Create a Bold Look With Area Rugs

Chris Sharp shows the bold new look of area rugs. He gives design tips for purchasing rugs, using bold patterns and guidelines for picking the right size rug for a room.

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Filed under: Rugs, Flooring

Hand-knotted wool creations are made to last a lifetime. When adding a rug to a room, Sharp suggests starting with one you like as you'll have it a long time and using fewer patterns on the fabrics in a room if the rug itself has a lot of pattern in it.

Ready to begin decorating around your rug? Getting the size right is really important. If the rug is too big for the room, it will make the room look smaller so leave a couple of feet around it. Although there are no rules, it's good to have at least the front two legs of a sofa on a rug because that anchors it. Be sure that a dining room rug is large enough so that the chairs are still on it when pulled out (allow at least two feet for that).

Knot count refers to how many knots there are in a rug in a certain area--the higher the knot count, the longer it takes to weave the rug because it's more work. However, that doesn't make a lot of difference in the actual quality of the rug. It will be strong either way, but it will be slightly stronger if it has a high knot count.

If the rug has a simple design, a high knot count isn't something to worry about. Check for quality by looking at the back of the rug. To see if it's handmade, flip it over and look to see if the knots are quite uneven. If you can't see the knots on the back, it's probably not handmade. Plus, the finer the rug, the clearer the design will be on the back.

Turn a rug every six months if it's in direct sunlight to get an even amount of exposure.

Finally, if a rug sheds when you get it home, don't panic. A lot of high-quality rugs will shed for a month or so.