Rug Blog

Michelle September 8th, 2009

If your house or apartment lacks carpeting you will know that there is nothing worse than pulling yourself out of bed in the morning and having to set your bed-warmed feet onto a cold floor. But don’t worry, rugs are back in style and you won’t have to suffer the shock of ice-cold floors anymore.

That’s right – rugs are back! For some time it was fashionable to fully expose your wooden floors (and wooden floors and other original features are still as stylish as ever) but such bland and frankly impractical styles of décor are no longer preferred by most. People are now instead choosing to make the most of their floors by augmenting them with contemporary rugs.

A contemporary rug is not only stylish but also practical too. They’re easy to clean, can be easily removed when the time comes to clean or vacuum your floors, and they can be quickly shaken or beaten outside, negating the need for vacuuming. If you are the kind of person who likes to shake things up a little and you change the layout or décor of your home regularly, rugs are the perfect way to alternate styles and color schemes without the expense of fitted carpets.

If you are a bit of a style guru then you probably already know about the concept of zoning. If not, then this is something that would be useful to learn, particularly I you have an open plan home or studio apartment. Zoning is a technique used by professional interior designers to create the illusion of different spaces within one room. One effective way to do this is by using a contemporary area rug to indicate different areas. Using several rugs in one room can have the psychological effect of dividing the larger space into separate zones with individual uses. Dining areas and sitting areas for example, or a separate area for reading or relaxing.

Of course the specific use of a room or area will help to determine what type of rug you will use. Contemporary area rugs are available in a variety of styles, including some modern interpretations of the classics. For the bedroom there can be nothing better than nice contemporary wool rugs to give you that feeling of warmth and luxuriance when you step out of bed in a morning. This type of rug is also ideal for a cozy seating area, the thick pile providing a feeling of warmth and comfort during a relaxing evening by the fire (or TV). A rug with a shorter pile would be more appropriate for a dining area or a ‘high traffic’ area such as a hallway.

There really is nothing quite like stepping barefoot from the cold of a wooden or tiled floor onto the warmth of a rug. Because of this, rugs have never been out of style for very long. Wherever there is a wooden floor, large room or open plan space, the décor will never be truly complete without a stylish contemporary rug.

Tags: Area Rug Contemporary, Contemporary Rug, Contemporary Rugs, Heavy Pile, High Traffic, Rug, Rugs, Shorter Pile, Warm Feet, Zoning

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Michelle September 8th, 2009

Is there something missing from your home? Some crucial design feature that you just can’t quite put your finger on. Perhaps an area of one room seems a little bare, lacks color or interest, or simply needs to be aesthetically enhanced. If this is something that you can relate to, then perhaps what you need is a throw rug.

Throw rugs have been a part of American home design since time immemorial. They can add a touch of interest or a splash of color, even a touch of class or a hint of taste to any room in which they are placed. They also help to keep our feet warm and our floors clean. Their incredible popularity and their long history has bred an unbelievable variety of rugs throughout the years. This variety of styles, shapes and sizes means that there is a rug for every area of every home, from bedrooms to bathrooms and dining rooms to dens, and a rug to suit every style of home décor, from classic to contemporary and tribal to traditional.

A well chosen and well placed throw rug will not only help toad interest and aesthetic appeal to your home by looking good in its own right, but it will also enhance the existing décor of a room – this means that rugs can have a double aesthetic function.

But of course rugs are about more than just aesthetics, they also have several practical functions. Let’s take a look at some of the many advantages offered by throw rugs now.

Easy to Clean
One of the best things about rugs is that they are easy to clean, they can be vacuumed and washed just like a larger carpet. Some can even be machine washed. The advantage of throw rugs here is that they are usually much smaller than area rugs and so can be easily taken outside and shaken or beaten. This will remove excess dust and dirt.

