I want to add some flair to my hardwood flooring. What are the latest trends in rugs?

“The colors that are really hot right now are your chocolate browns and your blues,” similar to those in clothing trends, said Greg Johnson, owner of the Rug Décor stores in Raleigh, Smithfield and Wilmington. “Black-and-white is also up-and-coming. And then of course reds—the Chinese red never goes out of style in the Oriental rugs.”

Traditional, patterned rugs make up the majority of Rug Décor’s sales, but contemporary and transitional styles are fashionable too, with contemporary more popular in Raleigh than in the other two markets. Transitional styles combine traditional and contemporary elements.

“Damask is really hot now,” said Johnson. In a damask pattern, the rug’s multi-leveled texture creates the visual effect of a pattern, making it a good transitional style. “It gives you a flair of Oriental, but it doesn’t give you all the Oriental rug patterns.”

Custom-made rugs are perhaps the biggest trend these days. In Rug Décor’s special-order rug department, customers can design their own rugs on a computer, choosing their own color palettes, sizes, shapes and materials. Rug Décor has custom-rug programs with several different manufacturers.

The variety of available shapes and sizes is another new development. “In the past, five or six years ago, you couldn’t really find shapes. There was a rectangle rug, and there was a rectangle rug, and there was a rectangle rug,” said Johnson. “Today you can get rounds of any size—four-, six-, eight-, and ten-foot rounds.  You can even get squares.” Scalloped shapes in particular are gaining popularity, he said.

As in other industries, the trends include an increasing demand for environmentally-friendly rugs; thankfully, supply is growing also, as manufacturers use more and more recycled materials.

Karen Rhodes is a freelance writer

Photo above courtesy of Rug Decor