Myndu Interior Design

For sheer beauty and style; functionality and durability, nothing can match fabulous area rugs. In recent times, area rugs have become all the rage and many people are replacing wall to wall carpeting with wooden floors covered by area rugs in all colors, reversing a trend that began in the 1960s when wood floors were covered up with wall to wall carpeting.

There are many different types of area rugs to choose from. Walking into a store to buy an area rug without knowing the difference could very well have you tied up in knots.

Here then is an introduction to the fascinating and exotic world of area rugs. Mix and match them or use them all by themselves to make a style statement all your very own.

Area rugs are versatile and can be used anywhere for any purpose; the only thing you cannot do is use them as flying rugs.

Persian Rugs

These are the top of the line when it comes to area rugs. Still made in Iran and Iraq as they have been for thousands of years, these rugs are intricate in design and extremely colorful. In addition to being used as floor coverings, they are equally stunning when used as wall hangings. Persian rugs come in a wide assortment of shapes, sizes, colors and designs and are much coveted by collectors everywhere especially by those who deal with antiques.

Oriental Rugs

Similar to Persian rugs and just as much of an old tradition; the main difference is that the design in Oriental area rugs do not depict pictures but are based around different geometric designs. They are also colorful, although they will not use as many colors as Persian rugs. Antique Oriental rugs are prized by collectors and can be either oval, round or rectangular in shape.

Braided Rugs

These rugs are generally oval shaped and are made from rags or materials that have been made into a long rope which is then rolled and sewn until it gets to the desired size. Next to hand quilts, braided area rugs are the only true American art form. Braided area rugs come in all sizes but are predominantly round or oval.

Rag Rugs

These simple rugs can be made by anyone and are made by making several strips of rolled rags and then weaving them together. A classic American art form, rag rugs are usually square or rectangular shaped as opposed to the round or oval shapes of rolled rugs.

Latch Hook Rugs

These rugs were very popular in the 1970s as many people made these rugs for their homes themselves. They came with a pattern and a hook as well as yarn that was hooked and knotted into a backing. This was a relaxing hobby for many people in the 1970s and many of these rugs still exist today. You can still purchase latch hook rug kits in a wide range of sizes in craft stores or if you prefer you can buy the mesh, rug hooks and yarn separately and make your very own design.

Bathroom Rugs

The main feature of a bathroom rug is the rubber backs that make them slip resistant. Bathroom rugs are typically made of water resistant materials and can easily be tossed into the wash. While most people dislike the idea of using carpeting in the bathroom, bathroom rugs make it easy to get out of the tub without slipping on the wet tile floor. They also work well against the sink and make standing in the bathroom more comfortable, especially if you are bare feet in the winter.

It does not require much skill to make a reasonably attractive rug, and if you would rather make your own than buy one, you will find this simple guide to making a rug interesting and very helpful. You will be using waste materials, so it’s a great way to reuse and recycle old clothes. You just need to be able to do a little crochet – if you do not know how, you can easily pick up the basics – which are all that is required here – by looking up crochet lessons online.

What You Will Need

You will need plenty of cloth to use as the material for your rag rug – in the form of used apparel, rags or old sheets. As far as equipment goes, you will need a large sized crochet hook – 11, for example, a pair of scissors and a ruler.

The Method: Step 1

Keep the cloth you have collected on a table or flat on the ground. Use the scissors to snip off a strip of cloth. Do not cut all the way to the end of the cloth; leave 1 inch of cloth uncut.

Step 2

You must make your next cut 1 ½ inches from your first cut, beginning at the place where you stopped cutting. The two strips you have cut should still be attached to each other. Again, stop cutting 1 inch before the end. Shift up 1 ½ inches and keep cutting strips, leaving the margin of one inch on alternate sides each time you cut a strip.

Step 3

Once you have cut the strips, roll them up into balls and decide how you are going to use the colors to form patterns on your rug.

Step 4

Make a slip knot in one of your strips, and chain six stitches with your crochet hook. Make a slip stitch into the first chain, forming a circle which will be the starting point and centre of your rag rug.

Now make a chain of two stitches and make two new stitches in each of the stitches you already have. Thus you have six stitches in the centre, and twelve in the next circle. You will have to play it by ear as far as the number of stitches for successive circles is concerned. Make sure you do not make your stitches too tight.

Step 5

When you are done with a strip of fabric, you can stitch or tie on the next one to the end.

Step 6

To complete your rag rug, tie the loose hanging end into a loop of the main rug and clip off the tip.

