Flat screen LCD television, dimmer lighting, Swedish furniture, crisp lines and neutral colour schemes - a modern house is a statement of who you are. To maintain the element of modernity, it is important that all the fixtures and fittings reflect this. A simple rug can be the one thing that pulls a room together. So if you are looking to show off your modern tastes, then modern rugs are a must-have accessory.

The wide variety of patterns, materials and finishes ensure that, however your home is decorated, there is a modern rug to suit, from multi-coloured deep shag, to sheepskin, cotton and seagrass, in a huge variety of shapes, sizes and colours. You can reflect your fun side, your serious side, your elegant side and your practical side, all through the simple addition of the right rug. Cow hide rugs are available in a number of animal print finishes, and work well on parquet flooring and complement African style décor. These are as at home on the wall as the floor, as their shape is very aesthetically pleasing. Manufactured from food-production by-products, they are an ecologically viable option for those who wish to have a zebra print hide rug, safe in the knowledge that it has not come from the plains of Africa, but has been dyed to look like a zebra hide.

For those of us who love a label, it is good to know that top end designers such as Calvin Klein have joined the ever growing ranks of modern rug designers. Interior decoration is big business, and even the giants of the fashion world have got involved. It is not only colour and design that makes the modern rug a bold statement of you and your home. Circular rugs and asymmetric designs give a cutting edge feel. Mathematically inspired geometric designs can bring a room to life, particularly when teamed with a simple modern colour scheme. This is not to say that you need all mod cons to have a modern rug and make a statement, particularly as many designs classed as ‘modern’ have a distinctly classic feel. ‘Funky’ retro Sixties and Seventies designs and bright colours make a bold statement and are common place in ultra-chic boutique hotels and young and upwardly mobile professionals’ homes. Another old favourite with a modern twist, the rag rug is enjoying a resurgence using a wide range of fabrics and colours.

With the increasing prices of fuel to keep our houses warm in the winter months, it is worth looking at other ways of giving your home warmth, without having to have the thermostat turned up to maximum. The appearance of a living space can do as much for wellbeing as a functioning boiler, a large storage heater or an open fire. One of the factors which is key is colour choice. Blues and greens are common place in bathrooms as they reflect water, cleanliness and freshness. White and neutral colours in a kitchen suggest hygiene and functionality. In the living room, and the bedroom red rugs can add depth and warmth.

Red is the hottest of the warm colours, which also include orange and yellow. It relates to emotions from passion to power. Studies carried out in the USA show that the use of the colour red can have a physical effect on an individual, raising blood pressure and therefore, body temperature.

Often teamed with neutral colours, a flash of red not only draws the eye, but also helps to make a space appear more cosy. The size, from a doormat, to a large rug covering the majority of a floor space will also affect the level of warmth given to a room. Using red to carpet a whole room can be too overpowering. The use of a red rug, in conjunction with other floorings and soft furnishings in different colours, albeit other warm colours, can create a very comfortable palette, giving the suggestion of warmth without it being too much and being too aggressive.

For example, a red rug as your welcome mat in the hall instantly gives an impression of warmth and comfort, a dining table placed on a rich burgundy rug leads you to the centre of hearth and home, the sit down meal. In the living room, a red rug, complimented by neutral coloured walls and low lighting will increase the feeling of warmth. The choice of material for a red rug is also an important, a deep pile will help the feeling of warmth via the sense of touch, and the use of a soft material will also complement this.

So when spring has sprung, but the sun’s hat is not quite on, why not rely on colour rather than expensive power to bring warmth to your home.

The phone rings, you’re downstairs and realise the sound is coming from your upstairs bedroom. Up you go. The doorbell rings, down you go. The water is still on, up you go. As one of the high traffic areas of any home, stair runners are the perfect way to protect your staircase from wear and tear. Generally between 60 and 70 cm in width and cut to length, stair runners can start at your front door and go all the way along your hall, up the staircase and on to an upstairs landing. Not only will they protect your stairs, they also help to protect you; a high gloss wooden finish or marble floor can be a serious hazard if you are hurrying through the house.

As the primary function of stair runners and carpet runners is to protect what lies beneath, they are manufactured from durable materials, such as polypropylene, seagrass and coir, which are all tough and can withstand high traffic. Attractive borders in tapestry or linen can soften the coarse appearance of natural seagrass, although the addition of colour or pattern on the runners themselves can also mask the rough materials used in their manufacture. Stair runners also require standard carpet gripper at the tread and rise of each step to ensure that it does not warp or shift. They can also be finished with a decorative stair rod, these are available in many varieties, brushed metal, brass or chrome, complete with attractive finials in a many shapes and materials from metal to crystal.

