For many homeowners, the story is all too familiar: you get a plush carpet or rug for your living room, and it all looks perfect until the dog starts shedding on it the following week. Before you know it, you’re vacuuming every day and starting to regret your decision. Unfortunately, it’s a mistake many homeowners make: they fail to take kids and pets into account when they buy rugs online. Well, that shouldn’t have to be the case anymore. With all the options available today, finding a pet-friendly rug should be a breeze.

So what makes a pet-friendly rug? It really depends on the kind of pet you have, how many there are, and how much abuse they put on your flooring. If it’s a non-shedding breed, all you’ll have to worry about are scratch marks on the rug. If it sheds regularly, you may need a more low-maintenance rug material. One thing you won’t have to worry about is aesthetics—with today’s manufacturing technology, it’s easy to find rugs that offer both style and quality. Here are some buying tips to help you get started.

Know your rug materials.

There are more rug materials today than one can imagine, but not all of them offer the same quality. For your pet, you’ll need something sturdy and easy to maintain. The easiest choice would be polypropylene rugs—these are made of plastic-based fibers made to look and feel like traditional wool. Because they’re synthetic, they don’t fray or wear out as easily as other fibers. This works best for pets that like to play around and leave scratch or mud marks.

Another great thing about polypropylene is that it comes in all sorts of designs—in fact, there’s more designs for it than any other rug material. So you can easily find one that suits your décor, or use it to set the theme if you don’t have one. If your pet likes to go in and out of the house all day, you may want to get one with a busy pattern to better camouflage stains. Or if it doesn’t fit with your décor, a dark-colored rug also works well.

Anticipate some maintenance.

All rugs will require some work from time to time, whether it’s vacuuming, cleaning, dusting, or washing. But some rugs naturally need more work than others, and your choice should depend on how much time you’re willing to put into it. Sisal rugs are a great alternative to traditional fibers, which tend to need frequent washing. Made from a spiky cactus plant, sisal is extremely hard-wearing and comes highly recommended by designers around the world.

Wool rugs are also a popular choice in terms of maintenance. Genuine wool has a soft, luxurious feel and a natural self-cleaning property that keeps it free of dust, even without regular cleaning. It’s also hypo-allergenic, so it’s great for households with allergy-prone kids. You can let your pet sit or sleep on the rug and not worry about picking up stray hairs afterwards. Often, all you need is some vacuuming once or twice a week.

Look for busy patterns.

As mentioned above, patterned rugs help camouflage the stains and dirt left behind by playful pets. That’s not to say it’s an excuse to leave the rug as is—it just means you don’t have to clean it as often as a solid-colored rug. A good example is the Rhody Rugs Pilgrim Camel outdoor braided area rug, which features a brown base accented with blue, yellow, white, gold and black. The mix of earth and jewel colors makes it a great home accent, as well as a nice camouflage design for the occasional mud stain.

Of course, you’ll also need to consider how the pattern will fit into your home. if you already have a lot of patterned pieces, a printed rug may make the room too noisy. Try toning down other aspects of your home to make way for the rug, or choose a rug with a simpler pattern. With the right print, your rug can become a central point for your home, not to mention the perfect play area for your pet.

Get tips from other pet owners.

At the end of the day, the best way to cope with a pet is to get advice from those with firsthand experience. Look online for forums on pet-friendly carpets and area rugs, or a rug blog that talks about caring for rugs when you have pets in the house. You can get tips on cleaning, choosing cleaning products, local rug cleaning services, or reviews of current rug models. Since these are made by professionals and pet owners alike, you get valuable advice you can’t get from brochures or magazines. And nothing’s stopping you from sharing your own tips—there just might be a new rug owner who will find it useful!

Area rugs have come a long way from their early days of protecting brittle wooden floors. Today, as most floors hold up quite well on their own, rugs have taken on a new role as decorative pieces—and as a result, they’ve also become more diverse in design. And with the advent of contemporary décor, bold colors and patterns have gained a larger presence in the market.

One theme that has grown especially popular is the use of pink area rugs. A splash of pink can convey a soft, relaxing mood, a bold attitude, or a funky personality. Although once thought of as a specialized shade, pink is now known as an all-around color and has become a staple in many designers’ books.

Area rugs make it particularly easy to work pink into the home and make it work with any design theme. Thanks to modern manufacturing techniques, rug companies now offer pink rugs in just about any shade, pattern and size. No matter what your style is, you’re sure to find a pink rug that perfectly suits your space. If you’re not sure how to make it work, read on for some decorating ideas.

Soft modern

Pink has a subtle appeal that works uniquely well with contemporary themes. Since modern homes tend to favor bold colors and patterns, a pink rug can give it a sense of warmth and softness that puts everything in balance. Look for contemporary area rugs in a shade that complements or contrasts with your current color scheme. A raspberry pink rug can liven up plain white walls, while a pastel rug looks great against dark upholstery.

If there’s a lot of pink around the room to start with, you can still use a pink rug—as long as it doesn’t just blend in with the rest. Choose a shade that will make it stand out without clashing against the existing colors. If you want the rug to be the room’s focal point, go for a shade that’s a bit brighter or darker than the rest. You can also look for one with a border in a different color, which can frame it better and draw more attention.

Plains and prints

Some rooms already have loads of personality and don’t need fancy rugs to make them stand out. Others, however, are fairly plain and could definitely use a creative touch. When you buy rugs online, you’ll have to choose between a plain or patterned piece. Pink rugs offer a wide variety in both areas, and your choice should depend on what’s already in your room.

If you go for a patterned rug, make sure the print conveys the right mood. If you’re going for a country look, then a geometric rug would look all wrong in your living room. Likewise, if you want something modern and avant-garde, you wouldn’t pick a vintage rug with old rose patterns. Also take note of the size of the print—large patterns would be more visible, but they can make your room look smaller. Small prints may look like solid patterns from a distance, but the intricate detail can give the room more character.

Unusual shapes

This is probably one of the most overlooked aspects in area rug design. Most people think of area rugs as rectangular or square pieces, but these days you can find round, oval, octagonal and even irregularly-shaped rugs. You can use them under furniture, by the door or in the middle of the room. Often, the shape itself determines where it would best fit. In a typical four-walled room, for example, a soft curved rug adds a unique angle and contrasts nicely with the sharp wall corners.

For a girl’s room, try something like the Dynamic Rugs Fantasia 1706 light pink area rug. With a unique flower shape and bright geometric pattern, it’s both very relaxing and refreshingly modern. Use it as a floor centerpiece for a large room, or at the foot of the bed if there’s limited floor space. You can also look for other unusual shapes such as hearts, stars or animals.

Bold combinations

You don’t have to limit yourself to just pink, of course. Pink rugs can look great with any other color; it’s just a matter of how you present it. The safe choice is to combine pink with one of your existing room colors, so that there’s a common point of reference. Note that different combinations convey different moods: pink with black or gray creates a modern industrial look, while brown and purple make it look soft and feminine.

If you’re out of ideas, try consulting a rug blog to see which colors are in. Interior design blogs help you stay updated on current trends, so you know your rugs are always in style. Get ideas for new rug combinations, maintenance, or other accessories you can use to complement your pink rug.