10 Steps to Foolproof Decorating - Step 9: Area Rugs

I love hardwood floors and area rugs. I’d have them in nearly every room in my home if I could. I understand that sometimes tiles work better in bathrooms, etc., but a small rug there looks great as well.

So, what makes a rug good quality? A few things including:

Knots Per Square Inch

A general rule is that the higher the number, the better the quality of the rug is. Typically, rugs with 200 to 400 knots per square inch are good quality rugs, although there are rugs with more than 6,000 knots per square inch. Typically, these are handmade and very expensive with detailed patterns.

If you’re not sure how to determine if the rug is hand woven or machine made it takes a bit more skill (as does  determining what country it was woven in), but a rule of thumb is hand woven rugs have the “knots” tied around the warp threads (lengthwise yarns) – and those warps make up the fringe tassels.

With machine woven rugs the fringe is typically sewn on after the rug is made with a sewing machine, and the sides are machine serged as well. Serging refers to the process of stitching the edges of a fabric to prevent it from unraveling.

Materials Used

What is the highest quality rug?

Wool leads the pack for having the best fiber quality for rugs. It’s the most resilient, strongest and most vibrant for carpeting. Even a low quality wool rug will stand the test of time more than a quality synthetic fiber such as acrylic, polyester, nylon or olefin.

Luxury area rugs are most often made of silk or wool.  Silk is soft to the touch and brings a distinctive luster that can't be replicated.  Produced by silkworms, this natural material takes time to harvest and process. That drives up the price, but many people find it's worth the cost.

Mistakes Made When Purchasing Rugs

Size matters folks.

I watch countless HGTV and home decorating shows each week and one of the biggest mistakes I see people make is that the size of the rugs they use are simply too small. For instance, in a living room the front legs of a sofa should be on top of the area rug, as is the same for chairs that complete the sitting area. So often I see furniture pieces outside the rug which doesn’t ground the space and leaves items feeling free floating.

The same is true with dining tables. Ideally a rug should be under every chair or at the very least the front legs should be when pulled away from the table.

My Preferences

Some of my favorites are kilim rugs and rugs made by Nourmak that can often be found on Overstock.com.

Another indication of a quality rug is that when you turn it over, the same pattern appears, making it reversible. 

I love to bring color into a room with my area rugs as well. It helps bring in other colors for toss pillows and throws that bring personality to a room against a more timeless, neutral background. Keep these items in mind when you are rug shopping now or in the future. There are so many amazing quality rugs at more affordable prices than ever now.

Good luck!