I grew up in homes with wall-to-wall carpeting and didn't know the beauty of a hardwood floor until my late 20s. Moving into a newly built condo in the heart of downtown, I was faced with what seemed like acres of gleaming wood floor. I loved the coolness under my feet and how streamlined everything looked.
It didn’t take long, though, before I craved a little coziness — so I bought a carpet. Let me clarify, it was nowhere near that simple. For me, finding an area rug was a months-long journey that taught me everything I could want to know about pile, durability, size, shape, patterns, textures, weight, cost, dye, practicality, manufacturing processes and, last but not least, beauty.
In the end I found that I personally gravitate toward antique low-pile or flat-weave rugs with a visible patina. Where some see old and used, I see a romantic past that might have included time spent on castle floors.
Eclectic Home Office by Joel Antunes photography
Joel Antunes photography
Beautifully worn antique rugs take me back to living in Amsterdam, where rugs are more about function than fashion. The Dutch are effortlessly stylish and extremely practical, and fully carpeted floors are an anomaly. Area rugs are placed only where bare feet might encounter them, and they are usually easy to clean and to hang outside on a wash line.
My newest love is patchwork rugs made from antique rug fragments. They're a modern take on very vintage carpets and offer one-of-a-kind patterns and combinations. Like the rug shown here, they beautifully adorn the floors of modern homes, adding interest and a story.
I have since moved houses many times, and my prized rug with its timeless pattern and vintage allure has weathered countless iterations of home design and decor. It has also been to the rug cleaners a lot more than I’d like to admit, and not only is that time consuming, but it’s costly too. Because my rug is made of wool, it gives off faint hints of “warm goat” scent if I don't care for it properly. That is definitely not a good thing!
It's important to take into account how easy it will be to clean your rug and whether you can do it yourself or you'll have to take it to a professional. In a home with pets, children or multiple activities going on, a rug is going to get dirty. Can you clean it without a lot of hassle?
Eclectic Carpet Tiles by FLOR
FLOR
Cambium Carpet Tile in Geranium - $12.99
The Right Style for Your Lifestyle
The other day I went to a client’s house to check on a renovation, and she wanted me to see how things had come together in the master bedroom. When I had left it last, the room was a warm modern bedroom with beautiful wood floors and a jute area rug under the bed with a pattern that wasn’t really working. I recommended we find a better suited rug for the space.
Walking to the doorway this time, I saw the enormous shag carpet that used to be in the family room taking up every square inch of the space. I’m very bad at pretending something looks great when it doesn’t, and in my shock all that came out was, “What happened in here?” My client could see I was alarmed and said, “Oh no! You don’t like it? It took my husband and I all day to take the bed apart and get this in here.” She was crestfallen. They meant well in their effort to repurpose the family room rug in a different space, but it just didn't work. The golden shaggy carpet took the room from modern to the '70s in an instant.
High-pile or shag carpeting works perfectly in a living room or bedroom in smaller doses. The high-pile carpet tiles shown here were put together to create an unexpected mix of pretty patterns. Enough floor surrounds the carpet that it doesn’t overpower the space but still provides comfort and coziness.
Many people like the luxury of a high-pile carpet underfoot. In those cases I recommend placing large, dense area rugs in the space, and only in the areas in which they’ll be walking on it. My personal belief is that rug is wasted when too much of it is hidden under furniture, in corners or underneath baseboards.
Contemporary Living Room by Apartment 46 for the Home
Apartment 46 for the Home
Because my recent client’s family members love to entertain, host a lot of sleepovers and are always on the go, high-pile or shag rugs really don’t fit their lifestyle. Frequently used spaces require rugs that can withstand a multitude of sins — from spilled drinks to muddy shoes — and a shag rug is very difficult to keep clean in those situations.
Switching to a flat-weave or extremely low-pile rug reduces the look of wear and is more practical when it comes to vacuuming or spot cleaning.
In the room shown, my client needed an area rug that provided warmth underfoot but was still minimalist and elegant. A high- or medium-pile rug would have changed the sleekness of the room by creating an "island" with furniture on top of it. We chose a very low-pile quatrefoil-patterned carpet that was cut and bound to create a custom area rug. Although the homeowners and their guests do not wear shoes in the house, we had the rug protected with stain repellant to prolong its life.
Consider three things when choosing an area rug:
What you love
Where it will be
How to take care of it
As a general rule of thumb, medium- to high-pile carpets should be cleaned once a year to remove dust, allergens and accumulated dirt that isn’t easily removed with a vacuum. However, most people don't take their rugs to professional cleaners for years, if ever.
Low-pile and flat-weave carpets provide fewer hiding spaces for nasties and are more easily spot cleaned, but they require a twice-yearly old-fashioned rug beating to remove accumulated dust. Many can be dry cleaned in lieu of being cleaned by a professional.
It is important to schedule regular cleanings of all of your rugs and carpets to create a cleaner and healthier home environment. Rugs and wall-to-wall carpeting harbor a lot of yuck if not properly cleaned — from carpet beetles to carpet mites — and it makes sitting on the floor or walking barefoot really unappetizing.
Modern Living Room by Niki Papadopoulos
Niki Papadopoulos
I recommend people choose flat-weave area rugs for high-use rooms. If there are young children who play on the floor, a low-pile carpet with a premium rug pad creates a soft, cushy place to be.
The rug shown here has a very low pile. But if anyone wanted to sit on the floor, it'd be comfortable enough for them to do so.
Bedrooms are a nice place to have a high-pile or shag area rug, but it should surround only the bed and not reach the far expanses of the space.
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