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Buyer's Guide To Rugs

It's hard not to notice the love affair that's blossomed between fashion and flooring. The romantic and evocative colours and prints from fashion designers such as Akira Isogawa, Easton Pearson and Alex Perry now adorn an array of rich and sumptuous rugs. It's a collaboration that combines form with function and is perhaps the easiest way to add vibrancy and texture to your home. Navigating the options, materials and styles to choose the right rug can prove a little difficult; we've pulled together some expert tips and shopping advice to help you make the right decision.

House Rules
A rug helps define a space and also gives grounding to furniture that might otherwise look like it's 'floating' in the middle of a large room. "With the ever popular open-plan architecture that is so fitting for our lifestyle, we're often faced with very few walls to separate one zone from the next," says interior designer Penny del Castillo. "The floor rug adds intimacy to an area by accentuating key furniture items that surround or are placed on the rug. It visually links all the different pieces in a room and will prevent the vast expanses of interior space looking like an RSL hall or a furniture showroom!" As an extra bonus, a rug that is placed on a timber floor will help absorb noise.

Colour Confidence
When choosing the colour of a rug, ask yourself: what's the purpose of the room, who will be using it and what mood do you want to evoke? Keep in mind that cool and bright colours visually enlarge an area, while warm and dark tones create an intimate mood. In a tight space, too much pattern can be overpowering so instead, opt for rich texture in a block of high-impact colour. Don't be afraid of playing around with pattern; just make sure the rug doesn't clash with other elements.

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The key is to match the pattern with colour swatches from your room's furnishings. "You can get fantastic effects by mixing bright colours together," says Adelina Tan of Ikea. "Another popular option at the moment is to use a foundation of monochromatic colours, such as black, grey or white, with a splash of colour, such as red, orange or teal." Lifestyle also plays a big factor - white and cream might look beautiful but they don't mix so well with animals, children or guests who don't wipe their feet! Try a more muted tone, such as a grey or light brown, that won't show up every muddy footprint; introducing texture will also help to hide marks.

Material Mix
Warm and deliciously decadent to touch, wool is the most common material used to create rugs. It has superb resilience and, when blended with a synthetic fibre such as nylon, is virtually indestructible. Other natural fibres, such as cotton, hemp and jute, are also popular, thanks to their durability, comfort and versatility. Hard-wearing and less expensive, fully synthetic polypropylene is now used to create outdoor rugs, such as Jamie Durie's weather-friendly range for The Rug Collection. It cleans easily and is able to withstand heavy traffic, making it ideal for the playroom or garage.

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Let's Talk Types
• Hand-knotted rugs are one-of-a-kind handmade rugs where the weaver has individually tied each knot in the rug. The quality is measured by the number of knots per square inch, and a higher density means better quality. Weaving a hand-knotted rug requires incredible skill and time, which accounts for their comparatively high price. The pile on a hand-knotted rug should be thick and soft to touch, creating a toe-pleasing, luxurious effect; also look at the underside to see how tightly the knots sit together.
• Hand-tufted rugs are made by punching strands of wool into a canvas stretched on a large frame, most often with the help of a tufting gun. As the process is not very time-intensive, this has quickly become the most common method of making domestic rugs. You'll find the price point lower but because the pile is quite dense and thick, the rug is guaranteed a long life.
• Woven rugs are often made on a loom. The wool is woven through the backing fibres to create a smooth, even surface. This process is capable of producing intricate patterns from pre-determined designs using hundreds of different coloured yarns. Woven rugs have much shorter pile than hand-tufted and hand-knotted, making them extremely hard-wearing and ideal for high-traffic areas.

Size Wise
"It's important that a correctly sized rug is purchased for the space, as a rug that is too small in size can make a room look smaller, while a rug too big will swamp a space and drain the room of its personality," explains Liana Lorenzato of Designer Rugs. Some rug firms, such as Designer Rugs and Cadrys Handwoven Rugs Specialists, offer a trial service, loaning out rugs so they can be viewed in the intended space. Keep in mind that almost every rug on the market can be custom made to suit your space; don't be afraid to ask for what you really want!

A little bit of TLC
Ensure your rug has a happy, healthy life by vacuuming it regularly and hanging it outdoors to air a few times a year. "Make sure it isn't in direct sunlight for any prolonged periods of time as this will cause fading and affect the tones in the rug," says Robert Cadry. "Rotate its position from time to time so no particular area of the carpet is subjected to continued excessive use." Try to avoid putting heavy furniture on your rug, but if you do get imprints from furniture legs, remove the marks by using cold water and mild detergent. Sponge gently, then let it dry thoroughly. Not using your rug for a while? It's worth rolling it up. Wrap it in fabric, paper or another material that breathes (avoid plastic) and store the rug in a cool, dry place.

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