Resources About Area Rugs & Flooring

 

Choosing the Right Size Area Rug for A Room
This article on Decorating Studio posits the idea that choosing the right size rug shouldn't be much of a problem for space or room, so why is it? The problem, it says, is that there are no so many rules of thumb about the correct size, that there are not numerous opposing opinions out there, is this is not helpful. So while a size chart of rug sizes for room dimensions is provided, the goal of this article is provide some basic facts about rug size versus room size, and to acknowledge that there are no hard rules here. In other words, it's your decision what you want your home and the effect of a rug to look like. Here's a few concepts discussed: Most people think leaving 18 inches of bare floor space around a rugs makes the room look better proportioned, and this can be smaller the smaller the room size. It's recommended to arrange your furniture before deciding what size your new rug will be. Generally, it makes a room look more pulled together for all the legs of the furniture to rest on a room-sized area rug. Or if it's a small rug, you may want all the furniture legs to be off the rug instead. Thus, all legs on, or all legs off, as a rule of thumb. For a rug under a dining room or other table, consider having the rug extend 24 inches from the edge of the table out on all side; this makes it easier to maneuver the chairs. For a rug under a bed, consider having it extend at least 18 inches beyond a King or Queen bed, and at least 12 inches for a Full or Twin. Another rule of thumb is it's generally considered awkward for a heavy traffic area to be half rug and half no rug—you don't want one foot on the rug, and one foot off as you walk the area frequently.

Braided Rugs
Marge's Braided Rugs is an excellent commercial site to learn all about braided rugs. Marge custom makes every rug she sells, so no two are alike, doing it the old fashioned way, completely by hand. Designing a braided rug is an art form, and she makes some of her most popular rug patterns available on the site. Each pattern has two parts. Part one gives the number of feet of strand for each color in the rung and the number of yards of material needed for that color. The material needed is based on 60" wide yardage using her 4" wide strand method. An additional 10 percent has been added to allow for different tension in braiding and lacing by different braiders. Each pattern contains information for three different sized rugs. The second part of the pattern shows the colors for the 3 braid strands in each row. Available for purchase on the site is a set of two DVDs created by Marge on how to make a braided rug. At the end of the videos, you should have made a braided rug, and once you've mastered the content, you should be able to make any size, style or color of any oval or round braided rug.

All You Need to Know About Rugs
All You Need to Know About Rugs is the slogan of the website RugChick.com. While that may be an overstatement,there's a lot of good information here, especially in the For Rug Owners section. Topics include what to do about pet urine, bugs, storage, shag rugs, rug dyes and what makes them bleed, what you need to know about synthetic rugs, and more. This site offers hints, tips and advice on purchase, use and care of a wide variety of area rugs and other types of rugs. Area rugs come in a number of colors and a variety of styles, everything from braided, to shag, to wool, to woven, to hooked and many other sytles. Area rugs are designed to cover just a small area. When purchasing an area rug always measure the area that needs to be covered first and never buy on impulse. Color and size should be prdetermined ahead of time. Know ahead of time what kind of area rug you are looking for, hand knotted, woollen, woven, braided, hooked, tufted, rag, Oriental, shag, Flotaki, Sisal, Tibetan, Persian, etc. Know the shape as well as the size you are looking for before you start your purchase. It makes a great deal of difference whether you are looking for a square, round, oval or some other shape to fit into a particular place. Be aware that older rugs often cost more than newer rugs, but be further aware that some rug dealers give their rugs a chemical wash to make them appear older (and more valuable) than they really are. Lastly, when you buy a rug of any type, be sure to ask the dealer for specific instructions for washing and cleaning the rug.

8 Secrets to Pairing Patterns With an Oriental Rug
With plaids, florals and stripes, a good Oriental rug can stand up to almost any other pattern. Using photos to illustrate, this article offers advice to help master the effect. The first tip is to keep patterns in the same color family. It creates visual echoes that can hold different patterns together in a pleasing way. You can celebrate the art of the clash, and show so swagger, as long as you don't go overboard with too many mismatched patterns. By including neutrals, you can dilute the effect and keep patterns from overwhelming each other. Another tip is to keep the setting monochromatic. In the accompanying photo, the walls, draperies, sofas, pillows and flooring all have a similar orange case, which lets the rug stand out. Tip #5 is to combine classics. Timeless patterns (plaids, zebra, paisley) and classic motifs and pieces will always work together, it says. Another idea is to repeat rug colors in the furniture. This way other patterns can be thrown into the mix, while the overall effect is still unified. Pay attention to scale is tip #7, with a photo showing how a medium-scale pattern on the rug contrasts with a much smaller one on a chair and a larger one on the draperies. By varying the scale, you can provide an ebb-and-flow energy that enlivens the room. Finally, it's recommended to add a little whimsy, showing a rooster print on an armchair with an oriental rug in a cottage-meets-traditional setting.

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Here are resources of interest to collectors of area rugs.


 


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