Plaid, Plaid and More Plaid

Fashion is all around us, whether it’s the clothing we wear, the curtains we choose, the paint we use, the wrapping paper for gifts or the area rugs in our homes, fashion creeps in and plants itself squarely in our lives. I have noticed over my years working in the home decorating world, that what shows up on our backs quite often shows up in our homes; whether it is pillows, bedding, or area rugs. It used to take a season or two for things to make the circuit, but these days, if it’s hot in Vogue chances are it’s hot in Better Homes and Gardens too.

One of the trends I’ve been seeing this season in clothing has been plaid. Whether it’s in skirts, shoes, scarves or handbags, plaid seems to be one of the hot looks this fall. Well in testing out my theory that hot goes from our backs to our homes rather quickly, I’ve been checking out what the home design world has been showing for the fall. It seems that the home stores are too far behind the department stores with pillows, curtains and bedding all showing up in plaid this year. Of course I had to check out our rug selection to see what was available for the floors, and sure enough, we have some interesting and fun ways to add plaid into your home for the cool months.

One of our manufacturers that does the most with plaid is Milliken. They’ve taken this idea and come up with some really interesting and family friendly versions of plaid. One thing to note about Milliken rugs is that they are made with 100% Stainmaster nylon, so not only are they good looking, these rugs are some of the easiest to clean in the industry.

The Magee tartan series from Milliken’s Signature rug collection is a good place to start if you are looking for a traditional plaid. This area rug comes in ten great color ways and would be a good way to add plaid to your room.

If you are looking for a more modern interpretation of plaid – something that can go either casual or maybe more modern, try Milliken’s Lake District products, the Zurich Plaid Multi is a great looking plaid, and is very modern looking.

Finally, if you are looking for something a bit more simple, but still with that plaid feel to it, try Chandra’s Chelsea collection. This very simple but elegant rug is made of 100% wool and comes in a classic black and rich burgundy. Both are a straightforward way to add the plaid look to a room.

So, if you want to be right up there with the trends take a look at plaid this season. Whether you wear it or walk on it, you will be right on the cutting edge.

Retro Style

As one who made it through the 70’s and barely survived the 80’s the idea of “going retro” doesn’t always appeal to me – I get the idea, but I’ve lived it once and there are just some mistakes one doesn’t wish to repeat. That said those in their teens and 20’s missed out on all this good stuff and just LOVE the retro vibe. I mean take a look a the fashions these days, if you don’t think somebody just stepped out of Midnight Cowboy or is doing an early Madonna impression, you most certainly don’t remember those two decades. With that in mind a lot of decorating in first apartments, dorm rooms and other hip pads have practically come full circle with lime greens, lava lamps, shag area rugs, and other nostalgic memorabilia.

Decorating with this style in mind can be fun if you remember a few tips:

1. While Mary Tyler Moore’s hip Minneapolis apartment was cool for 1974, doing an exact remake is going to look a bit weird. Take a few of the fun things and translate them into today’s fabrics, colors, and textures. Basically, don’t go overboard.

2. Look for patterns and textures that are reminiscent of the past, but are exact copies. A really easy example of this can be found with the New Beetle; it certainly makes you think of the original, but it’s a more up-to-date version of that classic.

3. Use newer colors. Avacado and Harvest Gold might have been 70’s staples, but the greens and golds of now look a bit fresher.

4. Don’t be afraid to mix eras. The lava lamp was a big hit in the 60’s and shag carpet was HUGE in the 70’s – nothing wrong with mixing it up and using a lava lamp and a fun shag rug in a room.
5. Whatever you do, make sure you have fun. Retro style is meant to be fun and exciting, don’t get too bogged down trying to be perfect. Enjoy!

Okay, you’ve read a few of the tips, now for the rugs (you knew this was coming didn’t you?) Rugs to My Door has a lot of rugs that can be considered “retro” with everything from the good ole shag rug, to patterns and color combinations that make you think several decades ago. I’ll show you some of them, but feel free to look around and see what you come up with.

How is this for a shag rug? From the Mary Kate and Ashley Collection from Shaw Living, this rug embodies the fun of Retro while using updated color ways. This rug comes in 3 easy to use sizes and 6 fun and bright colors.

Another icon of the 70's, Andy Warhol is a good place to look for Retro looks. Sphinx by Oriental Weavers has taken a lot of his design ideas and translated them into area rugs. They come in both wool and polypropelene making it easy to find a rug, a style, and a pattern that fits your budget. The one to the right is called Flowers, talk about a great Retro pattern!

There you go, a couple of examples to stimulate your imagination, but don't let it stop there, browse through our contemporary section to find more great examples of "Going Retro"!

In the Depths of the 90th Floor

I tend to talk about outdoor living like everybody that has outdoor space is in either the country or the suburbs, well after looking through where many of our area rug orders get shipped and spending time in both San Francisco and New York this past fall; I’m realizing that a balcony is quite often the outdoor space for many people. People decorate their terraces with plants, do their grilling out there, and maybe even enjoy a glass of wine in a nice chair after a long day with a friend or neighbor. This made me think that why should I just concentrate on the suburban patio as a place to create an additional room? Why not the balconies of our urban dwelling customers?

Whether you’re looking to create an urban oasis, a modern living space, a cottage on the 20th floor, how you use and decorate a balcony to feel like an additional living space?

Start with the size, if you have a small balcony make sure you don’t over crowd it or use items that are too large in scale. If you’re blessed with something bigger – go for larger pieces, more pieces and put more things out.

