Dear Melissa:
We have a corner fireplace in our new family room creating a problem angle. The shape of the room is no longer square, but now has five sides. We don’t want wall-to-wall carpeting covering our beautiful wide-plank floor, but how do we place a rectangular area rug in this weird shape? N.M., Texas
Dear N.:
You don’t. You could try a round area rug, but unless you are using a round table or a circular seating arrangement, that might be difficult to work with. I would recommend either a bordered area rug from your local carpet store, or a canvas floor cloth painted by a local artist, custom made to fit the contour of your room. This fun shape will accent the architectural interest of the room. Your palette and patterns are limitless. M.A.K.
