Contemporary Rugs

1. A contemporary rug is non-traditional, featuring a variety of styles from bold geometric patterns to asymmetrical free-form designs. These rugs are, simply, art for your floors from in-your-face modern elements, which tend to take over the look of a room to casual patterns that are more serene.

2. Contemporary rugs are some of the most popular on the market today. With their flexibility in design and color, it's easy to find just the right rug to start planning your area or to complete your decor.

3. Care for large size room rugs as you would wall-to-wall carpet. Fine rugs and other unusual materials, however, require special care.

4. Small rugs, such as those used at entrances, are difficult to vacuum. Take them outside and shake them vigorously until dust and dirt are no longer evident. You can also hang rugs over a clothesline or sturdy outdoor furniture and beat them with a broom to remove dust and dirt.

5. Always consult care labels for rugs, determining whether they should be dry-cleaned, spot-cleaned, or laundered. If you determine a rug is washable, machine wash on delicate. Place the rug in a mesh laundry bag or zippered pillowcase and wash in cold water cold water.

6. Is your entire home in need of a flooring make-over? Create a phased plan. Think about timelessness and budget, but don't forget about style. Colors are more adaptable than you might think and they don't just disappear after a season. Gradually lighter or darker over time, color can give your room the flexibility you need to express the style you love.

7. Picking a Rug - Start by determining if you want a large rug to cover most of your floor space, or several smaller ones to define seating or activity areas. Color is a matter of personal taste, but should either compliment or contrast the other colors in the room.

8. Many contemporary rugs are eco-friendly. Green Label Plus is an independent testing program that identifies carpets and rugs with very low emissions of VOCs to help improve indoor air quality. By selecting Green Label Plus carpets and rugs, you are assured one of the lowest emitting products on the market, and you may be able to earn LEED or Green Guide for Health Care points.

9. Due to the unique nature of weaving and crafting, rugs often vary slightly in size. Basically, rug weaving is not an exact science. To effectively describe rug sizes, they are generally rounded to the nearest whole size. It's safest to allow 2 to 6 inches of leeway between a rug's stated size and its actual size. Thus, a 9 x 12-foot rug could be estimated at 8.5 x 11.5.