Make sure you have a comfortable seating area. It doesn’t have to be expensive, maybe some garage sale finds with new cushions – or a bench (again with a fun cushion) – even just pillows made from outdoor safe fabrics work well for this.

Add plants!!! You need flowers and greens otherwise you might as well stay inside. If you have a small balcony try hanging baskets or attaching containers to your railings. Bigger spaces again use bigger containers and pots. Remember though it’s easier to keep things well watered if they are in bigger rather than smaller containers.

Next, add nick-knacks, side tables, and umbrella and of course a grill if you have the room. These are the extras that make this space more personal and usable.

Finally of course an outdoor area rug grounds everything and makes the area feel more like a

room. Whether you use a traditional looking faux sisal or something more out there, feel free to browse our selection of outdoor rugs and start creating a room outside.

Deck the Hall (and the Floors!)

We have moved passed the elections (did it seem to drag on forever to you too?) and now we can start thinking about the holidays that are coming up. Whether it is Thanksgiving, Hanukah, Christmas, or the Winter Solstice these next 6 weeks seem to be peppered with festivities.
I think every woman in my family loves to decorate for these various festivities, special dishes, center pieces, wreathes; you name it and it goes up and out for the next six weeks. Thanksgiving items from now until November 27th and then come the winter holidays. My grandmother specifically loves Thanksgiving, it’s the one time of the year she get’s to have the whole family at her house and around one table again. There’s bound to be more food than you can shake a stick at, football, and decorations a-go-go. My mother on the other hand is a Christmas lady. She likes to make sure her house is festooned with mistletoe and holly, the tree, and everything that makes her grandkids excited to get to Nana’s house. That’s just my mom and grandma, between the aunts and sisters, they go all out. I enjoy the festivities myself, and I love seeing how they’ve decorated each year.

This year I’ve suggested that they might want to add to their mix (and merriment) an area rug. We have a nice selection or area rugs that can bring extra joy to any occasion and liven up all the up-coming holidays. Now is the time of year to spice things up with a new area rug, whether it be one of our holiday themed rugs, or with just something inspiring under the dining room table; an area rug is an inexpensive and fun way to jazz things up and bring on the spirit of these last two months of the year.

Milliken has a wonderful selection of area rugs for the holidays and best of all these rugs are made from 100% Stainmaster nylon, so they’re not only good looking but clean with the ease you’ve come to expect from Stainmaster. Take a browse through our beautiful Milliken holiday rugs.

Finally, if you’re not the person in the family that decorates to the hilt, these area rugs make a nice gift (and something a bit different from the norm) to give to your mom, grandma, aunt, sister or any other person that loves the festive feel of things. Plus, you can have it sent right to their door, no going out, no running around, just sitting home having some hot cider and picking out a beautiful area rug.

Be My Guest

Who doesn’t like to be a good host? Whether it’s hosting cocktails at 6 or a dinner party at 8; having guests for the weekend, or just entertaining at a restaurant, I think we all enjoy playing host. One of my favorites (and practically a necessity seeing as my friends and relatives all live in different cities) is having weekend guests. I enjoy the company, making dinner with friends, exploring on a Saturday afternoon, a glass of wine and some nibbly bits, and of course making them feel at home, even if it is only for a couple of days. The biggest part of this is my guest room. I know not all of us have the luxury of a guest room, but I’m a single guy with a two bedroom house, so when guests come, I get to go all out. I don’t get overly fussy mind you, but I do like to create a room where my friends and family can relax, get away from things for a bit, and of course make their way into dreamland.

With a guest room, you don’t have to be fancy – in fact keeping things simple and homey may be your best bet. Make your guests feel like kicking off their shoes and settling in with furniture, art work and accessories (like area rugs) that are not overly fussy and comfortable. Make sure you have storage for your guests (I know I really don’t like to live out of a suitcase) also; use bedding that is luxurious and soft. Provide and extra blanket in the winter. Keep a fan in the room in the summer (maybe year round for white noise). Some reading material and a fresh flower or two are also appreciated. Don’t forget, in this day and age of traveling technology, an iPod dock is always a happy find.

Finally, use your guest room to try out something new, something different, something you may like but may not want to see every day. Try painting the floors (instead of carpet) and putting an interesting area rug down. Use colors that you wouldn’t normally use. Use furniture that isn’t too pricey and maybe has that shabby chic feel to it (this way a few nicks and scratches won’t harm it) Make sure that you put warms and comfy rugs down, toes like something soft and warm in the morning.

Here is one of my favorite rugs lines for guest bedrooms. Momeni has a lot of beautiful area rugs ranging from contemporary rugs to traditional rugs and with great color ways that make decorating easy. Plus right now you can get a free bottle of Rug Renew (at $29.95 value) with any 5x8 or larger rug purchase. So, spruce up your guest room – it is getting to be the time of year when the out of towners seem to drop by – and do it with a new and inexpensive rug from Momeni.

A great rug and a great deal!

Our friends at Momeni Rug Company have teamed up with us to bring you a once per year opportunity. Now through the end of November, any Momeni 5x8 rug you order from us will include a complimentary bottle of our exclusive Rug Renew area rug cleaning kit.

We sell hundreds of these kits at $29.95, but you get the product for free simply by ordering a 5x8 or larger Momeni area rug.

So be sure to browse our wide assortment of Momeni rugs and remember that while a Momeni wool rug can last a life time...this deal truly won't-it ends soon.

Until next time, good shopping!