Mar 4th, 2010 | Written by marylyn | Posted in Interior Design |

Rugs in general, are pretty sturdy things. They have no moving parts so tend to last longer than you are prepared to keep them around without updating them. Perhaps after 10 years you might need to repair the fringe or edges. So where do you start with buying  new or replacement area rugs?

Color
The color you are after in your rug is down to your personal preference. If you are completely remodelling a room, then choose your area rug first as it easier to find paint and other decor to match than it is the other way around. If however, you just want to go for an instant transformation by adding a new rug, then you will need to find one with either the dominant or accent colors to tie your existing color scheme together. Have a flick through some home magazines to get an idea of which colors work well together.

Design
There are an endless amount of designs that feature on rugs but broad categories are as follows: (i) solid colors with or without borders, (ii) geometric patterns with straight lines making different shapes, (iii) curvilinear patterns featuring smooth curved lines and (iv) picture rugs with images of anything you can think of. Patterns can be complicated or much less fussy so you will not be stuck for choice.

Size
You need to decide on where your new rug is going to lay to determine the size needed. If it will be bordered by furniture it should be big enough to come up quite close. If it is to cover an entire room, you should allow for a border of 18-36 inches. If it is to go under a table, it should be big enough so that the chair legs stay on the rug even when pushed back.

Ordering Online
If you are ordering a rug from an online retailer, the colors of the rug may look quite different in real life from the picture on your monitor. If possible, order the smallest rug they do in the design you like so you can test the look in your own home. Then return it for a refund and order the real size that you need.

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