
the doors or archway openings.
- For smaller rooms, a small pattern is more appropriate. It gives the appearance
of a larger room.
- If you're looking for absolute perfection, don't buy a handmade area rug. Expensive
hand-made rugs are not squared off as properly as imitation machine-made reproductions.
- Don't underestimate the value of an underlay. Not only will it absorb the impact
of feet and noise, it will reduce wear and tear on the rug and make vacuuming easier.
- It is recommended to rotate rugs end for end on a yearly basis to equalize wear.
- Oriental rugs fade, as does upholstery. Avoid direct sunlight.
- Another recommendation is to have rugs cleaned professionally periodically by
a reputable cleaner.
- To meet Federal Trade Commission requirements Persian/ Oriental rug dealers label
each rug with its country of origin and the distributor's business name. Labels having
the words Indo-, Sino- or Pak-, for instance, would indicate that a rug came from
India, China or Pakistan respectively.
- Rugs are called 'tribal" if they are woven by nomadic groups.
© NatureRugs.com
Editors Note: Online shopping for area rugs and
other information are available on the authors site.
Note: This article was submitted by a second party and the contents are subject to
our disclaimer.
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