How to Buy Flokati Rugs

After a couple of decades of being banished with their cheaper cousins. shag rugs, flokati rugs are now the height of fashion. True Flokati rugs are made of wool from Greece, New Zealand or Australia, and add a light, sophisticated grace to your room.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Dimensions of your room
• An idea of how much you are willing to spend
• Colors of furniture that will be in the room with the rug

How to Buy a Flokati Rug

1. Research the price range and styles of Flokati rugs that are available to you. Check prices at furniture stores, on the Internet and in catologues. One guide for how much to spend is the cost of the furniture in your room. In your living room, a basic guide is to spend about as much on the rug as you have spent on an upholstered sofa.

2. Decide on the look you want to determine the size of your area rugs. In a dining room, make sure the rug covers the area covered by the table and the chairs, with space to push the chairs back far enough for diners to get up from the table. In the living room, furniture can be off the rug, on the rug, or partly on and off. When some of the furniture is on and some off, it makes a less formal look. In the bedroom, the rug should include the space under the bed and on both sides, including the end tables and enough space for you to put your feet when you get out of bed.

3. Determine the color you want. Most true Flokati rugs are the natural color of the sheep's wool, ranging from a bright white to a cream. If you are placing the rugs on an existing wall-to-wall carpet, make sure the color will stand out. Generally, the brighter white goes with vivid hues, and the off-whites do best with earth tones, although this is certainly not a hard and fast rule.

4. Let your lifestyle determine the depth of the pile. If you have animals, children or heavy traffic you will want a lower pile, one that you can easily vacuum. The longer pile looks more whimsical -- like fluffy clouds on the floor -- but requires a great deal more care.

5. Whenever you buy a new rug, buy a rug pad that is a little smaller than your rug. This may not be necessary if you are putting it over wall-to-wall carpeting, but check with the dealer to make sure.

Tips & Warnings

• If you redecorate often, or if you want a colorful rug, consider a look-alike Flokati made of synthetic fiber.
• People concerned about the environment prefer wool or cotton to petroleum-based synthetic products. If you are concerned about the humane treatment of the animals raised for rug production, do some research to find companies who have humane policies involving sheep shearing.

Resources

• Flokati rugs

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on 5/12/2009 http://www.modernrugs.com/cgi-bin/view_rug_list.pl/42/4.htmclick on the link to purchase these types of rugs from ModernRugs.com