Hobbies & Crafts

Now that the Christmas season is behind us, we're looking around and somehow everything looks drabber now without all the holiday decorations. The freezing weather is keeping us inside, so we're starting to get a bit of cabin fever and wishing for some new surroundings. Not that we want to move, and a vacation is out of the question for our family right now, so the next best thing is to work on the interior design a bit. One way to give a room an instant face-lift and add extra warmth and beauty is by adding rugs.

While small scatter rugs are very versatile and can add dashes of color in a room, we love the impact from adding area rugs to a room. Area rugs are among a designer's best friends because, if correctly chosen and placed, they accomplish so much so easily.

If you find a rug you truly love, allow it to serve as a focal point in the room. This works well with a rug that has an especially artistic or eye-pleasing design. The other pieces in the room would then be chosen with the rug in mind, suiting it in style, scale, and color. If you want your rug to appear especially bold within the room, everything else should be a more muted version of the same color palette so as not to overwhelm the rug itself. This method can turn your rug into a conversation piece.

If your room already has a lot of detail or furnishings, you would do better to choose a rug that has a more subdued pattern and/or colors. Often a symmetrical design works better in rooms such as these. In this case, it is better to choose a rug which will complement the room, rather than one that competes to be a focal point on its own. Rugs can also serve as detail that subtly reinforces a major element in the room. If the fireplace is the focal point, choose a rug with a repetitive design that slightly mimics the brickwork. If a carved medallion is the focal point, consider a medallion rug design, but in a subtle hue. The idea is to support and complement the overall design rather than clash or compete with it.

Color also influences the feel and size of the room and area. Light colors make an area feel larger, while darker colors draw it in, but can make it feel more cozy. Size is important as well. If you are choosing a rug to go under a dining room table, select one that is a several feet larger than the table itself. If you are creating a conversation area with your rug, it is usually best to let the furniture sit on the edges of the rug rather than arrange them around the border without letting them touch the rug.

Rugs can serve as a way to divide a room, or create oases within a large room for particular purposes (such as the one under the dining room table and in the conversation area mentioned above). They can also be used to direct traffic, such as by using a long runner type rug along one wall you wish people to walk along within a room, or down a hallway. These "traffic rugs" are best chosen in a dark color and dense pile and will need to be able to stand up to wear.

There are so many designs available now, often in different sizes, shapes, and colors, that you should be able to find something to suit any decor you choose. Besides Oriental rugs, you can find those with a southwest influence, floral designs, medallions, subtle natural styles, florals, botanicals, cottage styles, geometrics, funky and contemporary designs, patchwork, arts-and-crafts, and so many more. Any color scheme can be matched, in either bold or more subtle hues, to complement any room.

One thing we would suggest is that if you plan to make a number of updates to a room, it is best to choose your rug early in the scheme of things, and let the colors of the rug guide you in your selection of fabrics for upholstery, curtains or drapes, accessories, etc. and after those are selected, choose your paint color. The reason is that it is easier to find a fabric that coordinates with your rug than vice-versa, and paint is completely effortless to match, so it should always be the last in terms of final selection. You can of course have a wall color in mind, we are simply suggesting that you choose the other elements before you pay to have the actual paint mixed.

Happy decorating!!!