Interior design is very much like high-end apparel. You start with a beautiful piece of architecture and you dress it up with all sorts of colors, textures and styles. Area rugs are an investment in the forever beauty of your interior, like that classic heel or boot that you can wear to work and out on the town.
Just like with shoes, for area rugs it is important to find the right design, color and fit. Here are 10 points for you to think about when you start combing through the many different styles of rugs to find the one that fits your room perfectly./p>
- Quality of Wool – There are many different types of wool to choose from. New Zealand wool is one of the most desirable and another high-end wool is called Ghazni wool which comes from herds in Afghanistan. Superior rug stores are only going to carry rugs made from the highest quality of wool.
- Origin – Every rug has a personality and part of that personality is derived from their country of origin and the styles and traditions that reside there. Alyshaan, like any good rug store, can get you rugs from any corner of the world.
- Knot count – The Knot count is similar to the thread count when buying sheets. It can range anywhere from 60 knots to 1200 knots per square inch. The 1200 knot rugs are often made from silk and have the highest details. They are usually on the higher end of the price scale as well. The higher the knot count the more painstaking time was put into the rugs so accordingly they are usually the most preciously priced.
- Quality of Dye – There are two types of main kinds of dye: natural or chrome dyes. One kind of dye is not superior to the other, but their results are entirely different. Natural dyes, made from plant, animal or mineral material are less predictable and their color spectrum is smaller when compared to chrome dyes. Chrome dyes are going to be louder and their color selection is vaster.
- Pattern – Like we mentioned above, rugs do have their own personalities and one of the ways they accomplish this is by their patterns. A rug can bring calmness and elements of quiet texture to a room or be the center of it with a complex and intricate pattern. The pattern is the rug’s voice so you just have to decide what you want the room to say.
- Colors – Rugs come in every color of the prism. They can bring serenity to a room through their mute and quiet colors or be that pop and that eye-catching piece that your room needs. (Alyshaan is the only rug store that provides state-of-the-art software where you can custom design your own rug, picking the colors and the exact pattern that you desire. If you can dream it up, we can create it.)
- Light side/ Dark Side – Remember that every rug has a light side and a dark side, and proper care of your rug mandates that you flip it every six months to prevent pathways and wear-and-tear areas. Keep this in mind and make sure that both sides match your interior design, because they can tend to vary quite a bit from each other.
- Thickness of Pile – The height and lushness of your rug is also something to consider. If heavy furniture and a good amount of foot-traffic are going to be present, it will be a good idea to go with a lower pile-height. Also, if a door is going to brush over the rug, you are going to want to make sure that the rug doesn’t interfere with the function of the door.
- Price – Of course pricing and budgeting is a necessity, like we said above a rug is an investment in the forever beauty of your home. It is a piece you can love and then pass down as an heirloom. It holds its value for more than a lifetime and is a good investment and comes in prices that can fit into many budgets.
- Size – Size is important especially for unique rooms. Sometimes it is harder to find the correct fit for a room compared to finding the right colors and patterns. In very large rooms it is better to fit it with two rugs, a dominate one and a smaller one, each time pick out the larger rug first and let it determine the smaller one.
Like a new pair of shoes, this knowledge should empower you to find the rug that fits your taste, room and lifestyle completely. If you would like to peruse through Alyshaan’s online gallery of examples or check out our custom rug design software please click on these links.
