Defining Your Rooms With Area Rugs

Area Rugs Offer a Variety of Ways to Distinguish Your Rooms

Area rugs can provide a relatively inexpensive solution to decorative challenges. These variegated floor coverings are versatile and may be used to warm the cold look of bathroom tile, reinforce the formal nature of a living room or brighten a cozy dining nook.

Because they occupy what tends to be one of the primary focal points of a room, area rugs can establish the feel of an entire space. These powerful protean floor coverings are amazingly mobile, making them a favorite of people who enjoy redecorating throughout the year. In choosing a rug, you’ll want to consider five primary factors—style, color, pattern, size and shape. Together, these elements influence the affect an area rug will have on a given room.

Style

Area rugs come in a plethora of styles, including traditional, contemporary, country and novelty. Traditional coverings, which are dominated by rugs from Asia, present a formal, conservative look often associated with the living room, dining room and library. Rugs under the contemporary classification take their inspiration from various places, including Native American culture, modern art and cutting edge technology. If you want a unique look, contemporaries will give it to you.

Country rugs will often be braided or will use rustic, bucolic images. A cook’s kitchen, a room dominated by Early American décor or an informal dining area will often be bedecked in this style. Novelty rugs may focus on a specific theme or subject such as the movies, beach or great wines; embrace a holiday; or reproduce a famous event or work of art. The den, a bedroom, a bath or a hobby room will often host this type of rug.

Color and Pattern

Area rugs are useful in establishing the color palette for an entire room. The range and specificity of colors in rugs seems infinite. Cold hardwood floors are transformed by lush, warm colors, while a gloomy space can find life in sun-inspired shades. A rug with a patterned border and plain center makes sense when a large, central object, such as a table, occupies the center of the room. Looking to create some havoc in an otherwise subdued space? Then go with a techno inspired design or something that Picasso might like.

Size and Shape

Area rug sizes and shapes run the gamut. Some rugs are as small as 6-square feet and others cover an area of over 200-square feet. Do you want one large rug to cover much of your 10 by 12 living room floor or would you rather incorporate various smaller rugs, placing them at various angles? Round, oval, square, rectangle and odd-shaped rugs can accentuate your flair for decorating.

The huge assortment of area rugs now available furnishes dwellers with ample opportunity to creatively express their diverse tastes and decorative acumen. The traditional, maroon Oriental carpet no longer dominates the area rug market. If you’re interested in a unique look that can define a room, consider the innumerable choices in rugs that await your perusal.