What to Consider When Shopping For Area Rugs

Versatile and easy to care for, area rugs are a great way to give a room an instant make over. Whether you are starting from scratch or replacing existing floor coverings, here are a few things that you should think about when you are shopping. Keeping some of these guidelines in mind when you hit the stores and the internet, will help you narrow down the many choices available and pick the one that best suits your needs.

The first thing to think about is the size that you need. You may find that choosing to place some smaller area rugs into a room may be more feasible and more affordable than going with one large rug. It can also allow you to divide a space up into several distinct areas. A good example of this would be a living room-dining room combination. By using two different area rugs that complement each other in terms of shape, pattern and color, you can easily divide one room into two separate areas. You can often find contemporary area rugs, which utilize different color variations of the same pattern. This can be a great way to maintain a very coordinated look while visually dividing any room into separate sections.

Shape is a more flexible dimension as compared to rug size. Area rugs are available in many different shapes, from oval and round to square and rectangular. When you are choosing a rug, make sure you select one that is large enough to accommodate the furniture in an area. This may be an issue with rugs that are oval or round. You may find that in order to handle all of the furniture in one area, you will end up with a round or oval area rug that is larger than what you initially intended. This may make them less appropriate for some areas than a square or rectangular rug may be.

You want to think about how much abuse a rug is likely to get when you are choosing one for a room. Some high traffic areas may need more durable area rugs than areas that are less frequently used. The last thing you want to do is to place a delicate rug in an area that may get a lot of foot traffic. It will need to be cleaned frequently and may sustain damage that can cause it to wear out more quickly than you might like. In areas where there are children or pets, for example, you may want to look for more durable acrylic rugs or rugs made of braided cotton that can be washed easily and which will wear very well.

When you are choosing colors, look for ones that will complement the other items in the room where the rug will be placed. If you are planning a room from scratch, this can be easy. You can use the rug as a focal point and build your interior around it. However, if you are trying to coordinate area rugs with existing furniture, you may want to bring swatches or fabric samples with you so that you can compare the way the rug looks.