Tips how to select the best rugs in your home.

Before buying your oriental rug, decide on the shape and size of rug. A great way to visualize the rug in the room is to use masking tape to define the area of the rug, or also laying sheets. Be sure to keep note of all your measurements before you go to the store.

Another way around is to get a feel first. Before you set off to buy a carpet, you must prepare. One good method is to get a book about carpets. Flick through the pages and see what immediately appeals to you. If you are not in a great hurry, try leaving the book open for a couple of days at a certain page to see if the picture of a particular style fits the room1. In any case, look at the pictures with great care. Examine the varying systems of pattern: you will immediately see that a carpet made in Baluchistan is very different from one crafted in Istanbul.

The shape of your rug will firstly be determined by your particular taste and secondly by the room and area you are looking to place your rug pads. The size of your rug will be determined by the amount of space you have to work within your chosen room or area. In a particular situation, if you want to have only one rug for a room, it should be at least covers at least one third area of the floor.

For a rug that is defining an area, there should be no more than two feet of empty rug extending out from behind the furniture. A rug used for defining is unifying the items placed around it if the rug is large enough to accommodate at least the front legs of each piece of furniture.

A rug for a dining room should extend eighteen inches to twenty-four inches beyond the table, with generally an eight- by ten-foot rug working in most living rooms and dining rooms. For small areas, such as coffee tables a six- by four-foot or a six- by nine-foot rug is sufficient.