Rugs have several purposes but probably one of the most important features are their ability to create and blend with the atmospheres of the various rooms they are used in. Let's say in a large living room that houses a fireplace and perhaps some antiques one has to admit a plush area rug in warm colors just puts the finishing touches on the ambience of the room. Then you can take another room that is done in the cool tones and the silvers as an ultramodern decor and add a cool toned geometric design with the rugs and it looks spectacular.
Now aside from the esthetic purposes which makes the rugs the most fun there is the practical purposes that have to be considered. Although there are several purposes these are the major ones such literally for warmth, sound control and floor protection.
There are many rooms that are situated over an unheated basement or perhaps sit right on a concrete slab below the floor level. These are very cold and rugs are almost a necessity just for the sake of warmth.
Rugs are a blessing when it comes to sound control. If you have ever lived in an apartment and the one above yours doesn't utilize them, it's almost like a sonic boom every time someone walks across the floors.
When comes to floor protection it goes without saying just how well a rug can preserve those hard floors or save on the never ending cleaning of ceramic tiles. They can serve this very important purpose in two ways. One they can act as a debris catcher at the entrance of a door. This saves tracking dirt and dust onto the bare floors. Then of course their usefullness cannot be forgotten when they are used as a buffer for furniture. All too often floors can be damaged by furniture if there is no rug to protect them.
Now having talked about the great benefits and features of rugs, there are the vast number of varieties that are available to us, which is most fortunate. There are sizes shapes, and materials that all have to be considered.
The first decision out of many that you are going to have to make regarding your rug is where is it going to be used. This will dictate almost all of the other conditions that your new rug is going to have to meet.
If it's a formal room then you will have to think carefully as to what the primary purpose will be such as those we outlined . The purpose will determine the size and shape you need as well as the best-suited materials, then the colors.
If you are going to be using it in a high traffic area such as halls or doorways then you still have all the same things to consider but perhaps from a different direction. In these cases, the material is going to be very important. You want your rug to be able to withstand the beating it is sure to take. Naturally, size and shape will be important as well because you have to purchase the right size. To a lesser degree color may not be as much of an issue when it comes to blending in with the decor. Where it does become an issue is using colors that are going to camouflage the stains and debris it will end up with. This is where your blends of various mid tones work well. Too light colors will show the marks much easier and solid dark colors will show the lint and pet hair if they are present.
Some people like to use small scatter rugs in front of their kitchen sink and stove. They really do add cozy warmth to the kitchen, but again you must consider things like being slip free and being able to camouflage all the spills and spatters that go along with the kitchen.
A warm slip free plush rug to step onto when getting out the shower or bathtub is an absolute must and a luxury that most of us cannot think of being without.
