Know What You Like

There are so many choices when it comes to style, color and overall look that it’s important to narrow down to a few ideas, but not just one: it’s good to be open to options, as you might be surprised by what actually works best in your space.

Besides just the simple “traditional vs. contemporary” condition, think about the density of pattern (busy vs. simple), hard geometric edges vs. flowing lines, bold designs vs. subtle ones, a conversation starter piece vs. a nice background to your furniture.

Visit our showroom with some magazine clippings or your Pinterest board, and we’ll help you narrow down the options.

Think About Context

We all love to browse interior design magazines, blogs, and tv-shows; these can be great sources of inspiration for your next rug purchase. When looking for styles that you are attracted to, remember to also keep in mind the context: does the room mimic your personal decor?

A rug can look drastically different in different environments, so try to look for inspiration that’s in the same vein as the space your trying to decorate.

Understand the different types of rug

Rugs come in a variety of materials and techniques. On our site and in store, you’ll see terms like “Hand-Knotted,” “Hand-Loomed,” “Hand-Woven,” or “Power Loomed.” These all reference the technique used to make the rug. There are marked differences in look and price to each technique, as well as differences in durability and functionality. Materially, you’ll see wool, cotton, silk, viscose, bamboo and more. Each of these has different maintenance requirements and price points. Read up on our blog pages about these topics to get a feel for what you want to look for in store and online.

Hand-made rugs are crafted from techniques that give structural integrity to pieces: hand-knotted rugs are made from hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of threads knotted to the rug’s cotton or wool foundation. Hand-woven rugs are made by repeatedly passing a warp through the carpet’s weft. These techniques insure that every part of the rug is integral to the rug’s structure, and therefore, less likely to come apart. With tufted and hooked rugs, a tufting gun is used to shoot fabric “tufts” through a plastic grid. These rugs need to be backed with a polymer or glue to keep the tufts in place. Machine-made rugs are made at incredible speed on a machine similar to a newspaper ream, and usually from polymer-based materials to survive this process.

Sizing

As it turns out, this is one of the hardest parts of picking a rug! There are some rules of thumb to help you find the right size for your room, but these rules are also based on preferences: do you want an accent look or a carpeted look? Are you trying to frame the rug with your floors or overshadow your flooring? Rugs come in a number of typical sizes, such as 5’x8’, 6’x9’, 8’x10’ and more, but also in some odd sizes that fall outside of these molds. Your best option is to measure the major piece of furniture in the room, and discuss with sales staff what best compliments this piece of furniture. We have a sizing blog that will give you some direction on how to measure, and what to hone in on.

Ready to start browsing for your next area rug? Shop our vast collection of handmade rugs.

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