The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships so we may get a share of the revenue from your purchase.The Insider Pick:Area rugs significantly change the look and feel of a room so you don't have to break the bank with new flooring. The subtle yet pleasing design of the durable Safavieh Cape Cod CAP350A Flatweave area rug gives it plenty of versatility and makes it the best area rug for most people.When you initially selected a type of flooring for a room in your home, you probably spent several hours researching and shopping for just the right flooring. After it was installed, you loved it.Then, one day, you woke up and realized that you dont love that flooring anymore. Maybe its the gouge your husband put in it when he dropped a hammer. Maybe its the un-cleanable spot where the dog or kids made a boo-boo. Or maybe youre just sick of the color and texture of the floor. It happens. People change their minds. However, you financially cant justify replacing the flooring. It still has plenty of life in it. The answer' Dont replace it yet. Use an area rug to extend the life of the flooring and give it a new look and feel. Area rugs are available in thousands of combinations of design patterns, colors, construction materials, sizes, and shapes, giving them a significant amount of versatility. They can really make a room pop or bring a fun accent to your decor. If you have hardwood floors or tiled floors, an area rug can warm up your space and add comfort.Why buy an area rugPeople buy area rugs for all kinds of reasons. Maybe theyre trying to accent a certain feature of a homes design. Maybe theyre looking to warm up a hard floor. Or maybe theyre trying to hide somethingliterally. Area rugs sometimes carry an expensive price tag, especially as you move into larger sizes. However, ifHGTVhas taught us anything, it's thatbuying a high-quality area rug increases your enjoyment of it. As we pointed out in our article about the best purchases to make for an apartment, a quality area rug lasts for years with proper care. So think carefully about how you plan to use the rug and which size fits best in the area. Here are a few tips on shopping for area rugs.Accent piece: Area rugs have plenty of cool designs and colors. If you are looking to enhance the design of a particular room, an area rug represents a smart choice. Or if your rooms design has become out of control and you need to tone things down a bit, a solid colored area rug works well.Change the mood: The right area rug changes the mood of a room instantly. Darker colors tend to make a room feel cozy, while light colors make a room feel larger. Fun patterns and bright colors give a room a whimsical feel or spice up a room with boring furniture in it.Connection: If the layout of a rooms furniture feels disjointed, using an area rug pulls all of the furniture together, according to theRug Critic.Cover up: Do you have a horrible spot on a piece of carpeting or on a hardwood floor' If you dont want to replace the entire flooring, throw an area rug over the spot. Problem solved (or at least hidden).Soften a hard floor: An area rug with a bit of cushioning makes standing on it softer than standing on a tile floor in a kitchen while preparing a meal, for example. Or if the kids like to lay down to do homework, laying on an area rug feels nicer than on a hardwood floor. Some area rugs are softer than others, so, as Good Housekeeping recommends, consider placing a rug pad underneath the area rug for even more cushioning.Designs of area rugsAs discussed in The Sweethome, Pearson Carpet Care, and One Kings Lane, there are lots of different area rug designs available, and some of them are even made by hand.Flatweave: Think of the flatweave rug as the buy-it-and-forget-it-rug. As its name suggests, it has no pile (which are fibers or yarns that extend vertically from the rugs base), so flatweave rugs arent as soft as some others. However, the flat profile means these rugs dont trap as much dirt as other kinds. To clean a flatweave rug, just vacuum it quicklyIt requires no special care. Some flatweave rugs are even machine washable and reversible, so if the dog leaves some unspeakable stain on one side of the rug, you just flip it over and no one has to know. The flat profile may cause flatweave rugs to slip on the floor, though. You may want to add a pad beneath a flatweave rug to prevent slippage and to add cushion.Low-pile: The low-pile design fits in the middle of the comfort and ease of care categories in area rug designs. This design features fibers and yarns that extend upward from