AREA RUGS: They define living spaces and provide comfort under foot.

Chris Abele had a problem. His open, spacious loft needed some definition.

“A loft space is just a great big room. You need a way to visually divide it,” Abele said.

Today a thick, durable area rug clearly marks the dining area. Abele had the rug custom-made in the size he specified and a color he selected by comparing yarn samples to a swatch of sofa fabric.

“It’s great. It’s the exact size and color I wanted,” he said.

Area rugs provide more than just a soft surface to walk on. They add a splash of color or contrast to a room, like a piece of art.

“In general, people are turning to hard surfaces for the floors of their homes, and they don’t want to cover those surfaces with wall-to-wall carpeting anymore,” said Sofia Varanka, owner and partner of Hudson Home.

Rugs made of sustainable materials, like banana fiber, are increasingly popular. Banana fiber is extracted from the bark of the banana tree. The bark is soaked until only cellulose fibers remain. The fibers are then extruded into a pulp, which is spun into yarn. The yarn is then hand-dyed, saturated in brilliant color.

“The white fiber takes the color really well,” said Varanka. “It feels like silk, but it’s more durable and not as expensive. It’s one of the newest fibers out there for rugs.”

Other popular rug fibers include linen, cashmere, hemp and nettle, alpaca and wool. Linen is a renewable resource and also very soft. Cashmere rugs, generally used in low-traffic areas like bedrooms, are butter soft. Hemp and nettle have natural color variations but are extremely stiff, so are best used in high traffic areas. Alpaca rugs are very thick, as thick as 2 inches, so bare toes can sink into their heavenly softness. One advantage of wool is its lanolin, a built-in stain resister. Other rugs can be coated with a silicone substance to resist stains.

Wool rugs are gaining popularity in an unlikely room: the kitchen. More and more people are discovering the warmth a rug adds to the kitchen, and the natural stain-resistance of wool makes it a popular choice.

Still, Varanka recommends using a rug made of hemp or nettle, which are better able to take the high traffic of a kitchen. But don’t place a rug directly beneath a sink or a stove. You might end up spending more time cleaning spills than you bargained for.

Geometric designs and fun patterns are also popular right now, according to Rod Parks, owner of Retro Inferno.

“People are finding texture really appealing,” said Parks. “Flokati (a long shag) is interesting, and also dimensional patterns that lift right out of the rug.”

When shopping for an area rug, make sure the rug’s durability matches the traffic it will receive. Chris Abele knew chairs would be continually dragged over the rug he wanted for his dining area, so he chose sturdy wool. Also, walk on it before you buy, both with shoes and barefoot.

Position a rug so it can be seen. This is an economic consideration as well as an aesthetic one: You don’t want to pay for a large area that will be hidden under a sofa.

Finally, don’t forget what’s underneath: A good rug pad will keep the rug from slipping.

No More Standing In Line At eCheck-Out

Online area rugs retailers, RugSale.com, has changed it's check out process reducing the number of steps by more than two thirds. "We listened to our customers and heard what they wanted from us loud and clear" Said Charlie Kaoud CEO of RugSale. He continued "Though we had originally made our checkout process simple but comprehensive, our customers wanted it shorter".

RugSale eliminated superfluous pages condensing only the most essential elements into just two steps. They also reduced redundant tasks. If the billing and shipping addresses are the same the information automatically appears in the shipping fields as it is being typed into the billing fields.

Eliminating the requirement to set up an account was also something customers asked for. "We found that many people didn't care about setting up an account. Once they find rugs they were looking for they just wanted to check out quick and move on" Said Charlie. RugSale made setting up an account optional in case some people still wanted to use the tools that they offer account holders.

They also found that many of their customers shop by price or selection not web site loyalty. So when they shop for a rug again and they end up coming back it is often because RugSale has the particular rug or a good price not because they are a loyal RugSale shopper. In these instances the shopper may not know their password and would simply start filling in customer information all over again. RugSale now has them put in their email address first and instantly checks their database to see if the customer has shopped there before. If they have, a message pops up explaining they already have an account and asks them if they want their password. The customer then can simply enter their password and they don't need to enter their information all over again. "We would like to think people come to RugSale because they love the site but even if they stumble over us twice in a row we want their experience to be as easy as possible." Charlie Concludes.

Surfing Surface for floor covering news

Surface, the world's largest annual floor-covering trade show, recently introduced the latest in flooring fashions to industry attendees hungry to pick up new trends. Manufacturers from around the globe convened in Las Vegas to show off a host of new floor-covering looks and styles, ranging from glazed Moroccan tiles to hand-chiseled hardwood.

Here, according to retailer group World Floor Covering Association, is what was hot:

• Vibrant colors.
  
• 
  
• Plush textures.
  
• 
  
• Luxurious looks.
  
• 
  
• • Customized rugs that are works of art in themselves.
  

Tiles designed for offices, dens and bathroom floors were presented in a wide variety of materials, including glass, porcelain, cement, rubber, brightly colored aluminum -- and even pony hair -- from a variety of makers.

Many manufacturers displayed one-of-a-kind pieces. Hand-painted tiles measuring from a half-inch to a full foot were shown in a variety of settings. There were also leather tiles in flat jewel tones and animal prints for home owners looking for lively accents.

Carpets and area rugs were on show in nearly every color, material and look imaginable, from hand-woven silk to leather.

If all these sound expensive, think again. There were stylish products for every budget.

As in previous years, banana leaf and sisal were also shown in abundance. Basket weaves and knotted rugs appeared among coverings for patios, living rooms and sun rooms.

Woods from such exotic locales as South America and Thailand were exhibited as wide planks, reclaimed antique, and stalks of natural bamboo laid side by side.

In addition, a number of manufacturers offered a variety of "green" products, including cork, bamboo and linoleum. Only the bark is used in making cork floor coverings, so the rest of the tree is left intact. Cork comes in a wide variety of colors and styles. Bamboo has been on the floor-covering scene for a number of years, but recent advances present the product in finer detail and darker shades.

Linoleum, which has been enormously popular for well over a century, is manufactured from renewable sources, such as linseed oil, resin, wood flour, cork powder and pigments. Linoleum's durability -- up to 40 years as flooring -- makes it very suitable for high-traffic areas.
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