For centuries, rugs and carpet have been regarded as pieces of fine art. The confluence of weaving, of dyeing–of a kind of spirituality, skill, and ingenuity in design has long enchanted people all over the globe.

In contemporary home design, floor coverings offer an exciting opportunity to play with color and texture in your spaces. “I believe that the area rug should be the glue to make the designed space cohesive,” says Karen Giffel of Karen Giffel Interior Design.

Giffel says that while wall art need not be ignored, the rug can act as an anchor in the space.”Rugs can simply envelop an interior in a way that wall-mounted art cannot,” she says. In other words, she says to let it “be the art.”

For more of Giffel’s designs, check out this story from the inRegister archives or visit kfginteriors.com.