JOIN USApart from adding warmth and elegance to a space, a carpet is also a great way to break up an area and structure a room. There is a wide variety of rugs and carpets available in the market, writes Sudha Jain.
Flooring is an integral part of any design scheme. A carpet design has to complement the wall colour, window treatment and furnishings of the room. What’s on the floor, whether it’s a solid colour or an elaborate pattern, will create the mood for an entire space.
A carpet or a rug can accomplish a lot in a room. Rugs provide a point of interest in your room, a soft landing for your feet, and keep the chill away from your toes in winter. Apart from adding warmth, softness and beauty to a bedroom, they are also excellent for breaking up a space and structuring a room. Carpets are used in households, offices, hotels, functions, occasions, public gatherings, etc. Apart from beautifying the surroundings, they are prominently used to pronounce the theme.
Carpets come in a multitude of patterns and designs and they can be chosen according to your taste and overall look of the room. Patterns add detail to a room, whether it’s geometric, floral or a simple checquered one.
A carpet also brings complexity and character to the overall design. Some patterns suit certain furniture styles. A formal, traditional room will have carpeting with a classic, decorative pattern as those found in antique European or oriental rugs. In a room with modern furniture, carpets with clean lines work best. There are specially designed carpets for a kid’s room too with designs ranging from cartoon characters to flowers and animal themes.
Harmony matters
The designs on carpets, walls and furnishings should not fight for attention, but the patterns should work together in harmony with other elements.
If the furnishings in the room are bold, then choose a carpet with simple patterns. If the carpeting has floral design, it’s a good idea to have small prints, stripes and solids for furniture. There are other considerations too. The amount of light your room receives should act as a yardstick for choosing the colour of your carpet. If the room is well-lit, then you may go for darker shades. To attain a calm and modern look, colours which are beside each other in the colour wheel may be good. In a smaller room, it is ideal to go for lighter shades of carpets.
The first step to figuring out which size of area rug to buy is deciding where you want to put it, in other words, how you want to break up the space in your bedroom. For small bedrooms where not much else fits aside from a bed, a large rug for the area beneath and around the bed looks best. For larger bedrooms where there is space for a seating area, desk or vanity table, area rugs can delineate those spaces nicely. For example, place a large round rug underneath two stuffed armchairs with a reading lamp and table placed between them or place a square rug underneath your desk and chair. You can either place a large rug under the bed or you can place small rugs of any shape at the foot or sides of the bed.
Many varieties
There are varieties of carpets available in the market to suit your taste, budget and requirement. Nikhil Ajmera from Opulence says, “The world’s best carpets are manufactured in Belgium. In India, carpets are imported from Belgium, Turkey, China, Dubai and Sweden. India is famous for its handcrafted carpets. Badohi in UP is the epicentre of carpet manufacturing. Imported carpets are machine made.
In fact, the most inexpensive rugs are machine-made using cotton or synthetic materials such as nylon, polyester, olefin, etc., while the most expensive rugs are handmade using the finest quality natural materials like wool and silk.
Out of these, nylon is the most durable of all. Bamboo carpets and coir carpets form a different range of eco-friendly carpets. Wool carpets can be used in high-moisture area, are durable and being natural, chances of allergies are highly reduced. They mostly have cotton foundation, thus providing better strength. Machine-made or synthetic carpets are commonly used now as they are resilient, durable and easy to clean and maintain. Olefin is preferred for the outdoors due to its resistance for water damage.
Customised rugs
Rugs can also be customised allowing for maximum personal expression. You can choose the size, border, colour and pattern of the rug to best suit your design goals. They can be made exactly to the size needed, whether it’s a rug that fills an entire room or a rug that defines a dining or conversation area within a larger space.”
There is no dearth of carpet designs in the market today. From traditional Persian carpets to modern carpets, shags, cut pile carpets, looped and cut carpets are available to suit every one.
The right use of carpets can enhance the beauty of a room. Carpets add elegance and class, if used in the right way. They not only add a touch of glamour to the living space, but also add warmth to the space.