Now, with hard flooring and open concept layouts being so popular, the carpet business is surging. Area carpets are ideal to help to define spaces, particularly in homes with open concept floor plans where spaces often flow into each other. While this trend in home building is desirable for communication, each space still needs to be defined to create visual separation.

As with all furnishings today, there are many options when it comes to area carpets; from shapes and sizes, to quality, material and, of course, cost. When you think of buying a rug, especially one for a high traffic area, think of your new rug as an investment piece (like your furniture) and find one that will stand the test of time.

For these reasons, I generally recommend wool carpets to my clients. Wool is soft, durable and has high lanolin content. Lanolin, which is basically wool ‘wax’ secreted by sheep, provides natural stain protection and waterproofing. Far too often I see cheap carpets in homes that lose fibres and stain easily—not a solid investment. The higher the quality, the more the rug will cost, but it will stay looking beautiful and won’t need to be replaced as quickly.

It’s quite amazing what putting a carpet down on your floor can do to a space. It gives the space warmth, character, texture, and colour. A bold hit of colour on the floor can be just what your room needs and can be moved around easily from room to room and house to house. Think bold geometric patterns or florals. It is all about the mix: traditional or tribal carpets in modern spaces and more modern carpets in a traditional setting. The possibilities are endless and the carpet can be a statement piece and even desired heirloom.

The size of the carpet is key when dressing a room. I find many people think too small when it comes to carpet sizes and the touch is lost, so before going out to look for a new carpet, make sure you measure your space and your furniture. Depending on the room, here are a few simple rules to keep in mind:

In a living room, be sure that at least the front two feet of your sofa or accent chairs are on the carpet. There is nothing worse than a floating carpet that just has a coffee table on it with the rest of the furniture placed around it.

In a dining room, you want the table and all the chairs to sit comfortably on the carpet. Unlike a living room, all four legs should be on the carpet whether the chairs pushed in or pulled out for seating.

In bedrooms, the bed should be centered on the carpet with enough room on all sides for you to put your feet on the floor when getting up. The end tables do not need to sit on the carpet.

Since I have always loved the look of a luxurious carpet, I recently launched a line of my own for the Rug Shop here in Calgary. Titled Afera, an Islamic name meaning ‘colour of Earth’, the inspiration for the designs was based on traditional geometric motifs found in ancient Islamic architecture. It is again, the mix of old and new that I love. The old in this case is the traditional shapes and angles from Islam; the new, being the bold colour combinations and irregular placement of those shapes. I love the juxtaposition of this and you can see how it relates to pure design as it stands the test of time.

These motifs, I believe, can be incorporated into both modern and traditional homes alike. The carpets are hand-knotted and made with the highest quality New Zealand wool. Where most carpets available today are mass-produced and machine-made, these are produced in Nepal where carpet weaving is a cottage industry and how many generate income for their families.

In Nepal, Turkey, Afghanistan and India, carpet weaving is an art form and carpets are thought to be investment pieces. In Iran, people even hold university degrees in the study of carpets. The business of carpets is serious one indeed but have fun with them and think of them as statement pieces. They’re not just for wiping you boots on anymore. NL