Choosing a rug: 7 things you need to keep in mind.
Suppose you are going to propose your loved one. The first thing you’re going to get is a ring, right? But before you go to the jeweler’s shop you will really be considering some facts. What is their finger size, what material should be used, will they like the design, will they be using it regularly or will be just showing off occasionally. Trust me, Buying a perfect rug or a carpet for your new home can be as overwhelming as well because it reflects your personality and lifestyle. So here I will just remind you the checklist you need to follow before buying a home area rug.
1. Rug shape and measurement
Choose what shape of the rug will suite you room the best. Round rugs are for foyers/entrances/ kids room that are more playful. Otherwise most of the rugs and carpets used in bedroom, living room and other spaces are rectangular in shape and are standardized in size. Also if you want to place it in your hallway, you might need a different sized rug.
The measurement is important. Decide if you want your carpet under the furniture or just in the spaces and measure the size accordingly.
Common sizes (approximate) of rectangular rugs are:-
If your room needs some unique size, please let us know we will help you with choosing a best rug and if not available, we will make one, specially for you.
The rugs come in different type of materials. The high quality material includes wool, silk and high quality cotton, but synthetic materials like nylon, polyester, Triexta, olefin, while they can be also woven using jute, sisal, coir, seagrass etc. Â If you are looking for a heirloom rug, go with the silk material, for the areas like hallways and open areas, synthetic material will go better and the natural fibers can be used when you want to give your home a Eco-friendly rustic look. So, choose accordingly after a good research on materials.
3. Rug Colors/ designs/Patterns
Certain rugs are famous for a particular type of designs, Like traditional Persian or Kazakh Rugs will have the detailed pattern filled with redundant, interwoven ornaments, often in form of elaborate spirals and tendrils in a manner, secured by border, where else the modern carpets may have the geometrical design stretching till the outer lines of rug, one basic design may dominate the entire field, or the surface may be covered by a pattern of repeating figures. and the contemporary style carpet can have a design of color splashes.
Beautiful intricate designs mean greater workmanship on the rug, that could easily take 8-10 months with 2-3 weavers working on it on an average. Choose what design will go with the interiors of the house.
Light colored rugs/pastel tones would not just add size to your room and make it look bigger but also match with most of the interiors of your space. And if you want your rug to be the sole focal point in your single tone interior, you can go for a colorful dark color rug.
A quick tip: While purchasing your favorite rug, it doesn’t have to match 100% as long as it compliments, is in sync with the rest of the room and is visually appealing.
There are various designs and patterns one can choose from.
Coming to patterns and textures, there are quite a lot of textures out there, different pile length and many more pattern variants.
4. Legs on or off the rug
This is one aspect where a lot of us get confused whether to keep the legs of the furniture on the carpet or off the carpet. Well, the trick is to be consistent throughout instead of having one side of the carpet with legs and the other side without the legs of the furniture. If you have more room and would like your entire rug to be as visible as possible, then the best bet would be to have the legs off the carpet plus this helps on vacuuming the rug as nicely as possible.
But if the lags are going to be on the one side of the carpet, you might want to rotate the carpet in every few months. One more tip: Even if there is sunlight falling directly on a part of rug, the color will fade away, so to even this process also, you might want to rotate it.
A high traffic area needs a rug that is more durable, stain resistant and has more longevity. Due to this, it is advisable to choose a rug that is double weft, good quality fiber (wool/silk). For low traffic areas like bedroom, one can consider handmade pure silk rectangular rugs to place by the bed front and long runners for bed side. Also you might want to consider if you have any pets who think they-are-a-human-running-around or a toddler.
*Low traffic areas include bedroom, formal dining area and living room, guest room whereas High traffic areas include lounges, casual dining/living room, kid’s room etc.
Rug durability depends on many factors. Earlier we spoke about the material. the second important thing is the weave.
A handmade rug is 5 times more durable than a machine made rug. And if you want something to last for generations and are ready to burn a hall in your pocket, I would recommend buying a hand knotted rug. Another thing is the yarn used in backing and the density of knots per inch. But if you are looking for something that is in your budget and also nice looking, the synthetic material in machine will last for a good span of time.
Sometimes what we plan of and what we can afford are two very different things. My biggest advice is to set a realistic budget on what you can afford but will still very much fit the brief. A rug will live in your space for quite some time – and therefore should be seen as an investment piece. Shop smart! Invest in a good quality product that will stand the test of time. Like anything, it’s easy to get swept away in the moment, and the next thing you know – that vintage Persian rug is on its way to you! Think calmly and pragmatically, and plan out your purchase.
On the other hand, if budget is a constraint and yet you would like to have a beautiful rug that adorns your house each morning, handmade is the way to go since they more durable as opposed to a machine made rug which are short lived.
So, tell me what will be your first and foremost lookout and what else should we check before buying a rug or a carpet?
