Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Using Modern Rugs To Help You Decorate

By Hilary Wakefield

One of the easiest ways to beautify, revitalize and upgrade your home is to decorate with area rugs. Elements of a room can be tied together; add much-needed warmth to the feel and look of floor tiles, stone or concrete; protect carpets and hardwood flooring; create a focal point and add a dramatic aspect with color and design to every room. Area rugs are completely mobile and can be moved from room to room, to a new house and can be changed with the seasons. Inevitably, area rugs provide great interest to the home decorator.

When selecting rugs, color is probably the most important element to consider and should be your top priority when making a selection. Choose subtle designs and neutral colors for rooms that are already full of bright colors. A bright rug with a dramatic design can add a splash of color to a room with soft and neutral tones. If a room has dominant or accent colors, opt for a rug that repeats this theme if you are looking to enhance a color scheme. If a color scheme has yet to be chosen, choose the rug first and decorate the room around it.

Patterns on the wallpaper, curtains, cushions and other fabrics do not want to clash with the pattern on a rug. A room will appear more spacious with light colors and dark colors will add warmth. Dark colors and detailed patterns will not show dirt as much as light colors and are especially beneficial if placed in heavy traffic areas and the home has children and/or pets.

When choosing an area rug for the bathroom, ensure the colors are compatible with the bathmat colors. If the rug is going to be underfoot when stepping out of the shower or bath, then ensure your chosen rug will not react adversely to moisture. If choosing a rug for the bathroom, kitchen, hall or child's room it is important to consider its maintenance. Select a rug that is easy to clean and stain resistant with designs and colors that do not show dirt.

Adding padding underneath will not only extend the life of a rug; it will also help the rug absorb sound, be easier to vacuum and keep it from moving. A thin under-pad coated rug is the best choice if placing a rug over wall-to-wall carpeting.

If the rug will be covering most of the flooring then you want to have the rug be showing the same amount on each side. Even if you have a closet or fireplace in the room or if the room is not the same size all the way around. If you can't make all four sides balance out you need to at least make sure that two of the sides exposed are balanced out.

You should expose at least two feet behind furniture. This will show your area for conversation. Make sure that the front legs of your furniture are on the rug.

If you have a large rug, don't worry about it being centered in the bedroom. Just make sure that the floor is showing equally on at least two or three sides. Allow eighteen to twenty four inches to extend beyond your dining room table. If you are placing your area rug under the coffee table make sure to fit the table on it with the rest of the furniture placed equally away from it.

If you want to lay everything out before you begin, masking tape is the best way to define the space and help you make sure that it is balanced before you actually lay down the area rug. You can lay out bed sheets or paper if you want to use that for furniture.

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