A fine area rug is a treasured possession. Create a warm and elegant ambience in your home or work environment with a beautiful Oriental or Persian area rug. Many decorators have based an entire room decor around a single area rug. In fact, very often it is the focal point, pulling the decor together and creating a coordinated and polished look. We tend to think of placing an area rug in the living room, dining room, or master bedroom because of its decorative qualities. It may surprise you to know that they are extreme durable and the ideal floor covering for heavy traffic areas like foyers, family rooms, and stairs. People have even been known to place the small mats in their bathrooms.

An Oriental or Persian area rug is most commonly made of wool, making it very resilient and easy to maintain in addition to being environmentally friendly. A wool area rug will never release chemical gases and is rarely thrown away. Quite the contrary, most are destined to become heirlooms. At the other end of the spectrum, synthetic wall-to-wall carpeting is taking up a great deal of space in our already heaving garbage dumps.

The price of an area rug is determined by many different criteria. The major factors are the quality of the wool, the dyes, and the age. The artistic talent of the weaver will be demonstrated by the number of knots and their regularity. The area rug must lie smoothly and be straight with no serious faults in the weaving. A fine area rug will only increase in value. Antique Orientals and Persians are generally more expensive even though they may show signs of wear.

There are no rules for buying an area rug. They are as individual as you are. Choose a good quality area rug in a design and color that you love, and with regular maintenance, it will continue to bring you pleasure for many years to come. Then pass it along to the next generation.