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An Empty Room? Start with an Oriental Rug!

If you're ever staring at an empty room wondering what to do, try starting with an oriental rug. The bold colors and eye-catching designs are a great addition to almost any room. Make it a focal point. You can then decorate with colors that play off the colors in the rug.

Be careful about proportion, though. Too often, people fall short of good design by not having proper proportions.

Some salespeople will tell you that an oriental rug is an investment that will rise in value. It may indeed, but my advice is to only purchase an oriental rug because you love it. if it rises in value, consider it a bonus.

There are hand-made and machine-made rugs. You can tell if a rug was made on a machine by turning it over. If the pattern is not visible on the reverse, it was made on a machine, probably in Belgium.

The most valuable antique rugs are about a century old, and are becoming very difficult to find. The semi-antique oriental rugs are those from the 1920s and 30s and are the type most people find when looking for an older rug.

One way to determine the quality is to examine the hand-tied knots that make up the pile. The greater the number of nots, the higher the density, and the more durable the carpet. Some last a lifetime or longer.

It's also fun to compare knots on rugs made in the same geographic region. Each region has a distinct style.

Shopping for an oriental rug can be a confusing venture because of the difficulty in determining what constitutes a fair price. You should either do a lot of homework or hire an expert on a consulting basis to help. If you're spending a lot of money, it makes sense to spend a small amount for some professional help to be certain you are not overpaying.

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