Area Rug Buyers Guide – Home-Improvement
Area Rug Buyers Guide
When you begin decorating your home there are some important factors to consider. Your floors will usually be the foundation for your design. An authentic hand made area rug can visually integrate or harmonize diverse elements in any decor or can reenergize a room.Below are various factors to consider for purchasing & decorating with an oriental rug:1. Size of the Rug - Area to be coveredSize up 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-10-foot area 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 colo r and warmth.2. In the HomeLiving RoomIn a living room the area rug would most likely be placed in front of the sofa and under the coffee tableTo place a room-sized area rug on a hardwood floor, choose an area rug which allows eight inches (twenty centimeters) of wood to be exposed around the rug's perimeter.Measure the open space up to the sofa and chairs making sure that the individual seated will have both feet on the area rug.More than one area rug is acceptable.Dining RoomThere should be room to pull the chairs out from the table with the back legs of the chairs remaining on the area rug.StairsLook for Busy & Dark patternsDark wool rugs are great for thisHallways & EntrancesDense PatternsWool pile (Most durable) with cotton foundation (strong and does not loose shape) is ideal.Very light colors are not suggestedBedroomDo not recommend a room size Persian/Oriental area rug for the bedroom. Most of the pattern will be hidden under the bed in the dark making the rug prone to moth damage.Instead, use multiple area rugs. A rug at the foot of the bed and two on each side Or use several scatter rugs to fill areas around the bed as needed. It will actually cost less and compliment your furnishings better.3. FURNISHINGSBegin with the end in mind. Visualize the finished look of the room. Do you prefer the sparse, uncluttered look or you have a room rich with colors and textures?Remember that a rug is th! e largest splash of color in any room. Select your rug first, and then the upholstery to blend with the rug. Furniture should enhance the rug design or colors found in the rugNext comes window treatment and walls; neutral shades are recommended.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.Conversely, should your focal point be furniture, choose a rug to pick up the colors used in your furnishing patterns. Patterns can be mixed if they are coordinated by color.Don't get discouraged if you are having problems finding an area rug to blend in with your decor. We suggest you surf NatureRugs.com for the vast variety of Rugs that will suit your situation. For some reason, Jaipur & Agra Rug designs and colors tend to work with many fabrics.4. Using Multiple Area RugsShould you use one rug or two?One rug is the general rule as it coordinates the room together and helps select fabrics for furniture, curtains, etc.In a very large room, more than one rug can be used to separate the room. The designs of the rugs should be different enough to create spatial separation, but similar in color and quality to maintain the integrity of the room space.Two or more rugs should complement each otherOne needs to be dominant in sizeThey should be similar in at least design/color/sizeSmaller rugs should not look like clones5. ColorIf redecorating an already furnished room, choose a rug to pick up the colors used in your furnishing patternsPaint or paper the walls in colors found in the rug when color coordinating.Look for a rug that is commonality with the existing color of the walls.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.6. DurabilityFor floor rugs wool is usually a preferred choice as it resists daily wear better than synthetics. Wool has many wonderful qualities- deep, rich color tones, high durability and relative ease of care. For more information you can read article Advantages of Wool over Synthetic Fibers.Silk rugs are better used for walls, throws etc. Living rooms are ideal to showcase silk rugs.Chromium dyes are strong and deliver consistency and durability of color.Vegetable dyes give the rug a patina of color, a casual look that is very attractive.7. ShapeLet your decorating style determine your rug shape.Don't be limited to the idea of getting a rectangular rug.A circular or octagonal-shaped floor covering can add flair and elegance.8. What is the dealer return policy?You should at least have one week risk free trial period to experience the rug. You can test the wool texture, dye quality (take a moistened paper towel and run it along the edges & center, the dye should not bleed out) & see if it fits into your home d
The Top Ten Ways to Attract Buyers, Not Just Visitors to your Web Site – Top7-Or-10-Tips
The Top Ten Ways to Attract Buyers, Not Just Visitors to your Web Site
Have you put a lot of effort, time, and money into your site and are frustrated with low sales?
If you are like many professionals out there, you know your subject; you are excellent at your craft. You have a great service and maybe a great product to sell.
You may have hired a web master who didn't have a marketing background. You may have written home page copy about your mission and who you are. But when sales fall, you need to look at what's missing in your Web copywriting. You have only 10 seconds to impress your "to be" buyer.