the rugs base by roughly one-quarter inch. Theyre a little softer than a flatweave and easier to care for than a high-pile. Because this type of rug often appears in schools and commercial buildings, some people dont like them for use in a home. However, many cool styles and colors are available in low-pile area rugs aimed at homeowners, so dont discount them because you dont like the solid colored, boring dark blue low-pile that adorns your office building.High-pile: If youre a child of the 70s or 80s, you are probably intimately familiar with shag carpet or plush carpet, which fit into the category of high-pile. A high-pile rug is one with fibers or yarns extending vertically from the rugs base by at least one-half of an inch. This style was very popular for use throughout a home a few decades ago, but caring for it was tough. Some peoples even used rakes on the shag carpet to keep the yarns standing vertical. Todays high-pile area rugs are sturdier than those older designs, but they still require more care than low-pile or flatweave rugs. The vertical yarns trap a lot of dirt and hair. Some people still use rakes, too, as the fibers may become matted down over time with heavy traffic. With a high-pile area rug, though, you may choose to place the rug in a lower traffic area, allowing it to stay cleaner and look nicer. Such rugs have more cushion than the other two types, but some high-pile fibers feel scratchy. A wool high-pile rug feels better on the skin than a polypropylene high-pile rug.No matter what kind of rug you choose, we've got an option for you on this list. We've found the best flatweave rugs, high pile ones, rag rugs, and more.To outfit your home with the best of everything, check out our guides for the best clothes hangers, the best cordless vacuum cleaners, the best laundry baskets and hampers, thebest sheets,the best mattresses, the best duvet covers, the best pillows, and more on Insider Picks.Althoughthe Safavieh Cape Cod CAP350A Flatweave Area Rug is our top area rug pick, for various reasons laid out in the slides below, you should also consider theRugshop Cozy Moroccan Trellis Shag, theNew City Contemporary Modern Wavy Circles Area Rug, the Safavieh RAR121C Rag Rug, the New City Contemporary Modern Area Rug, theMaxy Home Anti-Bacterial Rubber Back Area Rug, theCarolina Bohemian Style Indoor/Outdoor Area Rug, and theLearning Carpets Play Carpet.SEE ALSO:The best cordless vacuum cleaner you can buyThe best area rug overallWhy you'll love it:The Safavieh Cape Cod CAP350A Flatweaveis a versatile area rug with a pleasing color pattern in a durable rug design that fits well in many different rooms.The natural fibers found in the Safavieh Cape Cod CAP350A Flatweave area rug give it softness and durability that outperforms other flatweaves. The hand-woven area rug consists of natural jute fibers that look and feel wonderful.The Safavieh Cape Cod CAP350Ais available in more than a dozen sizes, ranging from 2-by-3 feet to 11-by-15 feet, adding to the versatility of this great area rug. It can fit in any room or spacejust be sure to measure and figure out the best size for your room.We really like the look of this rug, which features a few different shades of blue, along with some browns and tans. The pleasing yet subtle chevron patterns of this Safavieh rug ensure that it will work in a variety of rooms. The color palette is also neutral enough to suit many different tastes, and if you don't like it, Safavieh has a wide range of gorgeousarea rugs at similar price points.For example, the Safavieh Montauk Collection MTK810B Handmade Flatweave Cotton Area Rug is also lovely and comes in many colors, as is theSafavieh Montauk Collection MTK821B Handmade Flatweave Cotton Area Rug.One Amazon customer reviewer appreciated the durability of this area rug, saying it easily stood up to a six-week stay at a beach house. Another reviewer appreciates the way this Safavieh Cape Cod rug hides stains and spots with its simple design, saying it has held up well to high traffic. However, a few Amazon customers didnt like the subtle odor of the jute fibers in this rug. It should air out over time, though.Flatweave rugs offer quite a few advantages over other types of rugs, because they're easy to move, have a low profile, are easy to take care of, and the pattern is on both sides of the rug, so you can flip the rug over if you need to. Overall, it's a great low-maintenance rug that will last for years.Pros: Versatile area rug, pleasing yet subtle color pattern, durable design stands up to high traffic, natural jute fiber construction, reversible