The great joys of rugs are their versatility and the enormous range of materials, colours and patterns that exist. Many countries have their own traditions of rug-making – from Pakistan to Finland, Russia to Mexico – which range from the humble hearth rug, to stunning Oriental rugs in glowing colours and intricate patterns.
There are fleecy white goat rugs, pretty embroidered rugs, jolly rag rugs made from the strangest mix of materials, and boldly striped Indian dhurries. Many of the more expensive rugs are handmade, and for the most part, the less expensive machine-made rugs copy the more popular Oriental designs.
Colour and pattern
Before choosing a particular style of design, consider first how a rug can be used to create the best effects in your home. Look at the basic floor coverings throughout your house. If you have a plain fitted carpet in your bedroom and sitting room, then you can afford to be more adventurous in your choice of rug and indulge in patterned rather than plain styles. Take care, however, to tone the colours in with your paintwork and furnishings.
Patterns range from pretty florals to Oriental designs and bold geometric stripes. And what you choose will; to a large extent, depend on the style you wish to achieve, though it is often possible to mix styles quite successfully using rugs.
You need not feel restricted by the colour of your carpet. For example, a brown carpet need not necessarily be teamed with a brown patterned rug – you can use red, green or even shades of blue, and then match these colours with the other furniture in the room.
Texture in rugs is quite important and should be introduced with care. If a plain carpet has a deep, luxurious pile, the rug on top needs to be quite fluffy if you are to achieve the right effect.
A flat weave Indian dhurry on a shag pile carpet would look rather strange, whereas a fluffy rug on a cord carpet is a good match and might add a much needed touch of comfort and cosiness to a room’s composition.
A busy patterned carpet is quite enough for the eye to cope with in one room and it is best to use plain rugs here, perhaps picking out the main colour from the carpet. Introducing more pattern especially in a different texture, causes all the decorative emphasis in the room to be focused at ground level, while the rest of the room – walls, furnishings and ceilings will fade into significance. Aesthetically, it can also look too busy and be visually overwhelming.
And yet, what can look particularly stunning is a selection of differently patterned rugs on a plain carpet or other floor covering. This invariably works well using Oriental rugs - however various, these belong firmly to a common tradition of pattern and colour and it is quite possible to lay them side by side without any fear of clashing.
To a lesser extent, the same can be said of the modern Indian druggets and dhurries, although the predominant colours in these are bolder and more primal – less subtle than the hand-knotted Oriental rugs.
Nevertheless, two or three of these rugs, laid on a plan floor covering can add cheer and splashes of colour to a room.
Rugs really come into their own where you do not have the luxury of fitted carpets. The increasing popularity for stripped floorboards and laminate flooring leaves a room crying out for the imaginative use of rugs, both for comfort and to add visual interest. Indeed, a room with nothing on the floor but bare boards can be very austere and draughty.
Wide expanses of quarry tile, brick or stone flooring can also benefit from the introduction of rugs, although lino and vinyl need a little more thought. Combining the texture of wool, cotton or even synthetic materials with the shiny artificial surface of lino or vinyl somehow looks wrong. Even so, some vinyl reproductions of natural surfaces, such as brick or tile, can often be satisfactorily teamed with a carefully chosen rug.
Positioning rugs
Once you have decided which floor surfaces would benefit from the added pattern and colour of a rug, you then need to consider where to position them. For many people, the only conceivable place for a rug is in front of a fire and there is certainly a lot to be said for this location.
Nothing is cosier than curling up on a comfortable rug in the warmth and glow of an open fire. A fireside carpet also serves to protect your main carpet from sparks, dust and smoke – a damaged rug is far less expensive to replace than wall-to-wall carpeting.
However, there are many other locations in your home where a rug will protect your carpet against wear and tear – provided of course, you choose fairly tough rugs in dark colours or dense patterns, and not the delicate embroidered type which should be protected themselves.
In a hallway, a long rug, or “runner”, will take the worst of the muddy or dusty feet, leaving your carpet underneath perfectly clean. A rug strategically placed at the bottom of a flight of stairs is also good protection.
Other heavy tread areas include obvious thorough fare through rooms, and those immediately in front of sofas and chairs. Bedroom carpets get comparatively little wear, but here rugs add warmth and cosiness.
Aside from practical considerations, try to lay your rugs imaginatively and avoid too many parallel lines. For example, a rug under a window, lined up with another by the doorway, and another under the sofa, can look very boring. It is far more effective to lay them at interesting angles to each other. Placing rugs diagonally can make a room look larger, whereas rugs lined up like soldiers push the dimensions in on themselves.
You can use one particularly attractive rug to create a stunning effect by giving it centre stage in the middle of the room. Indeed, you can build a whole decorative scheme around a single rug – picking out its colours in paint and fabric. You need not feel restricted to the floor when placing rugs – some flat woven rugs, like Oriental Kelims or hand embroidered carpets for example, look marvellous hung on the wall.
Caring for your rugs
Vacuuming rugs once a week will get rid of most of the dirt but take care to run the machine along the pile or weave and not against it. Occasionally, vacuum the underside of the rug as well.
If you have one, an old fashioned carpet beater still achieves the best results. Beat the back of the rug so that the dirt is pushed through the rug and not back into it.
Stains and tears should be treated immediately, although expensive Oriental rugs are best dealt with by professionals: a botched darn will lower the value of a good rug considerably. Knitted or crocheted rugs may be washed in soft liquid soaps and others with reputable carpet shampoos, perhaps adding a teaspoon of ammonia to bring out the grease. Always dry the rug thoroughly, preferably in the fresh air, or dampness will rot the fibres and ruin the rug. - Antonella Dési
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