Affiliated Weavers Area Rugs in Mississauga and Barrie

The collections split into a few practical groups.

• Area rugs for living spaces. The core of the range: patterned and textured rugs to anchor a living room, define a seating area, or warm a bedroom. Collections run from traditional and Persian inspired patterns through to clean modern designs, so the choice is about matching the room's style rather than settling for what fits.
• Hand loom wool. Part of the line is hand loom wool, which brings the natural feel, durability and warmth that wool is prized for underfoot. Wool is resilient, takes colour beautifully, and stands up to years of traffic, which is why it remains the benchmark material for a quality rug.
• Runners. Long, narrow rugs for hallways, entries and galley kitchens, the high traffic paths where a runner protects the floor and softens the walk. Getting a runner sized to the hallway, with the right border to the walls, is a detail worth doing in person.
• Outdoor rugs. A dedicated outdoor line built to take sun and weather on a deck, patio or covered porch, where an indoor rug would fade and hold damp. If you are dressing an outdoor living space, this is the part of the range to look at.

We do not print the exact size, pile height or material of an individual collection on this page, because those vary across a large range and a wrong number is worse than none. Tell us the room and we will show you the sizes a collection comes in and the construction of the specific rug.

Decision: living room or bedroom, an area rug from the pattern and texture collections. Hallway or entry, a runner. Deck, patio or porch, the outdoor line, never an indoor rug. Browse the wider area rugs category to compare.

More rugs disappoint on size than on colour, so this is worth spending a minute on. The common mistake is buying too small. A rug that is marooned in the centre of a room with a wide gap of bare floor all around it makes the space feel smaller and the furniture feel unmoored.

• Living room. The rug should be large enough that at least the front legs of the sofa and chairs sit on it. That ties the seating together into one grounded area. A rug that only the coffee table sits on is usually too small.
• Dining room. The rug needs to be big enough that the chairs stay on it even when pulled out to sit down. Measure the table, then add room on every side for the chairs to slide back.
• Bedroom. Either a large rug under the lower two thirds of the bed so it frames it, or a pair of runners down each side so you step onto softness getting out of bed.
• Hallway. A runner should leave an even border of floor on both long sides and stop short of the ends, not run wall to wall.

Bring your room measurements and a rough furniture layout when you come in, and we will steer you to a size that fits, which is the single biggest thing that decides whether a rug looks right in the room.

Decision: when in doubt, size up. A rug slightly too large reads intentional and grounds the room. A rug too small reads like an accident, no matter how good the rug itself is.

A rug does not sit in isolation, it sits on a floor, and the two either work together or fight. This is the real reason to choose a rug where you choose your flooring. On a busy patterned floor, a calmer rug settles the room. On a plain floor, a patterned rug becomes the feature. A warm toned hardwood wants a rug that does not clash with its undertone, and a grey vinyl or tile reads better under a cooler or contrasting rug.

Because Squarefoot Flooring installs the floors as well as selling the rugs, we can put the rug against the actual floor, whether that is a floor you already have or one you are choosing at the same time, and see the pairing before you buy either. A rug is also the easiest way to soften and warm a hard floor underfoot, in a room where you want the durability of hardwood, vinyl or tile but not the hardness in the sitting area.

Decision: choosing a floor and a rug together, bring both decisions into the showroom at once so we can pair them. Already have the floor, bring a photo of the room in daylight and, if you can, an offcut or a photo of the floor's label.

Two practical points that make a rug last. First, a rug pad underneath is not optional on a hard floor. It stops the rug sliding, cushions the step, protects both the rug and the floor from grinding grit, and makes the rug feel more substantial underfoot. We fit the pad to the rug and the floor. Second, match the rug to the traffic. A wool rug in a formal living room lives a gentle life and lasts for decades. A rug in a front hall or under a dining table takes a beating, and a tighter, more hard wearing construction earns its place there.

Decision: always add a rug pad on a hard floor. Match the rug's construction to how hard the room will use it, gentle for a formal space, hard wearing for a hallway or a dining room.

Affiliated Weavers runs a large range, and any collection can vary in the sizes, colours and construction it offers. We work from current stock and the actual rug in front of us, not an archived listing. Colour especially needs to be seen in your own light: a rug that reads warm under showroom lighting can read differently against a north facing window at home, so we encourage you to view it under real conditions and, where possible, to see it in the room before you settle.

If you are matching a rug to an existing one, or extending a look across rooms, bring photos of the space and the pieces you are matching to. Seeing the room is worth more than any measurement alone when it comes to a rug.

The Affiliated Weavers area rug, runner and outdoor collections are on display at both Squarefoot Flooring showrooms, which are where you see them, size them to your room, and set them against the floor. Bring your room measurements, a rough furniture layout, and a photo of the space in daylight.

Mississauga. 700 Dundas St E, Unit 3-4, L4Y 3Y5. Call 905-277-2227. Monday to Friday 9 to 6, Saturday 10 to 5, closed Sunday.

Barrie. 112 Saunders Rd, Units 1-4, L4N 9A8. Call 705-726-2272. Monday, Wednesday and Friday 9 to 6, Tuesday and Thursday 9 to 5, Saturday 10 to 5, closed Sunday.

Bring your room measurements and leave with a rug sized and matched to the space by people who see it against your floor. Book a showroom visit, or call and we will help you choose the collection and size that suits your room.