The Nate Berkus Show on FOX, www.thenateshow.com, has chosen one of our rugs for it's upcoming show featuring products “Made in the USA”!!  Each one of our rugs is made to order in our state-of-the-art workroom located in Minnesota.  This is why you can choose your size, shape, style, color, binding and binding color and we’ll make it just for you!

Watch the show Tuesday, November 22^nd on FOX.  We will be watching and updating everyone once it airs.

The rug to be shown is: Khaki Brasilia Sisal serged to match

Although there are no hard rules as to the size of rugs for various rooms and seating areas, here are some things to consider when choosing the size of a rug.

Measure the room: In order to decide on rug size, the first thing you should do is measure the room. If you have a wood floor, try to have at least 18-24 inches of flooring around the perimeter of the room.

Measure the space:  Measure the space that you wish to cover with a tape measure. Choose a standard size rug that comes closest to these measurements or have a custom size rug made for the space. Sounds expensive? It doesn’t’ have to be. At Sisal Rugs Direct we specialize in custom size rugs that are affordable and don’t take months to make. See for yourself on the “Custom Options” on all of our product pages.

Living Room/Family Room:  Arrange your furniture before determining the size of a new area rug. It makes a room look more pulled together for all of the legs of the furniture to be resting on a room sized area rug. Or, if you have a smaller area rug, you may want all of the legs of the furniture to be off the rug instead. All legs on, or all legs off is a good “rule of thumb” to keep in mind. You do not want to have your sofa half on and half off the rug.                                              

Dining Room/Kitchen:  Under the Dining Room table, or any table that has a rug under it, the rug should be large enough that the chairs can be easily pulled in and out from the table without catching on the edge of the rug. There should be at least 24” of rug from the edge of the table out on all sides. This will allow the back legs of the chairs to be on the rug, even when the chair is pulled out slightly while someone is sitting down. Do not have your chairs half on and half off the rug. It will be difficult to move the chairs over the rug all the time and it will not look right.

Bedroom:  For it to look balanced under a bed, the area rug should be large enough to extend beyond the side of the bed at least 18” for a King and Queen bed and at least 12” for a Full or Twin bed. If you have a larger bedroom you can extend the rug more around the bed, but you shouldn’t go smaller. 

High Traffic Areas:  It is generally considered awkward in a heavily traffic area to be half rug, and half "no rug". Basically, you don't want one foot on a rug and one foot off as you are walking through an area constantly.

As you can see there are no real rules about the size of a rug vs the size of the room or the space to be covered but hopefully this has given you some guidelines to follow when selecting your area rug.

Indoor/Outdoor rugs have the look and feel you want on your floors with the durability you need outside.

Sizing: Indoor/Outdoor rugs are offered in standard and custom sizes. Choose one of these all weather rugs for outdoor use that’s large enough for your seating area. At least the front legs of your furniture should fit on the rug.

Cleaning is a breeze: Indoor/Outdoor rugs are made from polypropylene synthetic fibers to resist moisture, stains and fading. Just spot-clean, shake or vacuum and/or wash with a hose and then hang to dry. You can drape them over your outdoor furniture for quick drying.

Do you need a rug pad outside? An outdoor patio pad is highly recommended. It lets air circulate under the rug and helps the rug wear more evenly.

Bring the outdoors inside: The style and durability of indoor/outdoor rugs make them ideal for kitchens, dining rooms and screened or three season porches. Splashes and spills won’t hurt them. They are also great for high-traffic areas such as a hallway or entry.

Can Indoor rugs be used outside? No, indoor rugs are not made to withstand the elements – rain and sun – of the outdoors. The sun can fade them. The rain can cause watermarks and the fibers to disintegrate.

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May 25, 2011

A recent report on the Today Show about baby products loaded with chemicals and the resulting health concerns made me think about the chemicals that are found in many of the carpet and rug materials.

This report talked about fire retardant used on baby mattresses. Imagine you take the plastic off of a new baby mattress for your beautiful, healthy new baby and there is a chemical smell from the treatments used to supposedly protect our children. Think of your baby laying on that all night and during naps, inhaling those fumes! If you can’t find more natural bedding, be sure to air out any new products that you children will be using.

I have the same issue with the off gassing of some synthetic carpets and rugs. If I walk into a room where synthetic carpet has just been laid and it has that “new carpet smell”, I have a headache in less than 5 minutes. That’s my body telling me – this is toxic stuff, leave immediately!

Our natural fiber rugs do not off-gas at all, as there are no toxic chemicals involved in the making of the rugs. What you smell when you open one of our rugs is a more natural, sometimes grassy smell.  This will disappear soon after your rug or carpet is opened up and left to breath. However, this smell is not hazardous to your health, nor is it potentially cancer causing. Our natural sisal wool rugs are the same – wool and cotton – no toxic chemicals just natural plant and animal material. Also, any of our natural fiber rugs would be a healthy addition to your baby’s room and your home.

March 22, 2011 posted by Suzy

If you or someone in your family has allergies or asthma, allergy proofing your home is important. One way to allergy proof your home is to look at your flooring. Many allergists and the Mayo Clinic  advise removing carpeting and using hardwood or linoleum floors. Dust mites love soft plush rugs. So do mold spores, pet fur and pet dander.

If that is not an option or you would still like to have a rug in the room, consider tightly woven natural fiber rugs such as sisal and seagrass rugs. They’re easier to keep clean. In fact, the use of natural fiber rugs is actually better than plain hardwood or linoleum floors because rugs can trap dust and allergens and keep them from circulating in the air. Then, they can then be vacuumed up. It is suggested that you vacuum with a vacuum cleaner that has a small particle or high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter at least once a week to suck up dust and other allergens.

Our flat woven sisals and any of our seagrass rugs would be great option for your home and office. If you would like a softer look and feel in a flat, tightly woven rug – try our sisal wool rugs.