If you find that your rug is becoming wavy or bumpy, you can remove some stitches and miss stitches occasionally to smoothen it out. Adding extra stitches will help make the rug uncurl if it starts to wrinkle up. Make sure your rug is flat as it is being formed.

Making a rag rug is easy and fun – try it out for yourself!

A luxury rug is a great addition to any room. These rugs are unique in color and design. Each rug offers a bright color that looks warm and feels warm too. Luxury rugs originally come from China, Tibet, India, and Pakistan. Weaving is part of art.

Each rug is handmade. They are made up of countless numbers of knots. These rugs are created by experienced weavers. It could take anywhere from a few months to over a year to create each masterpiece, it depends on how many knots are tied per square inch. Because they are handmade they are very expensive but they are worth every penny.

When shopping for area rugs you will find that there are several different types to choose from. No matter which type you look at there is nothing that compares to a handmade rug.
The different types of area rugs include:

Hand-Knotted Rugs: There is so much time that goes into a hand-knotted rug. The creator uses cotton strings that are tied to a frame. A tuft is created by the looping of pile yarns are placed onto the rug. This process takes so long.

Hand-Tufted Rugs: This type of rug requires stretching the cotton canvas onto a frame and then pushing pile yarns through using a hooking tool. This is cut so it forms a tuft. There are no knots in this type of rug. These rugs do not usually have fringes so they are less expensive than the other rugs.

Flat-Woven Rugs: The process is similar to the other means of making rugs except for when the cotton warps are strung they are threaded back and fourth which can create the flat pile. They can be reversible too. These are considered the least expensive handmade rugs.

It’s important to realize what kind of treasure you have when you own a luxury rug. A luxury rug is often called an heirloom. This type of rug requires careful care.

Choosing an area rug that will suit your needs and the needs of your home is a difficult task if you don’t know what size you’re looking for. Check out these simple rules and save yourself and your home from a fashion disaster.

Decorating with rugs should be a simple, fun task that makes your home look beautiful and new, even if that’s the only thing you change. But if you’re unaware of the simple little tips and tricks that make using rugs as décor superb looking you may end up with more of a fashion faux pas on your hands than anything else. One of the biggest mistakes people make when selecting area rugs for their homes is purchasing the wrong size area rug. Here are some ways you can determine what size area rug you need for your home so you can avoid overdoing it or under-doing it.

Dining room—When you’re decorating the dining room, there are simple rules to follow with your rug:

· The legs of your dining chairs should always stay on the area rug. Whether you are seated in the chair or pulling it away from the table to seat yourself or stand up, all four legs should be on the rug at all times.

· Add at least 4 feet to the length of your dining room table and 4 feet to the width.

· You will most likely need an 8 foot wide area rug, but remember, with the additional 4 feet, it could be wider.

In the living room, den or other social room—Where there’s a social room, there’s a need for an area rug and here what’s you need to do to be successful:

· An area rug under a coffee table should be able to easily accommodate all four legs.

· The area rug should be no more than a couple of inches wider and longer than the furniture in its space.

· As an accent piece, there should be a few inches of flooring between the area rug and the furniture, like couches, etc.

Rugs that cover an entire room—Decorating with rugs gets tricky when you decide to use one to cover your entire room. But for the most effective look remember:

· Equal borders are the key to your success. When you lay your area rug out in the room, you should try to have equal amounts of the flooring beneath showing on all four sides where possible.

· In the case of a full room area rug, it’s okay for some permanent furniture to have front legs on and back legs off, as long as it doesn’t make the furniture wobble or make the design seem unbalanced.

· Measure your room and try to be proportionate in your rug selection. If your room is 11’ x 15’ you should not select a rug that is 10’ x 14’. Instead reduce the rug in inches of 2 until you create the look you want. If you start with odd numbers you should end with odd numbers, and the same goes for even numbers.

Remembering, the size of the area rug you choose can make or break your theme in your room so pay attention and pick the size that best suits your needs.

Large rugs can be used in any area in the house. They were very popular in the early part of the 20th century, until they were replaced by the ubiquitous wall to wall carpeting, which suddenly became much sought after. Recently, decorating with large rugs seems to have regained its lost popularity amongst most decorators. Even those who have wall to wall carpeting are still using large rugs in spaces in their house. Why? Because area rugs look pretty and add a sense of warmth to any home.

Large Rugs in Dark Colors or Large Rugs in Light Colors?

