Archive for the tag 'Bedside Rug'

Classic Or Kitschy, Bedside Rugs Add Fashion To A Bedroom

Michelle February 17th, 2010

When you swing your legs out of bed every morning, you don’t want the shock of having your feet hit cold bare flooring. One of the nicest elements of luxury you can add to your bedroom environment is a bedside rug.

There are so many colors, styles and fabrics to choose from, shopping for just the right rug may feel a little dizzying. Making a checklist of things to consider ahead of time will help you in evaluating the kinds of area rugs that are most suitable for bedside service.

Bedside rugs fall under the category of area rug, and may be just a small 2 feet by 3 feet mat or a more pampering and generously sized 3 by 5-foot rug or 2 foot by 6 foot runner. Because this is a rug you’ll walk on with bare feet, you may want to limit your choices to cotton rugs which are among the softest in feel, thick shag pile or a cushy polypropelin/olefin blend.

Stand next to your bed and measure the area of the floor directly adjacent to the bed. Will you be satisfied with just a small bedside rug or would you prefer a bedside rug that allows your bare feet to walk in comfort all the way down the side of the bed. Rugs in the store can look smaller or larger than they will actually appear in your bedroom and you don’t want to make the mistake of selecting a bedroom rug which looks like it belongs in a dollhouse, or an oversized rug that’s not in proportion to the rest of the room and its furnishings.

Consider purchasing a 9 by 12 rug to place under the bed, with 3 feet sticking out on each side to serve as a bedside rug. Or you can purchase two 7 to 9 foot-long runners to place on either side of the bed, or select a 4 by 6 foot accent rug positioned on the floor near the head of the mattress.

Determine a budget before shopping for bedside rugs. Perhaps you just want an inexpensive machine washable bedside rug that you’ll replace every year or so. Or are you willing to invest in a more expensive rug for the side of your bed such as a hand knotted, hand tufted or hand hooked rug that will serve as a work of art.

Be sure that your rug matches the room’s decor. An Oriental rug will look out of place if your furniture is Colonial, and a cozy braided rag rug won’t match bedroom decor that is sleek and modern.

Rugs made using natural fibers such as silk, sisal, wool, bamboo, jute and cotton tend to last the longest but are also more expensive. More affordable synthetic fibers including nylon, acrylic and olefin can be just as durable and are available in a wide variety of colors to match your existing decor. Whatever rug material you select, be sure the rug’s colors are a good match for your bed linens and has a non-skid backing if you are placing it atop a concrete, tile or hardwood flooring surface.

A bedside rug can often add an elegant finishing touch to the master bedroom and every guest bedroom of a home.

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The Many Reasons to Buy a Round Rug

Michelle September 8th, 2009

What shape comes to mind when you think of rugs? Square? Rectangular? Oval? How about circular? Square and rectangular rugs are by far the most common and probably will be as most rooms are this shape (unless you live in a windmill or lighthouse). Oval rugs were once fairly popular but went out of style long ago and are now seen to be outdated and unfashionable. But have you ever encountered a round rug? Some of you may have but round rugs are actually quite rare. However, they are now becoming more popular as a bold and unconventional design statement.

Why the circular shaped rug is becoming more desirable is obvious. Today’s design strategies are all about making bold statements, often using simple geometric shapes. The boring rectangle is out and the circle is in as sharp lines make way for more interesting curves.

Retro styling also makes use of circles, in a hint towards the contemporary design styles of the 1970s and 80s. This is another way in which round area rugs have become popular.

So there you have it, circular rugs make a bold design statement and are becoming increasingly popular. But where in your home would you place such a rug? You might think that a rug of this shape would have limited use but the more you think about it the more opportune places will become apparent. Here are some of the more obvious uses.

Living Room
Circular rugs can be a great focal point for a living room, either in front of the fire or in the center of a seating area.

In addition, circular rugs can be used as a highlighting feature underneath certain items of furniture, chairs and lamps for example, or underneath large ornamental items. There is also an obvious advantage to those with round coffee tables.

Kitchen/Dining Area
Underneath round dining tables in kitchens and dining rooms is an ideal place for a hardwearing circular rug. An 8′ round rug or a smaller 6′ round rug would work perfectly under a dining room or kitchen table.

Bathroom
The bathroom is just as good a place for a circular rug as any where else. You could use a round bath rug as a mat to soak up water, at the foot of your sink, or simply in the center of the room.

Hallway
A round area rug might be successfully employed in a large hallway or to help break up other large spaces.

Round Rooms
Some houses (particularly older ones) may feature round rooms, often on the second or third floor. A square or rectangular rug might look out of place in this type of room.

Zoning
Rugs can be a good way to separate a large room into separate spaces. A large round rug in one corner of a room could be used to designate a reading area, a TV area or a separate dining area.

