How To Choose A Quality Area Rug

You are about to skip a year of Interior Design School and arm yourself with the designer know-how that will save time and stress, and teach you about picking the perfect Area Rug. Evaluating the suitability of an area rug to the needs of your household means assessing resilience, resistance to abrasion, resistance to soil and moisture, how easily it's cleaned, and sustainability (Green Matters!).

 Area Rug quality is determined by the fiber, yarn, construction, backing and surface characteristics. Area Rugs are made from everything from recycled soda bottles to silk, but almost all carpeting in the US is made from synthetic fibers, such as acrylic, polyester, and olefin - but wool is the recognized as the natural fiber of choice.

 Wool is the standard of luxury and fiber choice long recognized by the carpet industry. Alternative area rug fibers are defined by how they compare to the standard of quality set forth by wool. Wool offers warmth, a beautiful matte finish, durability, and soil resistance. It accepts dye colors perfectly, and although it is a little more expensive than synthetic fibers, it is the resounding designer's choice.

 In New Zealand, sheep are shorn every nine to twelve months making 100% New Zealand wool a highly renewable material source prized for its whiteness, uniformity, soundness, and freedom from dark fibers and vegetable matter contamination. These qualities translate into Area Rugs that produce stunning aesthetic and performance characteristics. And when wool area rugs eventually wear out, the wool is completely biodegradable and returns to the earth as an essential plant nutrient.

 Carpet backing is as important to your area rug as your roof is to your home; what you don't see makes all the difference to how to you decorate with Area Rugs. The back, and glue that hold the backing combine to secure yarns to the area rug foundation, preventing scratching, buckling and shrinking. Many quality tufted carpets have a secondary backing, applied for extra strength. It may be jute, polypropylene, rubber latex or vinyl.

 At MyHomeFaceLift.com went a step further in quality construction by choosing Chandra's tufted designer series to reduce your only worries to which gorgeous design to choose! We selected Chandra for more than superior New Zealand Wool and stunning designs by Amy Butler, Emma Gardner and Thomaspaul. Chandra area rugs are made by pushing yarn through a primary backing, creating a "tuft", as opposed to tying knots into the foundation. A latex glue then holds the tufts in place to provide a secondary foundation. A third cloth backing is put into place to protect the floor's surface. Finally, the loops are sheared to create a pile, making these hand-tufted area rugs unique in resilience and magic underfoot!

 Chandra Tiwari, the president and founder of Chandra Rugs has been a pioneer in the rug industry for over 20 years. Tiwari says his rugs are more than just a surface atop the floor - they're a life style statement. See Chandra's modern 100% New Zealand Wool designers' series at MyHomeFacelift.com - we tend to agree! Stop by MyHomeFaceLift (see links in my bio) to take that first inspirational step in picking the perfect Area Rug!

Home Interior Tips

Colour Psychology

Interior

Daring to use colour instead of bland white walls will increase your profit potential. A room that is painted white appeared larger to only a few people, compared to an identical room painted with a colour. The perceived difference to buyers is only minor. Because most people look better surrounded by colour, a coloured wall also makes them feel happier, and buyers will choose to buy the house that makes them feel happiest.

COLOURS help you sell your home to your target market. One mistake most people make is to paint everything white. White may look clean, but it will do little to make a buyer feel as if they "just cant live without the home." White walls do not create cheerful feelings, and even worse, white walls dont make most people look good. Buyers will ultimately buy the home that makes them feel happy while making them look great at the same time.

 Art of Display

Turn a tired shelf, coffee table or mantel into still-life masterpiece with styling techniques. Transform this area into the main feature of a room by choosing one of three basic treatments, each equally effective.

Symmetry Technique:

Aside from the centrepiece, include two of everything and create the same set-up at either end.
Display the mirror/art work in the centre of a mantel or leave the middle of the surface free of decoration.
Keep the look simple with a couple of potted plants or lamps or dress it up with more ornate pairs of various heights. Offset Technique
Use the offset technique when an artwork or sculpture has centre stage.
Group a selection of smaller, similarly themed objects to one side.
Avoid cluttering.
Select pieces beautiful enough to stand alone.
Choose odd numbers of objects.
In a layered display, start with a neutral base then add colour.
Be more daring with colour if the display has only a few items. Pyramid Technique
Use an odd number of at least five  seven items.
Keep the textures and tones harmonious. Soften hard lines with branches or flowers.
Make the centre of the display the focus by clustering objects in the middle.
Add a twist by creating a theme. For example colour or shape. Tip  this techniques is fail-safe when the objects have a solid background and are arranged on a shelf or surface in front or a wall.