CARPET LIFESTYLES THAT REFLECT YOUR PERSONALITY

CLASSIC
A classic is a sure thing. Beautiful yet comfortable, classic carpets allow you to tell your story any way you like with quality and design that have already proven themselves timeless. Always inspiring.

SOPHISTICATED
Great style is personal, but sometimes you want to show it off. These are carpets for a sophisticated atmosphere that you’ve created in just the right way, elegant and thoughtfully designed.

CASUAL
Easy going. Laid back. Casual carpets fit comfortably in your room like a favorite sweatshirt. Never too serious. Ready for anything. On the cool side of practical.

BERBER
Natural in its inspiration, this is the down-to-earth collection of carpets that holds its own in any environment. Textural and enduring, it’s like opening the door and allowing the elements in.

TRENDSETTER
New ideas to inspire you. The latest trends translate into vibrant and innovative patterns, textures, and colors of carpet for the hippest and most beautiful rooms.

ACTIVE
Innovation for the busiest areas of your home. For a makeshift office or a well-traveled room, these are carpets that support an active life. Pets, toys, and recreation. They can handle every day the way you do.

Souce aladdincarpetonepenticton.com/Carpet.html

Decorating with Area Rugs

Area rugs add a final touch of class to an otherwise ordinary looking floor. This article looks at what you should look for in a rug, how to choose one and where to buy it and at the end there are some in-situ pictures to give you some ideas.

The great thing about modern area rugs is that although many are mass produced, you can still buy great quality hand-made rugs at reasonable prices. You can pay a small fortune for a rug or you can pay next to nothing - it all comes down to the quality of rug you want and how you are going to use it. Hand made rugs are the ones that ultimately cost more, but with a little love and attention they will last you a lifetime and never lose that unique look and feel.

No hand made area rug is exactly the same as the next. This is another attraction of area rugs in general, and many are now considered to be works of art in their own right. I have written a page specifically about the Persian Carpet, given its significance in the carpet making world.

So how do you go about choosing an rug that is right for your budget and looks great too? First, take a look at your room's decor. Take into consideration the colors you have in the room, are they light and bright or more sedate in nature? What mood are you trying to create, is it a traditional or more cotemporary look? What is the existing floor surface? Is the rug for use in a formal or informal room? How much light does the room get? Ultimately what you are trying to achieve from the area rug is a blending of the room's atmosphere and a practcal solution too.

Where to buy rugs is another question. Some might say that you should only ever buy after you've seen the rug first. While this is probably true, there is a marked difference between seeing the rug in the showroom and in your room at home. So if possible, always get some sort of agreement from the rug retailer that if you are not happy with the way the rug looks in your home, you can swap it or get a refund. The best solution would be for the retailer to come to your home with a variety of rugs and demonstrate each in its natural surroundings. There are a few retailers that do this so always ask before you start looking.

If you want to snatch a bargain price rug you will have to look outside of the normal retail outlets. Retailers have fixed costs that they must cover, so with each and every sale a portion of the price you pay will include rent, rates, wages, lighting, etc, etc.

Source http://www.flooringandcarpets.com/area-rugs.html

Area Rug Materials

The materials that make up an area rug determine its value and longevity. Common materials include wool, cotton, silk, and nylon.

• Wool area rugs : Wool, a widely used and resilient material, is the key element of high-quality pile area rugs. Wool area rugs have greater durability than synthetics and naturally resist dust mites that can exacerbate allergies. The quality of the wool determines the area rug's resistance to wear and tear.
  
• Cotton area rugs : Area rug makers often use cotton in conjunction with wool. Cotton-wool area rugs have a nice “foot feel” and typically cost less than all-wool rugs. However, cotton tends to wear more quickly than wool.
  
• Silk area rugs : Higher-quality rugs, such as Persian area rugs and Oriental area rugs, often include silk for luster and shine. Handle silk area rugs with special care and only have them cleaned by professionals.
  
• Nylon area rugs : Synthetic nylon area rugs have excellent uniformity, strength, and stain resistance. They usually cost less than rugs made of natural materials, but do not hold their value like quality wool area rugs and silk area rugs.

Source http://pages.ebay.com/buy/guides/rugs-buying-guide/#1

Area Rug Style

Hand-knotted area rugs and machine-made area rugs can have solid colors or patterns. Know which styles of area rugs you like before shopping.

• Persian area rugs: Persian area rugs feature bright colors and elaborate designs that generally fall into one of three categories: geometric designs, floral designs, and pictorial designs.


• Oriental area rugs: Hand-knotted Oriental area rugs can have as many as 1,000 knots per square inch. Authentic Oriental area rugs are made in Asia and adhere to a certain level of quality. Rug makers weave yarn on a loom, knot thread into an intricate pattern, and cut off excess thread.


• Braided area rugs: Braided area rugs work well in homes decorated in the Arts and Crafts style. Flat braids weave four to 12 of the outermost strands over and under various combinations of inner strands. False braids, on the other hand, are made by wrapping fabric strips in a figure eight around stationary cores, which are often made of simple cotton clothesline.


• Tibetan area rugs: Traditional Tibetan area rugs featured a square “tiger” pattern, but contemporary Tibetan wool area rugs also feature vibrant geometric shapes.


• Shag area rugs: Shag area rugs, a staple of the 1970s, are enjoying a comeback. They are now made of better materials than in days past, and their soft, thick fibers provide excellent insulation.


• Flokati area rugs: Owners of soft and highly durable Flokati wool area rugs have many cleaning options. You can even wash them in commercial-capacity washing machines.


• Contemporary area rugs: Contemporary area rugs have clean, spare designs perfect for modern homes. The bright colors and unusual shapes of some of these rugs make them seem almost like modern art for your floor.

Source http://pages.ebay.com/buy/guides/rugs-buying-guide/#1