design in the rug, more than a dozen sizes availableCons: Price is a little high for a flatweave, some customers have reported a subtle odorBuy the Safavieh Cape Cod CAP350A Flatweave area rug in a wide variety of sizes on Amazon for $22.00 - $472.02 (price varies based on size)Buy the Safavieh Montauk Collection MTK810B Handmade Flatweave Cotton Area Rug in a wide variety of sizes and colors on Amazon for $22.31 - $393.87 (price varies based on size)Buy the Safavieh Montauk Collection MTK821B Handmade Flatweave Cotton Area Rug in a wide variety of sizes and colors on Amazon for $22.31 - $393.87 (price varies based on size)Buy one of Safavieh's many gorgeous area rugs in a variety of colors, designs, and sizes on AmazonThe best shag area rugWhy you'll love it:The soft feel and pleasing pattern of the Cozy Moroccan Trellis Shag area rug from Rugshop makes it fit well in a variety of rooms.If youre tired of solid color shag carpets and area rugs, the pleasing pattern and subtle colors of the Rugshop Cozy Moroccan Trellis Shag area rug will grab your attention. Maintaining a pleasing look with a pattern on a shag area rug may be challenging because of the high-pile, but the Cozy Moroccan area rugs design holds up well.The impressive pile height on this Rugshop rug measures 1.18 inches, giving it plenty of softness. However, one Amazon customer reviewer was disappointed with the quality of the backing of the rug, which prevented it from lying flat on the floor.Rugshop offers the Moroccan Trellis Shag in two different color options:gray, cream, and turquoise or gray, cream, and brown. The turquoise version adds an interesting pop of color, while the brown rug is more subtle. One Amazon customer reviewer loved the earthy colors with the brown design, as well as the way the rugs pile fluffs up during vacuuming. Another customer favored the bright turquoise design, as well as the rugs soft feel.Four rug sizes are available, ranging from about 2-by-7 feet to about 8-by-10 feet. The price for the Rugshop Cozy Moroccan Trellisis a pretty good value for a shag style rug. However, some people may be disappointed that sizes larger than 8-by-10 feet are not available.Pros: Interesting pattern for a shag rug, pile measures 1.18 inches in height, two separate color designs available, soft and comfortable feel, four rug sizes availableCons: No sizes available larger than 8-by-10 feet, rugs backing may slide and cause ripplesBuy the Rugshop Cozy Moroccan Trellis Shag Area Rug in a variety of sizes on Amazon for $44.97 - $179.97 (price varies based on size)The best modern design area rugWhy you'll love it:The New City Contemporary Modern Floral Flowers area rug offers a really cool design at a lower than average price point.Picking a modern design pattern for an area rug represents a challenging process. You dont want a pattern that loses its appeal within a few months. Thats why we like the New City Contemporary Modern Floral Flowers area rug, as it provides an interesting modern design that isnt going to go out of style quickly.The New City area rug uses large patterns on the rug that resemble flowers. The colors of the flower patterns include brown, rust, black, and green, all on top of a beige background. This rug uses its pattern featuring earthy colors to stand out in a rooms design, rather than using bright colors. New City offers the rug in several different sizes, ranging from 2-by-3 feet to 13-by-16 feet. In the review by Area Rugs Reviews, the site praises the softness of this New City Floral Flowers area rug. One Amazon customer reviewer found this rugs durability especially impressive, reporting it has survived spills and wear from dogs and children for multiple years.One Amazon reviewer reports that the rug didnt flatten out after shipping, which was disappointing. Additionally, the New City rug didnt have enough padding for this same Amazon customers taste.This rug comes from Turkey, offering a 50/50 yarn blend of wool and heat set olefin. In comparison to other area rugs, this model offers a below average price too, which many Amazon reviewers mentioned.Pros: Modern design stands up well, beige base color hides stains, excellent price point, stands up to high traffic, numerous sizes available, soft feel in the yarn blendCons: Lack of padding, rug may not flatten for several days after shippingBuythe New City Contemporary Modern Floral Flowers in a variety of sizes on Amazon for $44.99 - $349.50 (price varies based on size)See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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