Purchasing wall to wall carpet rather than area rugs depends on a number of factors the first being ‘ your preference’ followed by your budget and then whether or not you have polished floors, tiles or slate.

If you have polished floors you will more than likely consider  the purchase of area rugs so that the rug is nicely edged by the wood or tiles. However, wall to wall carpet creates a total look to a room and gives you a nice base from which to incorporate your overall color scheme.

CLICK HERE to read about the advantages and disadvantages  of  purchasing either wall-to-wall-carpet or an area rug for your home.  Our guide will help you to make the decision on which is best for you.

In our fast-paced, over-processed, crazy world a lot of people are turning to a simpler life.  They are down sizing, taking time out to meditate and embracing historic methods of medicine, ways of life and life enhancements.  One of those methods is Feng Shui.  What is it and how can it help you?

What is Feng Shui?

Feng Shui means ‘wind-water’.  It is pronounced ‘fung shway’.

It is the ancient Chinese art of arranging a living or work space to maximize the flow of vital energy, or chi.  This can include how the furniture is arranged and which colors are used in the space.  The aim is to get the chi flowing so that it creates harmony, comfort and balance.  The Chinese say that if you can achieve it in your environment, it will go on to affect how you feel and live.

How does it work?

A lot of feng shui is common sense.  For example, let’s take the furniture placement.  The feng shui ideal would be to have pieces placed in such a way that it is easy for a person to walk from one place to another, without having to squeeze past items, go around things instead of straight from A to B and not block doorways.  From a feng shui point of view, this allows the chi to flow.  This does make perfect sense if you think about your own home.  How many of us have an item of furniture that is really too large for where it is and we end up turning sideways to go past it.  Or a room where it’s impossible to open the door fully because of a bookcase or chair behind it?  Many homes even lose the use of a door altogether because of furniture placement.  Their feng shui consultant would have a fit!

How much nicer would your space be if you didn’t have to do all of that and if you could use all of your doors?  But feng shui can be applied to every item in your home.  Let’s look at a simple item that most people have – an area rug.  This is just a rug that only covers part of the floor.  How would we apply feng shui to the rug?

Feng shui and your area rugs

According to the principles of feng shui, every item in your home or workplace gives off energy.  That energy feeds into the overall chi and that is what we are trying to improve.  So every aspect of each item has to be considered.

Color

Color is very important because it determines the mood of a room.  If there are soft or pastel colors, the room will be relaxing – but if there are too many gentle shades, it can tip over into boring!  If the colors are strong or vibrant, the space may become nerve-jangling and increase tension.  So give some thought to the color of your rug or any new one that you are about to purchase.  Does it enhance the existing color scheme or jar against it?  Remember that with feng shui you are trying to attain harmony and balance.

Texture

It’s also important to consider texture.  The right texture or combination of textures can make a room much more welcoming and comfortable to spend time in.  This is simple to demonstrate.  Imagine a house with all wood floors.  Beautiful but maybe a little bare and hard looking?  The addition of a few area rugs would instantly soften that and the two would compliment each other, bringing balance and harmony.  Great chi!

Your area rug can improve your energy and opportunities!

People often have an area rug in their entrance hall.  This is a great place to start because one of the beliefs of feng shui is that both energy and opportunity come to us through the front entrance of our homes – just like a visitor.  So we need to make those things feel welcome and bring them right on in!

A feng shui ‘rule’ is that soft, rounded shapes are always better than sharp angles, so choose a round, oval or half circle area rug for your entrance.  This should improve the energy and help it to balance.  The very best shape you could choose is an octagonal rug because this is a very important feng shui symbol.

If you have a rectangular or square rug, this would be considered as having ‘sharp points’ at the corners, which are construed as ‘pointing’ at people or opportunities and energy as they enter your home.  Those angles need to go.

If you really get into feng shui, you would also check out your hallway for rectangular pictures or mirrors (replace with oval or arched) and even plants.  A soft, round bushy flower arrangement would be better than an angular plant and a cactus is a definite no no!

Overall aim

You can gauge the chi of a room by how much you (or anyone else) enjoys being in that space.  Feng shui is all about energy and people give off masses of it.  If people are happy in the room, then the chi will be healthy.  It’s a circular effect.  Happy room = happy people = happy room!

It may sound a little ‘new age’ and weird but just think of your own home and areas where even simple improvements could be made.  Area rugs are not expensive and it might be a great way of trying out feng shui in your own home.  It might be the start of a new passion, a happier life and more opportunities.  It’s got to be worth a try!

Advantages and disadvantages of carpets and area rugs:

Purchasing wall-to-wall-carpet or an area rug for your home is a major decision based on your own preference and your budget. So this guide has been prepared to provide you with some of the advantages and disadvantages of each, to help you with your decision.

Advantages of wall-to-wall carpets

• Carpet is permanent and therefore does not shift around on the floor
• Absorbs noise
• Provides insulation for the entire floor
• It can cover a badly worn or stained wood floor
• There are a wide range of textures and colors available

Disadvantages of wall-to-wall carpets:

• Once it’s installed, it can’t be moved
• Professional installation is required to install the carpet which will add to the cost
• Cleaning and repair of the carpet has to be done in-house

Advantages of area rugs

• Area rugs can be moved from room to room or from house to house if you relocate
• Area rugs can be rotated to avoid wear and tear in high traffic areas
• Area rugs can have amazing designs that won’t overtake a room like wall-to-wall carpet which should best be left in neutral colors
• They look elegant on wood floors
• Area rugs can be used to cover wall-to-wall carpet in high traffic areas like hallways and entrance ways
• Unlike wall-to-wall carpet, there is an enormous variety of designs, colors and textures available to choose from
• Area rugs can be sent out for cleaning and repair
• Area rugs can provide a focal point in any room
• Cleaning underneath the rug is easy
• No installation is required
• Can be a lot cheaper than wall-to-wall carpets

Disadvantages of area rugs

• Area rugs can shift or slide – use anti-slip rug holders to prevent this from happening
• Any unsecured edges may lift and cause tripping

Deciding on whether to have wall-to-wall carpet or an area rug ultimately comes down to personal choice. Hopefully this guide has helped with your decision-making.