You all too easily find several articles that tell you how to use an area rug to lend a little bit of character to any particular room. What we'd like to do though is to show you how to spice up an entire room with the rug as the starting point.

First things first - do you have a special theme in mind for the room you want to decorate? What colors do you envision using? Once you have decided that, it's time to go rug shopping! And seeing as the rug will most likely be the focal point of the room, the best option would be to either get yourself a Persian rug or perhaps an Oriental rug or a nice transitional rug. The latter is named thus due to its ability to blend different elements and colors in a room into one seamless creation.

Regardless of your choice of rug style, it will have to be one capable of grabbing the attention of the observer, hence our recommendations. Each of the recommended rugs usually comes with a central medallion in bright, bold colors which, as you can imagine, will be the focal point of the room.

Considering other decorations is as important as choosing the right rug. Because the rug is the centerpiece, all the other decors must adhere to what complements or matches it. Select items like an armoire, table or chair that has suitable hues and textures. Why not look at the bigger picture and ensure that these things also enhance the rest of the room and not just the main rug? It will absolutely make it much, much better!

Art works are classic. They are impressive decorating pieces that add taste and class to a room. You can display colorful works or go timeless with black and white. Works of nature almost never go wrong, and lasting masterpieces of great artists are real prized possessions.

Once you are happy with all the furniture and art, another thing that will have to be paid attention to is the lighting. Does the room get plenty of natural sunlight? What kind of lighting does the room have at night? Having a couple of spotlights focused on key items could enhance the ambience of a place and supply it with a smoldering warm look.

And finally, when all's said and done, use some more area rugs to define areas within the room. These should preferably be neutral or adorned with small patterns in colors that will enhance the main focal point of the room. Also take care to ensure that they are smaller in size than the main rug - rugs in equal size could divide the room in two.

Let’s face it, we can’t just run out and buy new carpet every time we get a stain on the carpet. It’s just not possible to afford it all the time. The only way to achieve a clean look is to get rid of your carpet and invest in hard floors. You don’t need to save up all your money and purchase hardwood flooring. You can add linoleum, tile, or any other flooring that is available at a more affordable price.

If you already have hardwood flooring, linoleum, tile, or other flooring and notice that it might be looking dingy or old you can give your floors a make over in just a few seconds…throw a rug over it. But you need to know how to use an area rug first.

After taking the time to scrub your floors you can add a simple rug over the floor that will enhance the look of your room. This rug can also be used to hide bad spots on your floor until you can take the time to do something else.

So how do you know what size rug do you need to look for when you go out to find that perfect rug? You should find a rug that covers the area that you are looking to cover plus at least five inches on all sides. This will allow you to cover the area and make the rug blend in with the rest of the floor.

If you want an area rug to cover an entire room of hard wood flooring you will need to measure the area that you want covered but leave between five and eight inches of hardwood showing all around. Hardwood flooring can show wear over the years. It’s hard to make the flooring look new again without investing in expensive replacement. Sometimes adding area rugs over certain areas can save your floor from a lot of wear. You can alternate by adding the area rug through the winter months and taking it off during the spring and summer months.

There are other things you can do to save your hard wood flooring such as adding foam or pieces of carpeting under the furniture legs to prevent indentions, scuffing or scraping. You can also add area rugs in front of the sofa, chairs or the main walk way through the room. If you have little ones in your home you may want to consider adding rug pads underneath the area rugs to prevent slipping and sliding which may result in injuries. Adding little rugs in the entrances of the room will also save on wear of your hardwood flooring.

If you are not sure what color area rug to go with, consider one of your favorite paintings on the wall or your favorite fabric in the room. Look for the color least used and bring it out with an area rug. This will not only highlight that color but it will blend the room perfectly.