Decorating area rugs can be an enjoyable and rewarding project. For many, however, it can quickly become a daunting and even overwhelming task. Here is my recipe to keep the area rug process easy and trouble free:

Find your inspiration
This can be as straightforward as a favorite vase or decorative pillow or a modern rug to guide you in color and style selection.

Start from the ground up
Using your inspiration carpet, always purchase the largest items first. I recommend beginning with your area rug. This will serve as the next phase of your decorating plan by bringing in secondary and tertiary color selections perfectly coordinated with your original inspiration piece and you won't even need to consult a color chart!

Coordinate furniture fabric
You've already established your palette based upon the area rug. The level of detail in the rug will determine the strength of the fabric pattern. Go for a subtle theme (perhaps there are leaves in the rug design or a trellis pattern) and vary the proportion of this pattern (if the pattern of the rug is intricate, try a larger version in the fabric and vice versa to avoid conflict). Don't hesitate to duplicate several colors from the rug and they look great there and will look equally wonderful on your furniture.

Choose wall colors
Balance is important. If your rug and fabrics are strong colors, so should be your walls. Keep the extremes for the important room accents. Likewise, if your palette is soft, keep the walls light. Don't forget the added warmth and depth that decorative glazes will add to an otherwise flat and boring surface. One of the hottest treatments is decorative ceilings in rooms such as the dining room, where your guests can be treated to a fabulous assortment of visual treats while enjoying a meal.

Now that you have the basic decorating tips, hurry in to Accent Area Rugs and they'll help you to choose the perfect rug to coordinate with your inspiration piece! We're looking forward to helping you live your dream! Happy decorating!