In the Bathroom
Rugs can be used in the bathroom, by the side of the bath, shower or underneath a sink. This will help to collect any water that you might spill, absorbing it rather than allowing it to damage your floors. Kitchen throw rugs can also be used near the sink to catch any stray drips from washing dishes or the like. Nearly all bathroom and kitchen rugs are washable throw rugs because of their size and rubberized backing.

High Traffic Areas
Some areas of our home are used more than others, in particular hallways and corridors that provide access to other rooms. These are known as ‘high traffic’ areas. Carpeting in these areas can quickly become worn from overuse. It often makes sense to cover high traffic areas with rugs so as to extend the life o your carpet.

Protecting your Carpets and Floors
In addition to protecting your carpets from wear and tear, employing a rug will have the effect of protecting your floor from accidental spills and stains.

Say Goodbye to Cold Feet
The main reason for the incredible popularity of rugs is their propensity to keep our feet warm. Whether a rug is by your sofa, in front of your fireplace, on a cold kitchen floor or by the side of your bed, it will add an extra dimension of comfort and warmth. There is nothing worse than climbing out of bed on a morning and having cold feet!

Tags: Bathroom Rugs, High Traffic, Rug, Rug Beating, Rug Cleaning, Rugs, Splash Of Color, Throw Rug, Throw Rugs, Tribal Rugs, Warm Feet

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Michelle September 8th, 2009

If you are in the market for a new rug you will know that finding the rug for you is not a simple task. There are so many different types of rug to choose from it can be difficult to know where to begin.

If, however, you are looking for a practical, durable but stylish rug (and durability is often regarded as a key feature by those buying rugs) then a sisal rug could be exactly what you need. This type of rug is famous for it’s fantastic durability and has been used for hundreds of years, making it a design classic.

So just what is sisal exactly?

Sisal is a fiber extracted from the sisal plant, native to Central America. It’s fibers are among the strongest plant fibers can be found in the natural world and have been used for centuries in the manufacture of ropes, twine, cloth, carpets and, of course, Sisal rugs. The plant is cultivated largely in Brazil but also in parts of Africa.

Whilst in Brazil the industry has been criticized for having a negative effect on the environment, clearing rainforest areas in order to produce more sisal, in Tanzania there are plans to use the waste products of the cultivation process as bio fuel, offsetting the environmental impact of the industry. In addition, no artificial fertilizers are needed in the production of sisal. Very few chemical herbicides are used and most of the weeding on sisal plantations is done by hand, providing work in rural communities and aiding the economy of the poor countries in which the crop is grown.

As a natural fiber, sisal has become increasingly popular in recent years (coupled with it’s strength and durability as a fabric) as people search for more ways to bring natural materials into their homes. The natural colourings akin to sisal have also made sisal area rugs, carpets and even wall hangings the home fashion item of the century.

The other uses of sisal are numerous, including clothing and footwear, but sisal rope remains the second largest use of the fiber after rugs and carpeting. Sisal rope is widely used in industry and in ships’ rigging, which goes a long way to proving just how strong the fiber really is.

Sisal in Home Design

If you are looking for a durable, hardwearing rug, sisal is the material for you. Sisal rugs are stylish and practical and are appropriate for any area of the home, particularly in ‘high traffic’ areas where conventional rugs and carpets would quickly wear down, and they come in many shapes, with a round Sisal rug paired with a glass coffee table being a popular motif.

Sisal has been used in rug making for centuries and the manufacturing techniques have barely changed in all of that time, making these rugs a traditional item of home design. However, sisal rugs have made a huge comeback in recent years and have been reinvented as a contemporary home product, and a Sisal area rug is the perfect way to greenify your home. The natural colors and textures of these rugs are now more popular than ever with people seeing them not only as practical items but also as items of well-crafted and natural beauty.

Well crafted sisal rugs can be bought at any decent rug store or rug manufacturer in America, Europe or the U.K. and can easily be found at a discount by looking around online.

Tags: Durable Rug, Green Rugs, High Traffic, Natural Fiber Rug, Rug, Rugs, Sisal Area Rugs, Sisal Rug, Sisal Rugs

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