By Stacy Downs Knight Ridder Newspapers

Area rugs bring in warmth during the winter, protecting feet from frigid floors and creating a cozy look in a room.

But placing the right rug in the right room can be a puzzle: How much of the furniture should be on top? And can a stylish small rug be the right scale for a large space?

The dilemmas of area rugs have become more common as their stature has risen - thanks to all the new and old homes with wood and tile floors. But people still want some of the softness carpet has to offer, only not so much of it.

The placement of rugs is particularly important in downtown lofts, which are becoming increasingly popular living spaces. Rugs help define conversation and dining areas within lofts’ vast openness, says Benjamin Sundermeier, owner of Space Planning and Design, and High Cotton, a home furnishings store in Kansas City.

“Rugs offer a great contrast to the more industrial finishes lofts have,” says Sundermeier, a space planner and interior designer.

Whether you live in a loft or not, before shopping for a rug, measure the length and width of furniture and rooms. Take those dimensions and a tape measure to stores.

Pam Hoelzel, a textiles expert and sales associate at Smith and Burstert Oriental Rugs in Kansas City, tells customers to leave at least a foot-long border between a rug and wall. That way, the rug will lie straight and some of the natural flooring will show.

For a dining room, make sure the rug is big enough to allow at least three feet behind each table setting. Chair legs shouldn’t fall off the rug when people are seated at the table or when the chair is pulled out.

Putting a rug near a fireplace requires special consideration. To guard the rug from sparks, place it at least six inches from the fireplace and invest in an adequate fireplace screen if you don’t already have one.

Sundermeier compares choosing rugs to searching for a good outfit: You want rugs to complement the whole.

He says rooms look best when rugs are generous enough to allow most of the furniture to sit on top. The appearance of a room can be thrown off if there’s a rug in the center with furniture surrounding it like a bull’s-eye.

Small rugs typically don’t do much for a room on their own, he warns, but they can act as bridges if larger rugs are nearby. But avoid matching rugs because they’ll compete for attention. (An exception would be runners on the sides of a bed. Those can be the same.)

Also be aware of rugs with central medallions, Sundermeier advises. They can make a room look odd if the furniture is asymmetrical around it.

Designers say it’s OK for rugs to be placed atop low-pile wall-to-wall carpet to add color or tie elements in a room together. But rugs don’t typically work well on broad-loom carpet - it can make the floor too high to swing a door over, and people can trip over the rug’s edge.

“The high-pile carpet can also make the rug bunch and pucker up,” Hoelzel says.

But area rugs can be placed in nontraditional rooms and spaces: bathrooms, kitchens and alongside pool tables. It’s just a matter of material.

Wool outperforms other fibers because it washes and wears well. Synthetics such as nylon hold up well, but colors such as blue and red fade easily in direct sunlight. Cotton and jute are soft but should be used in areas where there isn’t much foot traffic because they wear out easily.

Sundermeier says most people aren’t aware that rugs made of natural fibers such as sisal (made of the leaves of agave plants) aren’t durable in moist areas. So they shouldn’t be used in screen porches or bathrooms.

The latest trend in area rugs is lots of texture, says Elizabeth Miller, senior vice president of design for Karastan in New York City. Shag instantly softens hard floor surfaces and straight-line furniture, she says.

That’s why flokati - thick wool shag - has made a comeback, says Susan Bahl, president of Naturlich Natural Home in Sebastopol, Calif. People want their babies to crawl on the soft, Greek-style rugs in the family room, she says.

Whatever the rug’s material, people need to invest in rug pads. They protect floors from scratching and anchor rugs in place. Designers recommend horsehair or special rubber pads.

“It’s like a lining on a suit,” Sundermeier says. “It makes a rug lie better and look better by giving it more body and a nicer step.”

When choosing a rug

• Find the right size for the space.
  
• Make sure it has a clear purpose.
• Select durable materials for high-traffic areas.
• Don’t get hung up on colors.
• Buy pricier ones for more public living areas.

Rug textures

• JERSEY SHAG
  Made of: Cotton T-shirt fabric
  Place: In bedrooms and living rooms
  But not: Dining areas or kitchens
  Care: Hand wash cold. Dry flat.
  Starting price: $30
• FLOKATI
  Made of: Wool shag
  Place: In bedrooms and living rooms. Looks especially good with modern furniture.
  But not: Dining areas or kitchens
  Care: Vacuum or handwash in lukewarm water. Drip dry.
  Starting price: $100
• NATURAL FIBER
  Made of: Woven Baboi grass, Hogla aquatic herbs and Rati palm leaves
  Place: In casual living rooms
  But not: Bathrooms or screen porches because of the moisture
  Care: Regular vacuuming on high setting. Dry clean for stains
  Starting price: $790
• HAND-KNOTTED
  Made of: Wool pile
  Place: Anywhere
  Care: Vacuum on high setting. Avoid fringe. Hand brush in direction of pile.
  Starting price: $350
• FLAT WEAVE
  Made of: Wool
  Place: Anywhere
  Care: Vacuum on high setting. Avoid fringe.
  Starting price: $400

Shapes
Rugs that aren’t traditional rectangles can be a bit tricky to place in rooms. Benjamin Sundermeier, interior designer and space planner in Kansas City, says:

• CIRCLES
  Use: In an area near a sink; large ones can work in an entry way.
  Don’t use: Under a round table. It can create a bull’s-eye effect.
• HALF CIRCLES
  Use: In an entryway in front of double doors, in front of a bathroom sink or in front of a fireplace.
  Don’t use: Under any table.
• SQUARE
  Use: Anywhere you would use a rectangular rug.
  Don’t use: A small one in a large area.
• OVAL
  Use: In entryways, under beds and in kitchens.
  Don’t use: In areas you want formality. The rounded edges create instant casualness.
• SKINNY RECTANGLES (Runners)
  Use: In hallways, kitchens and on the side of pool tables.
  Don’t use: Underneath tables or in wide spaces.