Modern Area Rugs

The colors found in modern area rugs can vary from the classic and traditional to the vivid and funky. With advances in color dyeing technology, there is almost an unlimited range of colors to choose from in a modern area rug.

The styles of modern area rugs also vary from the traditional to the innovative. Imagine bright pink polka dots on a blue background—not your grandmother's rug! Other popular styles in modern area rugs include Piet Mondrian styled rugs, distinguished by geometric shapes, perpendicular lines, and planes of pure colors. Abstract geometric shapes and patterns are also common styles in modern area rugs. Also fashionable in modern area rugs is a minimalist style that utilizes tone on tone designs and simplicity of form. Hand carved modern area rugs give the rugs an interesting look and texture. Many manufacturers of modern area rugs also replicate famous artwork, making these rugs true works of art!

Modern area rugs have many different uses. Whether you are looking to redecorate a room, or protect your wall-to-wall carpeting, adding a modern area rug is a quick and easy way to add new life to your home. The best way to begin decorating your room is by starting from the modern area rug of your choice, forthwith choosing furniture and paint colors to match the rug. This option allows for the most range in choosing the modern area rug that you love the most, and it will be easier to coordinate furniture and paint around the rug than vice-versa. Dark and deep colored modern area rugs give a room warmth, whereas lighter colors can open a room and make it seem larger. If you are adding a rug to an already decorated room, pick a modern area rug that picks up the colors used in your furniture and paint.

Modern area rugs can do wonders on stone or wood flooring, adding color and softness. A modern area rug can also unify a room by becoming the focal point. Additionally, modern area rugs can help prevent wear to your already existing carpeting, or can serve to cover up wear or other stains on carpeting.

The materials used to make modern area rugs vary by manufacturer. A more expensive, high-grade modern area rug is probably made from wool and is hand tufted. A modern area rug made from synthetics and machine woven should be significantly cheaper. We will know go through the most common materials used in modern area rugs.

Nylon is the most popular material used in carpets today. Nylon has excellent resilience, meaning it springs back to its original shape and configuration, thus making for a modern area rug that keeps its form over time. It is also abrasion resistant, static resistant, mildew resistant, and has good color retention. Nylon is very durable and is easy to care for. However, nylon does stain easily from acid dyes and can even melt from strong acids, like that found in toilet bowl cleaners. New nylon (fifth generation) has an "acid dye stain blocker" which as its name implies, prevents stains from acid dyes.

Polyester is naturally stain resistant, except to oil-based stains. It is non-allergenic, soft to the touch, and easy to clean. However, it has poor resilience, suffering from "crimp loss", a certain look that polyester materials obtain with wear. Environmentalists will be pleased to learn that some polyester fibers are recycled from plastic 2-liter bottles.

Olefin (also known as Polypropylene) is a very popular carpet fabric for two major reasons—it is significantly cheaper than nylon, and it is stain resistant by nature (with the exception of oil-based stains), even bleach won't stain it! It is also mold resistant and colorfast, so much so that direct sunlight has no fading effects on it. It is also lightweight and strong. There are some disadvantages to Olefin. It is not resilient, which means it can get a "crushed" look. While the dye method used makes it resistant to color fading and bleaching, it also means a more limited color selection. Lastly, it has poor abrasion resistance and a low melting point, which means if a modern area rug gets heated up too much, the fibers can stick together and permanently damage the carpet. Overall, Olefin is a great value and can last a long time.

Wool is very strong and durable; it presents a rich look and feel. Wool has excellent resilience (it "springs back"), is very durable, is soft, and hides soil—because the fiber is opaque, it does not reflect soil. Unlike synthetic materials, wool does not melt and it is naturally flame resistant. However, wool is expensive, much more so than synthetics, and it tends to "wear down" with time and traffic quicker than a synthetic like nylon or olefin. Also, wool is very easy to stain and stain removal can be quite difficult. Moths used to be a big problem with wool but today most wool carpets are treated to prevent against moths.

Acrylic modern area rugs offer resistance to stains and mildew. They are the closest to wool of any synthetic. However, acrylic tends to "pile". It has good resilience but can be less durable.

Cotton modern area rugs are very soft, but they are generally less durable than wool. It does not resist stains or matting well, and absorbs moisture, making it difficult to clean.

