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.

Choose a Wool Area Rug for Your Home

Renovating your rooms with new decor? Then you simply can't do without an area rug,and there is no better material than natural fiber, especially wool. It is durable, strong and adds an aesthetic value to your room.

The very nature of wool fiber enables it to recover well from crushing. These stretch sometimes up to 35% without rupturing and then come back to their original size. Wool is also resistant to soil and is easier to clean than synthetic fiber. The high moisture content of wool works as a natural flame resistant. Though synthetic fibers have evolved over the years, they still cannot match the quality of wool.

Important things to consider when buying a wool area rug are the size, design and grade of wool, handmade or machine-made. The size of your dining room, bedroom or study, hallway or stairs will determine the size of your rug. Next you have to decide the color and type of design you are looking for. Whether you want the color of your rug to match with your walls or are you looking for contrast. Whether you want a simple design or a more elaborate one. Wool comes in various grades. Wool may be from a dead animal or a live one, a young healthy one or an old one. Wool sheared from a live animal is called live wool. Dead wool is sheared chemically from dead animals and it contains no oils and is rough to touch.

Another important decision to make is whether you want to buy handmade wool area rugs or machine-made. Handmade rugs are not only more beautiful, but also durable, they hold their value, age beautifully and last for generations. With handmade wool rugs each strand is tied individually for greater strength and consistency.

The buying of wool rugs may be a complex issue and their uniqueness and originality is hard to judge unless you are an expert. It is advisable to take the help of an expert or deal with reputable dealers and direct importers of handmade wool rugs.

It is important to take proper care of your precious possession. Dry cleaning and steam cleaning are a strict 'NO' for your wool rug. Dry cleaning leaves a chemical in the fiber that is harmful for the longevity of your rug. Steam cleaning takes out the oil from the wool, converting live wool into dead wool. Regular vacuuming is recommended to remove dirt. Proper padding and moth-proofing are also recommended for a prolonged life.

Rory H. Hawkins writes about wool rugs and other interesting topics. Visit http://www.wool-rug-resources.info for more information.