While looking for rugs you will be amazed to find out different verities and categories of offered by manufacturers or retailers. There are traditional as well as contemporary styles for rugs.

While traditional rugs follow typical age-old designs and patterns, contemporary styled rugs offer a wider range of versatile theme designs that gel well with modern home d?cor. This has contributed to a rise in demand for contemporary rugs among people with varied tastes, requirements and budgets. Some of the distinguishing characteristics of contemporary rugs are:

- Design and themes: Contemporary rugs makers have blended the designs and patterns of various traditional rugs to create unique and attractive ranges of patterns and designs. Other popular designs include animals, swirls, bold shapes and abstract creations. Presently there is a high demand for geometrical and linear patterns in contemporary rugs.

- Color: Contemporary rugs are brightly colored in shades ranging from light pastels to bold with a variety of patterns. The shapes and lines are lot simpler than traditional designs. There are some motifs that are simply square or circle with colorful shades to make them appealing.

- Material: While traditional rugs are expensive and may not be used in a kitchen, dining room or gateway; contemporary rugs are just fine for these areas. Contemporary rugs may be made from materials like nylon, polyester or olefin as well as natural fibers like cotton, jute, silk or bamboo. This makes them versatile in nature for use in places prone to moisture, heavy traffic, spills, dirt or dust. Contemporary area rugs are available in various construction methods such as hand knotted, machine made, hand tufted and so on. There are different types of area rugs for different areas like outdoor rugs, area rugs or fireplace rugs.

- Shapes: Contemporary rugs are available in different shapes like oval, octagonal, rectangular and round rugs. A large sized room can be given a fuller look with large sized rugs, and small geometric size ensures that small corners are not left alone. Just like their traditional counterparts, contemporary rugs also come in runners that are long and narrow - perfect for that long hall entrance or that narrow space behind a couch. Depending on the quality of material, theme, shape, and size, price of contemporary rugs may vary.

- Fringes: There are fringes in contemporary rugs. It is desirable to check the fringes and ensure that they are sewn tightly and properly. Otherwise the fringes tend to untangle easily.