Looking around your house, you may sometimes think, "What am I going to do with 'insert the name of that room you never change here'?" There are plenty of reasons you have never changed the décor. It may be sentimentality, a design and style you love or just plain laziness. The problem with updating décor is that we always get this idea that we have to change everything in order to make a change. But the truth is that we can change one simple little thing and it can make a world of difference.

Of course, changing one simple little thing does not mean putting a new candle on the mantle or hanging a new piece of artwork in the one piece of free wall space you have left in the corner where no one can see it. Changing that one simple little thing means changing the curtains, the throw pillows, the walls (add a border or something), or changing the flooring.

Naturally, you're thinking that the flooring is a huge job. But you can change the flooring, and thus the entire look and feel of your room, by simply adding an area rug.

You're thinking that there is absolutely no way it can be as simple as an area rug.

But it truly is this simple. An area rug can change the mood, attitude and overall feeling of any room. It can make it seem lighter, more inviting, friendly, unfriendly, dark, mysterious, romantic%u2026the list goes on and on.

Another snafu in this plan is that you probably already have an area rug. And if you go and purchase another one, you're only going to buy a newer version of the same rug. Right? Wrong.

When you decide to update your room using an area rug, you should choose a more contemporary design that complements the colors and more unique features of your décor.

Simple, one tone rugs are perfect for areas of your home where you have white walls or you have taken up every last inch of the available wall space with artworks, pictures and wall décor, including knick knacks on shelves. Don't forget, a dark room needs a lighter color (like a pale yellow) to bring light and life into the room. A room that has a heavy mixture of light and dark needs a neutral balance.

Even a room that is filled with traditional furniture, such as grandfather clocks, wooden bookshelves and an antique captain's chair can be brought around to the 21st century with a modern styled rug%u2026and you won't have to sacrifice even an ounce of the beauty or style of the older décor.

Remember, changing the look and feel of your room full of older style décor is as simple as laying down a new, more contemporary designed rug. So throw out that old Victorian style rug and replace it with a modern or contemporary area rug that will give your room the new look you've been searching for.

Merging contemporary area rugs, with an older, more traditional style of decor can be quite a challenge. The type of rug chosen in this situation will depend upon the effect you wish to create. Below I will outline three basic ways a contemporary rug can be used to augment an older style of decor.

As a facelift - Maybe you feel that the theme of your room is looking a little dated, and you want to do something to freshen it up. A new area rug could go a long way toward helping with this refresh. In this situation you would chose a rug which carried the current theme of your decor, but lifted it somewhat. For instance, if your room was an oak paneled drawing room or library, complete with period furniture, you could use a bright and vibrant rug, but in a color that melded with the wood. Stay away from intricate patterns, go for something bold yet understated, you will find your room will be transformed by this new splash of color and flavor.

To lighten the room - Older decor can be fairly gloomy at times, this is often not the original plan, but as things age, like wooden furniture, they can take on darker tones. A great way to add some light to this kind of room is by using an area rug containing some light colors, these colors will need to be compatible with the rest of the room, a mustard yellow might work well with oak, or a warm green could fit well with aged ash. Whichever color you choose, your rug will need to be patterned, a broad expanse of flat color will be in dis-harmony, instead look for a tone on tone kind of pattern that allows some of the color to shine forth, but without becoming over the top.

To enlarge a room - Old decor, in a small room, will often look cluttered. A great way of adding the illusion of size to a living space is by is using an appropriate area rug. First rule here is to avoid large patterns; these will just make your room look smaller. Instead, consider using two smaller rugs, this will create the impression that the floor space is larger than it actually is. Alternatively, you can play games with striped patterns, if you align the strips at angles to your shortest room dimension; you can create an optical illusion that makes the room look bigger.

However you choose to use your rug, when combining it with an older style of decor, take great care not to create any vulgarity. Two very basic rules can be applied here. Color can be good, but think warm colors not bright. Patterns can be good, but think uniform not abstract. By picking a fitting rug for the task, you will be able to transform that tired old decor, into an attractive backdrop to a wonderful and comfortable living space.