When wall to wall carpeting first hit the scene in the 1960s, it came in a variety of colors. It still comes in a variety of colors, however most people are realizing that deep red plush carpeting or dark orange in the living room might look nice for a while, but when this style goes out in two years, you are stuck with it. When these homeowners decide to replace the carpeting, they normally opt for a neutral shade so that they never have to again have the horror of out of date wall to wall carpeting throughout the house. So many people choose neutral shades.

Neutral shades are a good choice in carpeting. This way, you can decorate for years without having to change the carpeting. You can change the décor in your house from Southwestern to ultra modern simply by changing some accessories instead of ripping up the carpeting. Large rugs enable you to add decor to any room without costing you a lot of money. And when you are sick of it, or it goes out of style, much like orange shag carpeting, then you can get rid of it and replace the large rug with something else, or nothing as the neutral carpet underneath will be in excellent condition.

The Many Features of Large Rugs

You do not have to spend a lot of money to buy large rugs. They are available at discount stores for under $100. You can get imitation Persian or Oriental carpeting or even large modern area rugs that will make a statement in any room.

One of the nicest things about using large rugs is that you do not have to worry about them slipping. Because they are large and, in some cases, nearly take up an entire room, they are too heavy to move. Unlike a small rug which can slip out from under you if you do not have a slip guard on the back, a large rug is pretty stationary.

If you have hardwood floors in your home, you should have a large rug to give the room a feeling of warmth as well as to protect the floors. Scuffs are common in large traffic areas and rugs can protect the hardwood from these scuffs. On top of that, they are much more comfortable to walk on, especially in the winter.

Nothing can set off the décor in your house like large rugs. Whether you are putting them down on carpeting or on bare floors, they really add style to your home.

When you begin to decorate your home or if you just want to make a simple change a small rug can make a big difference. There are several different ways you can use a small rug to add beauty and comfort to your home.

In the Kitchen

You can use small rugs around the kitchen sink for added comfort and style. While preparing dinner or washing dishes you will be able to provide comfort to your tired feet when you step onto a small braided rug in front of the sink.

In the Bathroom

When you place a small rug in the bathroom you will be able to step out of the bath and not worry about dripping water all over the floor. You won’t need to worry about falling if your feet or the floor is wet. You can also place a small rug in front of the sink so you can find comfort on your feet while you are styling your hair or putting on your makeup. Your bare feet will appreciate the soft texture of an area rug.

At Your Entrance

You may want to place an area rug at the entrance door so you can have your guests wipe their feet before they enter your home. This will save you a lot of time and work in the long run, especially if it is weathering outside. You can even place a small rug at a patio door so you can stop muddy footprints from destroying your clean floors.

In Your Bedroom

You can place a rug at the foot of your bed on the floor so when you wake up you will be able to place your feet on a plush area rug instead of a cold hard floor. You can purchase an extra plush area rug to go in the bedroom.

Anywhere in Your Home

A small area rug will look good anywhere in your home. Use it to keep down mud and dirt on high traffic floors, to keep your feet warm, or to place at the tub or in front of the sink.

You can purchase small rugs in different colors, textures, and styles. Purchase a small Persian rug to make your room look great. You can also find small rugs that are used to coordinate the decor in the room.

A small rug can be easy to find and decorate with without costing you a lot of money.

If you have a wool rug in your home you may find yourself in a complicated position when it comes to cleaning it. If you have every owned a wool sweater you already know how difficult it is to clean wool. You can’t get wool wet so this makes cleaning complicated.

Most people opt to go to a professional dry cleaner to clean their wool sweaters and small wool rugs. This is just one way to clean the wool. You pick it up in a few days and your have a clean wool rug or sweater, it’s that easy.

If you have a large rug you want to get it cleaned without the hassle of dragging it out of your home and taking it to a professional. In fact, unless the facility has special equipment they cannot clean large wool items.

Your next option is to hire a professional to come into your home and clean your wool rug. A professional uses chemical cleaners to clean the wool rug instead of using water or steam. Most companies today use non toxic cleaners so they are safe for everything and everyone around them. Before you decide on one company you may want to do some calling around and checking on prices and products used. The cost will depend on each individual company.

If you have a spill on your wool rug try using over the counter cleaning supplies made specifically for wool rugs. Do not use water to clean your wool rug. These types of solutions are great for removing pet odors from wool rugs. Select the right product carefully. There are several on the shelves but you need to read all the details to make sure you have the right one, especially if you have children or pets in the home. Always follow directions.