There are literally hundreds of stair runner designs and materials to choose from and there are also companies which will create bespoke designs for your home. The large number of available suppliers work with simple linear designs and warm, natural colours, obviously reflecting the market. A stair runner not only protects, it compliments décor, with many neutral shades, for example, Buxton Mink, a cappuccino colour which would work with both terracotta and earth tones, as well as magnolia or simple white walls.

This is not to say that there are no runner designs for the more adventurous; zebra print or seventies inspired concentric circles are eye catching and make a statement about you as a homeowner and add a touch of chic, bearing in mind that a hall or stair runner is often the first thing that you will see upon entering the home, and impact is all important. The more classic Persian rug style designs are also available to fit in with other carpets and rugs which you may have collected and take pride in.

The first known Oriental rug to be found dates as far back as 400 or 500BC, it was found in the mound of a royal burial grave in the Altai mountain of Southern Siberia. It has been theorised that the nomadic tribes of Central Asia started the art of hand woven rugs.

Meaningful details within the Oriental rug include:

1. Motifs of Oriental Rugs: Oriental rugs often have motifs within their patterns. The motif used typically depends on the area in which it was created or the tribe that created it, however, it is not uncommon for more than one motif to be used within one rug. The more common motifs are as follows:

• Boteh- flame, Universe (shaped like a twisted teardrop)
• Parrot – protection, escape from danger
• Peony – power • Peacock – immortality
• Dog – protection, trust, defence
• Tree of life – direct path from Earth to heaven
• Lily – Purity, spirituality
• Paradise Bird – paradise
• Lotus – rebirth, Immortality
• Iris – religious, Liberty
• Blossom – youth, spring, newlywed
• Tulip – prosperity
• Pomegranate – fertility
• Amulet – thwarts evil eye
• Hyacinth – regeneration
• Ewer – purification
• Comb – cleanliness
• Diamond – signifying women
• Cross – faith
• Hand – prayer ring
• Herati – water garden, fish
• Mihrab – gateway to paradise
• Star – spirituality, good luck

2. Colours of Oriental Rugs:

• White Rugs - signifies purity and cleanliness.
• Black Rugs – signifies mourning and destruction (this is typically only used for outlines)
• Red Rugs - signifies beauty, wealth, courage, luck, joy and faith.
• Blue Rugs - signifies power, force and solitude.
• Green Rugs - signifies hope, renewal, life and spring.
• Yellow Rugs - signifies the sun, the joy of life.
• Orange Rugs - signifies humility, godliness.
• Brown Rugs - signifies fertility.
• Gold Rugs - signifies power and wealth.

Oriental rugs are vastly varied, colourful and exciting ensuring that for a buyer – there is an oriental rug to suit every decorative taste.

Conservatories and kitchens are typically the areas in the house where the floor is likely to be tile or even slate or stone. This flooring can be very cold underfoot and can even result in some quite serious condensation. Rugs with pile are not really that suitable in those kinds of conditions and in a kitchen can be downright dangerous, as they can be a serious trip hazard. Apart from the safety angle, piled rugs are hard to keep fresh and clean in kitchens and conservatories and so this is where flat weave rugs come into their own.

Flat weave rugs come in a wide variety of materials, from manmade completely washable or wipeable to Kilm rugs in natural fibres such as cotton, some of which will pop in the washing machine for a freshen up with no problem. If you like to support the environment, look out for flat weave rugs made from recycled materials. Some of these are made in communities where the rugs have become a major source of income and so by buying one you not only save on materials but also help a disadvantaged person to get themselves out of poverty. Some of the recycled rugs are great fun as you can still see the original materials, such as juice cartons or sacks which have contained flour or sugar. Others have been more thoroughly recycled and dyed so that they look more like ‘new’.

Flat weave rugs are very easy to keep clean on a daily basis because all they need is a shake out of the door or a few sweeps of the vacuum cleaner. Some flat weave rugs made from grasses or sisal need a little more specialist care; they shouldn’t be allowed to get too dry or they will crack and split, so you might need to spritz them occasionally with water, especially in the conservatory in hot weather. Grass flat weave rugs can be very attractive and are available in various colours and patterns, either achieved through weaving techniques or by dyeing the grass. These are particularly suitable for use in a conservatory, especially if you have rattan furniture and lots of plants in there, as they will echo the tropical look. In the kitchen it is probably more appropriate to have a manmade flatweave rug, because they are more amenable to the kind of deep cleaning that a kitchen floor needs.

If you are feeling rather jaded when you look around your living room or bedroom and you are a bit canny with budget makeovers, probably your first thought will be – new rug. This is a great idea because a new rug can really lift a room and is something that you can reuse elsewhere in the house when yet another makeover is needed, so your money will never be wasted. There is something you should always bear in mind, though, and that is that your new rug should not just be a bargain, it should really say something about you or it won’t fit in with the rest of your bits and pieces in the room and will always look a little out of place.