Here's the top 10 ways to attract buyers, not just visitors to your web site:
1. Preplan and know your Web site's purpose.
5 Things More Important to Internet Buyers than WHAT Youre Selling II – Internet-Marketing
5 Things More Important to Internet Buyers than WHAT Youre Selling II
Web commerce is all about courtship, not salesmanship. In life, a suitor can't go from first date to the engagement ring in one afternoon. Courtship is an intricate dance, where each party contributes to the relationship at a measured tempo. Trust grows through gradual exchanges and reassurances.Yet, the typical sales-oriented Web site urges the visitor to jump to commitment right away. Pushing for them to "BUY NOW!" is not only premature, but a misapplication of the fact that visitors are in a hurry. Developing a relationship can't be rushed or skipped--not if you intend to lead them to the alter (sale). Buyers want and need to proceed at their own pace.Each request you make of a visitor "call, read, subscribe or buy" requires a higher level of commitment. So back off the hard sell, and instead weave the steps into a sensuous dance that respects them and invites a lasting relationship. It's possible, if you follow these five points that buyers care about.1. How well they're treatedThe mood of the site should be welcoming, geared to assist the customer finding what they're looking for. Trust grows as you minimize their sense of risk. And make no mistake, the buyer's risks are greater online. Recognize them and reduce them as much as possible. They've been conned, burned, or faced non-delivery of purchases--not to mention abuse of their credit cards or privacy information.The Internet works because people feel anonymous. People are understandably leery about revealing personal information. So every aspect of the site needs to say, "you're safe here" along with, "look at all the interesting things we have to show you." One fast move and that skittish deer will bolt.Web commerce has several inherent disadvantages--shipping charges, delays until products arrive, lack of hands-on assessment, etc. When buyers encounter other disadvantages as well, whether it's unacceptable policies, or added costs, they treat them as a deal breaker--even if it's just a little bit more.2. How efficiently the buying process wentAssuming your site sells a tangible product, the buyer has to be able to assess its looks, materials, uses, and value without being able to touch it. This can be accomplished much better with some products than others by use of photographs and descriptive copy. But a buyer still takes a chance as to color, size, quality, and suitability. Sales sites need to know their customers' concerns so well that they anticipate what they need to know.Design the site for ease of scanning and logical organization that presents information so it will guide and inform.3. How much aggravation they had to endureHere's where poor navigation or slow download times cost you sales. (Navigation problems are a main reason why site visitors leave.) They won't stay at a site where they can't easily find the answers they want. And if they have to wait too long for pages to load, forget it. Internet users are extremely time sensitive. The high percentage of abandoned shopping carts (as much as a quarter) proves that the payment process can defeat all efforts to motivate the buyer. These are "almost" sales, where sloppiness got in the way.Getting through some payment procedures confounds even experienced surfers. How many payment options do you provide--anywhere from Paypal to fax your order? Credit cards are convenient, but not always the purchaser's preferred choice. How intrusive are the questions (yes, we know about fraud avoidance)? When the goal is building trust (in both directions), how many "we don't trust you" signals does your site send?4. How many mind games were played on themThe primary products sold on most web sites are hype and high pressure. Unfortunately, that's not what buyers are looking to buy, and why conversion rates online are so abysmally low. The quality of typical sales copy is aggressive, designed more to trick than inform. It seems like the sales letters were drafted from the same manual.Aggressive tactics are so widespread that effective, customer-friendly copy can actually stand out. So get rid of the "gotchas." Customers dread them, and then relax once they don't find them. Mind games don't end after the sale's complete. Be alert for delivery, security, and privacy lapses that could creep up after the sale.5. How well the business has its act together overallBehind the computer screen are untold elements--efficient links, quick loading, glitch-free credit card processing, the respect for the visitor's time, etc., that reveal the company's priorities. Unless all the parts work with a consistent goal and degree of care the buyer experiences whiplash. Sour notes (small potatoes signals) are trivial in themselves, but break the momentum toward purchasing. They're easily eliminated--once you know to look for them. To learn how, read the helpful articles at my site, http://www.giantpotatoes.comGive yourself extra points for post-sale follow up. Here's where Internet sellers can shine because of autoresponders and customer-oriented e-mail. Don't just use such tools for making the sale. Use them to build relationships and added value after you get their money.Dance Your Way to ProfitsCourtship is necessary to develop a lasting relationship.The pace of the dance should reflect the give-and-take necessary to build trust. Don't sell the buyer, court him with a well-paced dance.This is Part II of a two-part series. Part I can be read at: http://www.giantpotatoes.com/article201.htm