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The perfect Area Rug selection can completely transform your home and provide style to your home.  Adding a pop of color, trending towards a new style, defining a space or providing acoustical absorption the use is almost as endless as the designs.

That is why I am so excited to announce a new way to shop for rugs directly from our website, www.davegriggs-flooringamerica.com/area-rug .  This easy platform allows you to shop by color, style, size or price and once you have found your perfect fit it ships directly to your front door!

But a large part of our work with clients is guiding them to the perfect flooring that fits their needs; to do this we ask a wide range of questions about the placement, traffic, uses and expectations of the product, so I wanted to provide some useful tips for choosing the perfect rug for your space.

The most popular material in rugs is wool but synthetics and viscose make up a huge market share as well.  When asked what is the best choice in a rug wool often wins with its natural attributes of strength, comfort, easy care, fire resistance and sustainability, but there are many grades of wool.  Generally wool from sheep that are from higher altitudes and sheared less often are the highest quality.  Because natural fibers are made in staple yarns lower quality wool can have a shedding effect that leads to fuzzing and filling your vacuum.  Wool rugs can come with a higher price tag but will withstand many years of everyday wear.  Synthetic fibers such as nylon, polyester, polypropylene and viscose can be a good choice for areas where you want to change rugs more often or where rugs can be more exposed to weather elements.  Viscose is usually blended with other fibers to give the feel and look of silk, nylon rugs can hold up the toughest of households while polyester and polypropylene are great for easy clean up.  To keep your rug investment at its best I recommend a rug cushion or liner, this will help the rug not only to lay flat and keep it from slipping it will also protect your flooring surface.  Also, remember that wood and fibers change color with UV exposure so don't be surprised if your flooring appears darker under a rug that has been in place for a while.

Size matters when it comes to rugs so make sure you are ordering the right size for the area, the number one mistake for most people is getting a rug that is too small.  Small rugs can make a room look out of scale.  A basic rule of thumb when working with furniture and rugs is at least two legs should be on the rug, but don’t forget to show off your floors too.  When you buy a room size rug, subtract 3 feet from the width and length, leaving the floor bare at the edges will make your room look larger.  Runners should be 4 inches narrower than your hallway and 18 to 24 inches shorter.

You can use a rug as a focal point of a room, it is the perfect way to incorporate boldness or create a sense of harmony between rooms.  Use an unexpected pop of color in a rug then coordinate and incorporate with elements to give new life to an old space. Or pull colors from throughout your spaces for a constant theme.  If you are unsure of where to begin tribal rugs are understated and versatile.  They incorporate many muted tones and colors to diversify your space.  Don’t spend hours trying to match the perfect color.  It doesn’t happen in nature and if you try to hard it will look artificial so harmonize but don’t duplicate.

Rugs can also be a key element to define or separate areas such as seating or dining areas or foyers.  This is especially useful in larger rooms or open concept floor plans.   Don’t assume your rug needs to be rectangle, let the way your furniture groups dictate the shape, many styles come in round, square and even octagon.   When using multiple rugs or layering rugs it’s better to complement each in style, too many patterns can create a visual discord.

What if you have a rug you love but it is too small for your area?  Layer it!  Use a nice neutral base such as a jute or sisal that is the proper size then layer with the smaller rug.  This technique can also be used when using a rug in a wall to wall carpeted area.

Rugs are more than just a focal point of your room they provide texture and warmth under foot.  It can give your room the “finished” feel and soften spaces that can sometimes look cavernous like long hallways.  They also are a key component in sound and noise reduction.  As the trend of less carpet and a shift to hard surface flooring in common areas has swept the home industry we find our clients are surprised at the increase sound or echo effect in the space.  Rugs help absorb the sound frequency that can echo through wood and tile flooring spaces.

Are you ready to shop?  Pinterest and Houzz can provide a lot of inspiration, also taking a mental inventory of your fabric swatches, paint chips and flooring colors.  Now look around your space are there colors in accessories or art work you want to pull from?  If you feel your décor is looking a little dated is there a color trending that would incorporate with your existing pieces?  There is no limit to your creativity for making Happy Spaces! www.davegriggs-flooringamerica.com/area-rug