When you go out shopping for your new rug you should always make sure that you take something from the room with you; this could be to remind you of the predominant colour or the style of the room. It is all too easy to fall in love with a rug in the shop or online and completely lose sight of where it will be in the house and what it needs to go with; a very contemporary rug won’t look good in a very traditional setting, no matter how well the colours might go together.

If you are the kind of person who tends towards a chintzy look in their decor, you won’t feel comfy with a great splodgy modern design in the middle of your living room floor and conversely you won’t want a washed out flower motif if you favour bright colours and simple outlines. Every single thing in your house says something about you and floor coverings should be no exception. Although rugs are relatively inexpensive as makeover tools go, they are rarely cheap enough to be considered disposable decorating elements, so you should give some thought as to whether you really want to live with it for a while before you buy it. Ask yourself ‘is this really me?’ and if the answer isn’t a very prompt and definite ‘Yes!’ then move on to another rug. Somewhere in the shop or online you will find the very thing that sums you and your decorating style up and it is worth the time it takes to find it.

Woollen rugs are a beautiful and warming addition to a room, they offer many practicalities such as reducing noise levels, maintaining heat levels, protecting flooring, to name a few . There are two main types of wool rugs that are available on the market today, hand tufted wool rugs and hand knotted rugs. Hand tufted wool rugs match hand knotted rugs in both beauty and elegance, furthermore they are much more cost effective to produce, meaning customers can purchase hand tufted rugs at a cheaper price than hand knotted rugs.

The difference between hand tufted and hand knotted rugs:

There are two main methods used when producing a rug and this forms the sole basis of the difference between the two aforementioned rugs.

• Hand knotted rugs use a method called hand knotting (funnily enough) whereby each thread needs to be woven and knotted onto the base of the rug by hand to secure it there tightly. This is a very timely and expensive production method where yarn is usually hand spun and dyed using natural vegetable dyes resulting in the customer having to pay a premium to acquire the rug. Whilst this may be a more expensive production method, it is considered the best method, as the thread is secured more tightly and is therefore less likely to shed after continued use. However, because production costs are high, a hand knotted rug can be too highly priced for the average customer.
• Hand tufted rugs are made differently, rather than each thread be knotted to the base, they are instead tufted into a cloth then backed with a, secondary glued on backing, that secures the individual tufts. This has the benefit of being much quicker and therefore much more time and cost effective, as production costs are much lower more money may be invested in a better quality of yarn. Of course, it does mean that the yarn is securely anchored to the base of the rug, but as with all wool rugs some shedding will still occur.

Hand tufted rugs, otherwise, use the same basic material as hand knotted rugs and they can offer the same satisfying visual effect to a room and the same practical benefits. They, in some cases, can also add a more striking effect than a hand knotted rug because different pile heights and textures such as looped piles and carved features are easier to achieve. Owing to the fact that the production method is more cost effective, better quality threads can be sourced and more time can be spent making each rug unique.

Simple Striped rugs are sophisticated and elegant, they can transform a room or they can complete a room.  Striped rugs are always in fashion, however, like all fashions they have had highs and lows in terms of popularity.  In the 60’s broad striped rugs were very popular and again in the 80’s striped rugs were back with narrower stripes. Today simple striped rugs are more popular than ever, they are available with different sized striped designs and in a wide variety of different colours and they incorporate the design of the 60’s and 80’s era’s to produce beautiful and elegant simple striped rugs.

Benefits of striped rugs:

Adding a striped rug can completely change the dynamics of a room, for example the addition of a striped rug in a room with plain neutral décor will give the illusion of additional space as it will feel like the walls have been pushed out.  Whereas adding a striped rug in a room with a collation of other patterns brings the walls in and creates a cosier feel and a busier space.

As there are a number of stripes, even within the simplest of rugs, they offer an array of colour’s, each colour scheme giving a different feel to room.  Natural colours, such as cream, grey and brown tones create a calm and relaxed atmosphere.  A colour scheme of stripes of blues and greens give an ocean feel and offer a sense of serenity, whereas a colour scheme of reds, yellows and burnt oranges offer a Middle Eastern feel.  Striped rugs, therefore, are extremely versatile, whatever décor currently in use – there is a rug that will fit in with it.

In rooms where there are a number of different colours, either clashing or cohabiting harmoniously together, the addition of a striped rug that incorporates these colours will bring the whole room together and complete it.  In a room that is colourless, with simple natural tones the addition of a striped rug can bring life and colour.

Along with the above benefits striped rugs offer, they also boast the same benefits as other rugs, they reduce noise levels and create a warmer atmosphere within a room.  They offer protection for the flooring and further to this they offer protection for things or people falling onto the floor-they offer a softer landing.