Throw rugs and area rugs provide an additional visual layer, while adding warmth to your home. Layering in design is extremely important for creating depth. Rugs define specific zones such as seating or dining areas or in places like foyers. They promote feelings of order and completion. Once you start incorporating rugs and then visit a house without them, you will sense that something is missing.

Whether an area rug provides the springboard for your color scheme or quietly accents the rest of a room’s furnishings, the bottom line is that it makes a big impact.

• To make a rug the focal point of a room, create contrast. Paint your walls a hue that echoes one of your rug’s accent colors.
• To determine the proper dimensions of a room-size rug, subtract three feet from the length and width of the room. Runners should be four inches narrower than your hallway and 18 to 24 inches shorter.
• Be sure to use the proper liner to keep your rug from slipping or “creeping.”
• Keep in mind that you need not reserve rugs for the floor; they can make equally impressive wall hangings!

Depending on how you want to 'define' the area, you would pick the shape of your rug because ultimately most will organize furniture around the rug. A handy hint is to get your furniture, organize it around the room and decide if that's where you want the pieces to sit and then take a look at the area in the middle (where the coffee table usually resides) and visualize if a rectangular piece works better or a circular or oval piece. Choose your rugs carefully; opt for colors that match your furniture cushions and window treatments.