Versatile and beautiful Area Rugs add a practical, yet stylish, touch to any room. Follow these tips to make finding and buying your new area rug easy and fun, both at home and at the store.

At Home
First, determine your decorating style. Buy magazines and pull out pages that attract you. You will quickly find the kind of design motif you want to recreate. This is your decorating style.

Next, understand how the room is going to be used. If it is a high traffic area, find a color that will not show footprints or perhaps choose a patterned rug.

If you are starting with an empty room, a rug can be the perfect place to start. Select colors you like and coordinate the fabrics of your furniture, color of the walls or artwork to the rug. If you already have furniture and just want a fresh look, take into consideration the colors and patterns already existing and experiment with fresh combinations.

Then, estimate the size of rug you’ll need. For a visual representation, spread bed linens where you would place the rug. Measure the linens, and pick the closest area rug size.

Bring any room plans, color swatches and paint chips with you when you shop for your area rug.

At the Store
Don't skimp on cushion.
It is a good idea to purchase a rug pad to protect wood and tile floors. They serve a dual purpose to protect the floor from scratches and to keep the rug from slipping.