So there you have it – some of the many potential uses of circular rugs. The important thing to remember is that they add interest to a room, no matter where or how they are placed.

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Round Rugs in Contemporary Home Design

Michelle September 8th, 2009

What comes to mind when you think of rugs? Large square rugs which take up almost an entire room? Small bedside or bathroom rugs perhaps? Luxurious shag pile? Oval shaped rugs in front of the fire? Whatever comes instantly into your mind when you think of rugs, I’ll bet it’s not round rugs.

Round rugs were once incredibly rare. Oval shaped rugs have been popular in the past but these went out of style a long time ago and are now seen as being out dated and undesirable. Contemporary design favors the aesthetic of simple geometric shapes such as the circle. Because of this, circular rugs have become increasingly popular.

Circular rugs are well suited to many contemporary spaces, in the center of a seating area for example, perhaps beneath a circular coffee table or as a centerpiece for the room. The few people who have round dining tables may also consider a round rug for their dining areas.

Smaller round rugs can also add interest to under dressed areas of a room, such as an empty corner. For example, a standard lamp or tall case can fill an awkward space but these items can sometimes look as though they are missing something. Placing a small rug underneath will solve this problem and can help to break up the angular nature of a room.

Rugs are also useful for creating different areas within one larger room. Professional designers refer to this technique as ‘zoning’ and typically use square or rectangular rugs to create the illusion of separate spaces. Round area rugs do the job just as well, however, and will create a more casual look. This works equally well in large spaces, where bold design ideas will have a greater impact, and small spaces where square rugs would cause zones to overlap.

The issue of rugs in contemporary design is often considered to be a matter of taste, with various styles of rug coming in and out of style throughout the years. But the fact is that rugs offer many advantages. Aside from ‘zoning’ rugs allow you to keep the stylish effect of exposed floorboards whilst giving you a warm spot to rest your feet. They are also usually much less expensive that fitted carpets (depending on which style of rug you choose).

Rugs are also easy to clean. Most smaller rugs can be machine washed and larger rugs are usually no harder to clean than a standard carpet. They can also be shaken or beaten outside as a quick alternative, removing the need for vacuum cleaning and keeping your home free of dust and dirt.

If you have never considered buying a round area rug before now, perhaps this article will give you something to think about. Round rugs are available in many stores and in as many sizes and styles as you could wish for, be it a round bath rug, or a round shag rug. Another popular option is round braided rugs; my grandma had a few in her house. Large or small. Contemporary, classic or retro – you are sure to find a circular rug to suit your personal taste and the décor of your home.

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Me, My Cat and My Shag Rug

Michelle September 8th, 2009

Those of you with uncarpeted wooden floors in your bedroom will understand me when I say that the feel of a cold floor against your feet on a morning is, whilst invigorating, very unpleasant. Of course that’s what slippers were invented for, only they never seem to be in the same place as you left them the night before. It is my belief that a mischievous family of mice come to move them whilst we are sleeping in what must be an international conspiracy (also involving the underpants-gnomes and the squirrels who steal socks leaving you with only odd pairs). The other alternative is a shag rug, and this offers many advantages as I, myself discovered.

I did have an old rug by my bedside, long ago, but I found it to be more of a nuisance than a comfort. It was more of a throw than a rug really. It refused to grip to my polished floors and would not stay in one place. This was dangerous if nothing else. It also had a tendency to move about during the night like my slippers, although I quickly realized that this was because my cat enjoyed sliding about the room on it, crawling underneath it and being generally childish. I grew tired of retrieving and straightening it so it was relegated to the only place it deserved to be – underneath the cat’s basket.

After some persuasion by my boyfriend, however, I did buy myself a new shag area rug. This time it was a nice, thick and heavily shag pile rug. Being much more modern it had a special underside that prevented it from slipping. It’s fury appearance did, at first, make my cat more prone to attacking it but he quickly grew to love it.

There really is nothing quite like the feel of a warm shag rug first thing in the morning.

I never had any of these problems when I slept at my boyfriend’s place (he’s more of a dog person for one). His apartment was always warm and inviting. And not just the bedroom. When the time came to redecorate my house I considered how it was that he had made his small apartment feel so comfortable and how I could achieve the same effect. Not surprisingly, I realized that it was his use of shag rugs that really made the difference. He had shag area rugs in almost every room. That I went out and bought several new round shag rugs of my own seems almost pointless now, as not four months later we decided to move in together. Now we have more shag pile rugs than we could possibly need.

The great thing about rugs is that they provide the warmth of a carpet without entirely concealing your wooden floors. They are also easy to clean. A round shag rug can be machine washed or washed by hand. For larger rugs, special rug cleaning services are available. Of course, rugs can also be taken outside and beaten or shaken, keeping them free of dust and dirt. The other advantage over fitted carpets is that rugs do not require any expensive fitting costs, meaning that you can change them whenever you like.

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