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Design tips for selecting an area rug for your home:

• Visualize the desired total look of the room. Do you want a room that's uncluttered and monotone or a room rich with colors or textures? If you start with a totally empty room, choose a rug, then paint or paper the walls in colors found in the rug.
• Remember, the rug has to fit the room – in more ways than one. Consider how the room is used, how much traffic the area gets and who will view it under what light. For high-traffic areas such as hallways and foyers, you may want a durable, patterned rug.
• Choose furniture that enhances the rug design or colors found in the rug.
• If you start with furniture, choose a rug to pick up the colors used in your furnishing patterns. Patterns can be mixed if they are coordinated by color. Elements of a rug design can be further incorporated into the overall design scheme. For example, if the rug is floral, add framed prints or flowers in similar colors.
• Size up the size of the room and the area you want to cover. The most common area rug sizes are 4-by-6 and 6-by-9 feet. They work well under a coffee table. An 8-by-11-foot rug or larger can cover an entire room. Smaller area and scatter rugs can be ideal for adorning smaller spaces—a hearth, a bedside, the area in front of a kitchen sink—with a splash of color and warmth.
• A rug with a bold, overall design can be the focal point of a room with a chair and sofa in solid or subdued patterns.
• Light colored rugs make a room look more spacious, and deeper colors lend coziness to a room.
• Choose a rug that will perform well, with the right combination of density and fiber. The denser the pile, (with closer tufts or stitches), the better your rug will wear.
• Synthetic yarns - nylon, polyester, acrylic, and polypropylene - and the naturals - wool and cotton - are durable, soft, and easy to clean.
• Youve got to hand it to machine-made rugs: they may look strikingly similar to the handmade kind, but theyre usually much less expensive.
• Watch out for fringe elements. If the rug you like has fringe, make sure it’s sewn on well, and very carefully use the vacuum cleaner.
• Dont be boxed in by the idea of getting a rectangular rug. A circular or octagonal-shaped floor covering can add flair.
• Remember to take a swatch of any fabrics youd like to match with you when you shop for a rug. That way, youll have a better idea of what will complement your existing décor.
• Dont underestimate the value of an underlay. Not only will it absorb the impact of feet and noise, it will reduce wear and tear on the rug and make vacuuming easier.

Looking for the right office chair for your home office?

• Ensuring that the person's feet can rest firmly against the ground while the thighs remain level on the seat cushion.
• The chair should be rounded in front to avoid reducing circulation below the knee.
• The seat cushion, or seat pan, should feel comfortable, and the person's weight should feel evenly distributed throughout the seat.
• In addition, the back rest should feel comfortable; a contoured backrest will often provide greater lumbar support.
• Check that a number of different seated positions can be accommodated comfortably.
• If the person using the office chair often leans back, make sure that doing so does not result in any neck tension.
• To help with good posture when leaning forward, it can be helpful to have a chair that has a forward tilt, which will place the hips a few degrees higher than the knees.
• Arm rests, if available, should be designed in a manner so the chair can be pulled up close to a computer keyboard or desk surface.