1. Size

   When deciding on size, consider how you want the room to feel. A big rug in a big room can give the room a more formal feel, whereas a rug that hugs the walls gives the room a warmer, more comfortable feel.

2. Shape

   Shape is very important because it has a big impact. Conventionally, the shape of the rug is chosen to copy the shape of the piece of furniture sitting on top of it (a rectangular rug under a dining room table). For more personality, choose a free-form or round rug. Free-form rugs can add excitement to a room that may feel too stuffy. Round, circular rugs are unique and can soften the angles of a more conventional room.

3. Colour

   Colour can be the statement maker of your rug. Choose a dark colour if you are looking for a cozy feel. Bold colours give a rug a more playful feel. Practicality should also be considered when choosing colour. Go for darker tones in for areas that have heavy foot traffic, and stick with lighter colours to make a small room appear bigger. The most important thing to do is look at the flooring, paint colour, furniture and other accessories in the room and try to get a colour that works well with what you already have.

4. Pattern

   Patterns can bring visual interest to a room by adding depth and perception. Graphic rugs can bring darker rooms to life. Patterns also have the great function of being more forgiving to heavy foot traffic. The more pattern a rug has, usually the lower maintenance it is. Don’t be afraid to mix patterns in a room. Just make sure the rugs work well together.

5. Five Main Weaves

   There are several kinds of weaves and when choosing a rug, it is important to choose one that is conducive to your lifestyle.

• High value, usually made by hand
• Collectible
• No backing or glues
• Uses organic dyes
• Can take hundreds of hours to complete
• Very high density
• Ornate, intricate.
• Pile materials are wool and silk. Foundation of warp (lengthwise) and weft (widthwise) cotton, wool or silk cords.
• Made in a loom, warp cords stretched vertically, weft cords horizontally
• The craftsman starts at the bottom, works towards top, forming rows consisting of indivudal hand tied knots to form the rugs pattern on one surface, knots appearing on the other underside.
• Trade names and references include Oriental Rug, Persian Rug as well as knot type variants from Iran, Iraq, India, Pakistan, China, Turkey and other regions.

• Medium value
• Usually made by hand but often with assistance of a tufting gun (so they are "hand" tufted and faster than tying knots)
• Backing (bottom of rug is flat material, not visible underside of knots), glues used to hold tufts in place
• Available in both organic and inorganic dyes
• Dozens of hours to complete (craftsmanship is still at work here because the maker controls placement, colors and design to varying degrees)
• medium density
• Pile materials can be organic wools, but poly (plastic) and synthetic materials are also common. Foundation is a sheeted, cloth material with the rugs pattern printed on it for ease of weaving. Since the foundation design is easily reproduced via machine, they are usually not unique or collectible
• Made by mounting foundation cloth in a frame, then inserting both ends of pile fibers into the foundation (called "tufting", can be manual or assisted by tufting gun - both referred to as hand tufted), applying latex or other glue to bottom side of foundation cloth to hold the pile fibers in place, then sheering surface to slice the looped, tufted fibers in half creating two pile fibers for every one tufted loop. So that glue is not exposed on bottom side, a backing material is applied. The pile thickness (the rugs height) is determined by how much top material is cut off when they shear the surface (and by how far the initial loops were inserted into the foundation)
• Trade names and references are very generic, generally reflecting style, not the rugs weaving technique

• Like an old fashioned picnic basket - no knots, lays flat
• Medium to low value, but attractive, often minimalist, chic look
• Not collectible (unless rare materials are used)
• No backing
• Usually 100% reversible (flip it over, looks identical)
• Outer seams that hold woven structure together may be stitched (usually sold as "organic") or glued and dyed, weave often made with organic materials like cotton, wool and bamboo
• Low density
• Thin profile (hence "flat" weave)
• Made by looping / overlapping flat sections of the weave material
• There is no pile (no upright fibers) so they lay very flat and are reversible (single layer of woven material, no backing)
• Trade names and references also include Dhurry, Soumak, Kilim

• Low value
• Often handmade and themed to a location or landscape or affinity items (sports team, dog breed), backing and glues used
• Cheap materials
• Several hours to complete
• Low density (short life, doesnt provide much cushioning to the feet), pile and backing materials are almost always inorganic, synthetic yarns
• Made with a hooking device that is used to punch yarn fibers into patterned, canvas mesh foundation, then glue is applied to bottom side and a cloth or non-skid layer applied to the glue
• Trade names and references are completely generic, reflecting the image formed in the rugs woven appearance

• Very low value (exceptions can be found and include early Americana and Native American Indian)
• Often imported from China
• Stitching and glues used
• Cheap (sometimes recycled) materials
• Less than an hour to complete
• Bulk density (meaning low winding count, but reasonably long life because cord / wraps used are thick individually - so you get cheap cushioning built in by design), usually all pile (no backing) consisting of twisted, taped yarns and swatches
• Woven loosely by hand by bundling tubes, wraps, twists of old clothing, blankets, cotton sheets and synthetics
• Trade names and references are completely generic, reflecting the locales where they have been produced

Hand-made VS Machine Made