The Amazingly Versatile Area Rug

A simple area rug is one of the most versatile and valuable design tools a homeowner will ever find. Whether you're covering, accenting, hiding, or staging, this little carpet is pure gold. It can make an area look bigger, or smaller, and add life to a tired room.

Here are some decorating ideas to help get your creative carpet juices flowing.

For those large rooms with sparse furnishings, a big area rug can add interest to a room and fill in some of the empty space. Make sure the size is neither too big nor too small. The colors should reflect the theme of your house.

Place the carpet in such a way that the furniture can be arranged on the rug. Leave enough space around the carpet so that the floor around the wall is exposed. Suddenly, your room will appear half full instead of half empty.

Open concept floor plans are all the rage in most new neighborhoods, and area rugs can help define spaces without building walls. Take a great room for example, where a living room, dining room and possibly a kitchen are all open. Place a more formal carpet under your dining room table, again slightly smaller than the room, so there is space from the walls.

Separate this with a different area rug (same decorating scheme), in the TV area, and now you have two rooms with no walls. The furniture is anchored to that area and appears like a unique space.

Carpets can also be used to open up entrances and add character. A long narrow runner can add depth to a small foyer and create a walkway to adjacent rooms.

Adding a small rug to the entrance and perhaps a small bench defines the space where someone can enter before removing their shoes. Adding a long narrow rug to the front of a patio door also offers a place to wipe or remove shoes upon entry.

The most common use of area rugs is probably as accents to add interest to different areas of the home.

In the bathroom, try adding two small rugs in front of a double vanity to emphasize the features. A long runner, on the other hand, emphasizes the length of the cabinet.

A long runner down a hall or in a room can expand the area as your eye is drawn down the length of the carpet.

Don't be hesitant to combine solids and bright patterns as long as you remain true to your color scheme. A large, bold pattern can be a focal point in an otherwise neutral shaded room.

In addition to the decorating benefits of an area rug, they also help to muffle sound from voices and reduce foot traffic noise in areas with hard surfaces.

Walking on a soft carpet just plain feels good, and an area rug gives you that luxury in a home that would otherwise be full of floors made from wood or other hard material. It adds warmth and gives you a spot to sit or stretch out and generally creates a more intimate setting.

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