Decorating ideas from some of our customers.

Oriental rugs can be used to make a statement about your personal taste. The tribal rug is more than just a floor covering, it is a work of art in itself, but that doesn't mean it should be overemphasized. Ideally, a beautiful rug should draw attention to the room as a whole by tying together diverse decorative elements that might not have worked together without the rug as a unifying agent. The rug can also be used to define a smaller space or create an intimate setting in a larger room. Attention to these details will make a statement about your personal sense of style and elegance, and let your guests know something about who you are. These photos will show you how this can work.

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Don't hesitate to overlap rugs. This room shows how this can lend a sense of warmth and luxury to a space with a lot of rough-edged wooden elements. An older wooden floor can be made much more inviting and comfortable with overlapping rugs. This also echoes the custom of stacking rugs in the tents of nomads centuries ago, and suggests that you have a sense of history as well as art.

Another superb example of drawing attention to a really fine art rug without overemphasizing it. Although the rug is still underfoot, it covers another rug of lesser artistic merit. Placing the smaller rug at an angle helps to redefine an otherwise boring, too-square space. The bold patterns of the tribal carpet contrast sharply with the softer, floral patterns of the rug underneath. The contrast between the two rugs, combined with the daring angle of the top rug, suggests to your guests that you are not constrained by boundaries, that you are able to think outside the box while retaining your artistic and decorative sense.

The use of many small rugs instead of one large carpet allows you to show off a beautiful wooden floor to its fullest. It also makes a smaller room look larger, and adds a sense of drama by breaking up the space into many smaller spaces--each demanding attention on its own. The individual works of art on the floor are balanced by an equal number of pictures on the wall, which help draw attention upward and keep the grouping of smaller rugs from dominating.

Don't miss a chance to make a more dramatic and subtle statement about your living space. The use of multiple smaller rugs instead of a long runner, as in this foyer and hallway, suggests that the homeowner has a keen sense of how to use space. After all, draping one long rug down a corridor is just too easy, and too reminiscent of the 80's. The three rugs in the hallway should have some common elements in the design, although the colors don't have to match. For instance, they could all be tribal rugs. The rug in front of the door can be totally different, a floral pattern or a more intricate pattern, for instance, a village or workshop rug. This helps define the entryway as separate from the hallway and makes the space look larger.

Four tribal carpets overlap each other in this dramatic setting. The roughness of the carpets perfectly suits the rugged interior with its bigger-than-life busts. Multiple overlapping carpets give you a real sense of comfort, as if this is a room you can really relax in. At the same time, the raw energy of this interior really stimulates the creative thought process. This is a room to write that novel in!

The tendency in the U.S. to use one large carpet in the living area is probably a hangover from the days of wall-to-wall carpeting. By using smaller carpets, you can define a space more precisely. Arranging several chairs around a smaller rug, as this homeowner has done, declares that this is a conversation space. It's much more intimate than a big rug with the furniture arranged around the edges--and much more exciting.

By adjusting the carpets to angles, you can break up the humdrum effect of large rectangular surfaces. It immediately makes the space appear a little larger, more dramatic, and more interesting. And it definitely says something about your skill as an interior decorator.

An effective use of three oriental carpets on a terrazo tile floor. Note the modern furniture with a slightly exotic flare and the use of kilim-covered pillows to accent and echo the patterns in the carpets. This is a room that invites you to live in it!