The Province Talk to the carpet salesman to learn what kind of carpet you're thinking of buying. Whether it's of traditional or modern design, a rug goes great with wood or synthetic flooring.
Trouble is, there seems to be vast ignorance of what makes a good rug and how to buy it.
I learned a lot recently by looking over some tips by Eric Guenther, an expert on hand-woven rugs. If the fringe around the edges is sewn on, the rug is machine-made. In a hand-knotted rug, the fringe represents the foundation upon which the weavers tie their knots and create the rug. When a hand-made rug is completed, the weavers cut the foundation from the loom, creating the fringe. Machine-made rugs are manufactured differently and the fringe needs to be sewn on.