Article — Katherine Bontrager | Photography — Area Rug Dimensions
Just utter the words “home makeover” and most homeowners will inwardly shudder. Thoughts of the expense, mess, chaos and countless people traipsing through the home are enough to make most tuck the idea away indefinitely. But bringing new life into your home can be as simple—and inexpensive and effortless—as laying down new area rugs or replacing tired, worn-out carpet. This is exactly what three area homeowners did with the help of Area Rug Dimensions, prompting them to open their homes and share their redesign successes.
Wilshire Place’s Hagedorn Family
“We bought our home new in the summer of 2005, and after a time the builder-supplied carpet, which was a neutral cream color, got to be somewhat boring and also showed signs of wear in a few places,” says Lisa Hagedorn. “We went to several area stores to look at carpet and ended up choosing Area Rug Dimensions because Chris and his staff were so helpful in making suggestions for us and offering a lot of different color and texture combinations. They brought samples to our home and showed us what would look good with our furniture and paint colors.”
The family opted to toss the “Johnson County beige” carpet that lay lackluster in the master bedroom, living room, dining room and office and selected colored carpets highlighted with textured patterns. “In our master bedroom, we chose a ‘sea pearls’ textured carpet in a color that complimented our bedding and walls,” Lisa says. “The carpet has made a significant difference in the feel of the room. It really makes the room feel more relaxing and warm than it did before.”
The remaining three rooms were made over with textured, colored carpets. Although the carpets are a solid color, they boast a raised floral leaf pattern, with a sheen on the petals, which coordinates with the furniture and wall colors. Lisa says it gives the rooms a more finished, designer-type look and feel.
This home-makeover survivor suggests people keep an open mind when considering replacing carpet or doing any other type of decorating. She recommends visiting a number of stores or even model homes to get ideas.
“If you’re replacing carpet, always bring home samples to make sure they coordinate with your furnishings,” Lisa advises. “Sometimes colors or patterns look totally different in your house than they do in the store. Also, if you’re choosing carpet with a pattern, make sure that it’s installed in the right direction so that if there are highlights or textures that look better from a certain direction, they can easily be seen when entering the room.”
Beautiful Bridgewood Home
One Leawood family relied on the help of Angie Hancock at Area Rug Dimensions last fall to help put the finishing touches on an addition to their new home—and get them moved in before the holidays.
“In late summer I began looking for area rugs for our new house; I knew we’d need at least four rugs to fill the space,” says the satisfied homeowner. “Angie and I spent some time looking at the area rugs in the store, and we both made notes of the ones that appealed to me immediately. At a different time, Angie and I met at the new house, and she measured the rooms where we’d need an area rug. At that time, we also discussed some of the color schemes and themes of the rooms.”
This careful homeowner took yet a second and third look at the rugs she’d originally selected to ensure she’d like them as much on subsequent glimpses as she did at first sight. In the meantime, she continued to search other stores comparing price and quality. Luckily, she discovered she’d made the right choice.
“Working with Angie was easy, personable, and professional,” she says. “In fact, she also helped in selecting colors and styles for new couches in our family room where we placed one of the area rugs. By the time we moved in our new house, we’d purchased area rugs from Area Rug Dimensions for our dining room, entrance, hallway, family room, and play room.”
The family loves the charm the new area rugs have brought to their beautiful house. And all the extra work shopping around and repeatedly going back to look at the rugs she’d chosen? The effort paid off, says this pleased homeowner. “Narrowing down the rugs which I immediately found appealing and then returning for a second or even third look gave me the confidence that the rugs we’d selected were the right ones for us. I’d definitely advise doing likewise when selecting an area rug.”
The Martins of Tuscany Reserve
The Martins moved into their home in Leawood last summer, when the house was about five years old. “The main floor is all dark hardwoods,” says Kara Martin, “so we wanted to bring the rooms to life by adding warmth, color, and texture.”
With the help of Sandra Molotsky of Sandra Molotsky Interiors, Kara purchased area rugs from Area Rug Dimensions for the dining room, hearth room, great room, and study. Rugs were carefully selected to give each room its own individuality and to create a focal point to which everything else could be drawn upon.
“We started with the dining room walls and chose to have a textured strie finish applied to give an understated elegance to the room,” Sandra explains. “That set the mood and led to the area rug being selected with similar colors and adding accent colors that could be later emphasized in other areas of the home.”
The next room to tackle was the great room. Once the colors of the furnishings were finalized, Sandra says they selected the area rug based on its light-colored background and lively pattern. The choice brought everything together to give the space a more cozy feeling.
“We checked out several rugs from Area Rug Dimensions to see which one would look best in the room,” adds Kara. “It was surprising that a few we thought would work didn’t. The rugs can look so different at home with the natural lighting.”
For the hearth room, the family customized a rug to an exact size for furniture placement, and opted for a subtle, small-patterned, light-color to soften the room, which has dark floors and furniture. Kara and Sandra found a carpet that fit the bill, and Area Rug Dimensions put binding around the edge to finish the rug. The end result: A rug that softens the hearth room and helps make the room warm and inviting.
Finally, to offset the dark-paneled walls and wood floor of the study, the designing duo opted for a large rug with a small pattern and a large medallion in the center, which adds color and interest to the room. “We chose it for its center medallion and rich colors to blend with the architectural paneled walls,” Sandra says. “It fit perfectly in front of the fireplace to give an important and masculine feel to the room.”
“Area rugs can totally change the look and feel of a room,” Kara says. “In our house, the rugs add interest and texture to the mass of dark hardwoods and warm the rooms for a comfortable and inviting feeling. My goal was to not look too formal, but rather bring warmth and personality to the rooms.”
Sandra advises homeowners to know the exact size of the rug they need for the space. “It’s also important to know the colors and overall feel you want the room to radiate. Do you want it be more formal or casual? Should it stand out or be subtle? Do you want a tight pattern with contrasting colors or an open pattern with a free-flowing design? I advise homeowners to trust their final judgment and enjoy and be proud of their area rugs. They’re an important feature in a home that sets the tone for everything else to follow.”
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