Some popular manufacturers of modern area rugs are Shaw Rugs and Momeni Rugs. The following is a short list of other manufacturers and designers of high quality modern area rugs:

Michaelian and Kohlberg - these designers carry over 700 different carpet designs in different sizes and styles. Michaelian

Woven Jewels - features hand-knotted wool rugs from Nepal, combining bold designs with vivid, yet often subtle color combinations. Woven Jewels

Carini Lang - many different modern styles and materials to choose from. They also take custom orders.

Warp and Weft - the "Modern & Custom Collection" features designs inspired by the best of today's minimalist interiors, hand woven from Tibetan wool and Indian mulberry silk. These modern area rugs are also available in custom colors.

Safavieh - six-time winners of "America's Magnificent Carpet Awards" and the "Best in Show Award", 2001, Safavieh is a leading manufacturer and importer of fine rugs. Their collections include many modern area rugs, especially of interest are the "Rodeo Drive Collection", "Soho Collection", and the "Selaro Collection".

Mat the Basics - featuring a wide range of hand made carpets from India in various designs.

Dialogica - features beautiful and modern hand made wool carpets.

Caring and cleaning for your modern area rug will depend on the materials and dyes used. Note any special care instructions provided by your modern area rug manufacturer. Also consider the location and environment of where your rug will be. Like other textiles, exposing modern area rugs to rapid changes in temperature and humidity can cause damage. Direct sunlight may result in fading, so if your rug is in a sunny area, be sure to close the curtains during the hours when the sun is shining brightest.

Don't use nails or staples to secure your modern area rug. Underlays can provide additional stability and protection to a handmade rug. The padded backing protects the fibers of the pile and gives additional support to the knotting of the rug. The best types of underlays are made from solid sponge rubber.

With regards to furniture placement, it is a good idea to shift the legs of heavy furniture every few months by a few inches. This will prevent potentially permanent indentations in the modern area rug's pile and provide an additional measure of protection. Note that narrow diameter shoe heels, no matter how high or low, cause a great deal of damage to carpets.

Pets can harm your modern area rug as well. Claws cause damage to the pile and urine stains are difficult to remove and can attract insects. Check during the spring and summer for signs of insect infestation. Damage from moths and other insects can be prevented by using an insect spray once a month in the room where the carpet is placed. If your rug has signs of clothes' moths or carpet beetles, contact a textile professional at once.

A hand-knotted modern area rug placed in an area of moderate to heavy traffic will usually need a vacuum-clean about once a week. Rugs with longer piles may be beaten gently from the back to remove any grit that is caught in the pile. When vacuuming your modern area rug, don't scrub but instead, use a gentle action with a regular rather than a rotary head and work only in the direction of the pile.

Don't use foam cleaners, other chemical cleaners or salt remedies. Additional cleaning or repairs should be left to a professional rug conservator.

If a liquid or food spills on a modern area rug, the steps to be taken depend on a few factors. These include what material the rug is made of and whether the dyes are colorfast.

For wool pile modern area rugs, spills can generally be cleaned as you would clean a spill on your clothes, i.e. with a cloth and soapy water. The area of the spill should be gently cleaned with the wet cloth and all soap should be removed. The pile should then be smoothed down in its natural direction, and the modern area rug can be hung on a chair indoors or on a fence to dry. If the rug is too large to hang, the wet area can be propped up so that both sides of the rug get some air and are able to dry. A hair-dryer can also be used to speed up the drying process. If left damp for long periods of time, mildew or fungus can form and the rug's pile and foundation could be damaged or weakened.

Most modern area rugs can be scrubbed hard if need be, but in these cases it is important to know beforehand that the rug's dyes will not run. Most modern area rugs are made using colorfast dyes, but be certain that the dyes will not run by testing the rug with a colorfast experiment:

Begin by gently rubbing a small area of the pile (such as an area of blue or red) with a white wet cloth. Be sure to rub a section of only one color, as you do not want to accidentally spread the color of one area into another. Note that when checking your white cloth to determine whether the dyes are colorfast, it is important to differentiate between some loose wool coming onto the cloth and the actual dyes running on the cloth.

If the color does run, (i.e. the dye is not colorfast) the area of spillage can still be cleaned, but care must be taken not to scrub the rug hard and to avoid scrubbing across sections of the rug with different colors. Also, you must use a new section of cleaning cloth (or a new white cloth) for each section that you are cleaning.

In this case, it is better to dry the modern area rug flat on one side (and then turn it over to dry the other) rather than to hang the rug, in order to prevent the wet dyes from running down into other dyes.