My den had a problem.

Even though it had gorgeous views and comfortable furniture, everybody just walked right past it.  This seemed like a great place to spend an afternoon, but nobody — not even I — was tempted to do that:

Fortunately, there’s an easy, step-by-step process to turning a den or family room into an inviting, stay-for-a-while space.  Here’s the recipe:

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Did you know that Neville Jacobs (yeah, the dog) has his own book and over 200,000 Instagram (@nevillejacobs) followers?  Talk about overachiever!  How many of us could say that?

So I was thinking:  what if I were a smart pup like that?  Surely, I could get my paws on a platinum card!  Everybody knows that’s easier than writing a book.

And then, I’d surprise all my friends with something cool.  So these are what I’d get, if I were a world-famous model dog.
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Walk into any room.  Does it feel comfortable or unfinished?  Does everything tie together, or does it feel jarring?

Chances are, the difference is in the rug.  As one of the biggest items in any room — larger than all the furniture and the art — the rug defines the room.  The right rug can define your space, bring your design together, and warm it up for people to relax and linger.  The wrong rug can look oddly out of place or contrast harshly with the rest of your room.

But choosing a rug could be a bear, with all the materials, sizes, colors, and patterns.  And choosing rugs for a whole new house?  Ugh!  After doing that numerous times, I decided to jot down what I’ve learned, spoke with several rug makers, and looked at how we live today.  Finally, I also read up on what the world’s top designers suggested (which I summarized here).

In the end, I came up with these simple, room-by-room guidelines on how to choose an area rug for your new house.

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After working on hundreds of projects, designers are full of practical advice on choosing area rugs.   As one of the largest pieces in any room, rugs will immediately make or break the space and everything you layer in afterward. That’s why many designers, like Martyn Lawrence Bullard, won’t start working on a space until they’ve selected the rug.

Here’s a selection of their best tips:

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As one of the country’s foremost manufacturers of down products, Downright offers many different types of fill, support, and warmth level to meet your needs.  In fact, since they’re based in New York, they can even create custom comforters and pillows (if you’d like one, let us know).

But we understand that sometimes too much choice makes choosing a little confusing.  So we asked our friends at Downright to help us better understand the world of down and guide us through their collections.  As it turns out, it’s quite simple.

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What do Le Bernardin, Fred at Barney’s, and the Mandarin Oriental Miami have in common?  They’re all uber stylish, and they all use Chilewich placemats in their dining rooms.

All three shops run thousands of covers a year, which means that their tableware has to be both beautiful and practical.  And because mealtimes are so busy, they all need easy ways to keep tables clean and ready.  Which, when you think about it, is exactly what every home needs.  We love having guests over, but instead of cringing every time little Joey and Amanda spill ketchup on the table, we’ve learned to be smart and use the same Chilewich woven vinyl placemats these beautiful restaurants use.

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Ready for some fun decorating?  HGTV Magazine sure looks like it is…

And featured in this colorful issue is our Moser Cubism Double Old Fashioned glass:

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In the 8th arrondissement in Paris near the elegant Musee Nissim de Camondo, there’s a small shop devoted to hand-embroidered linens, like the ones the fashionable Camondos would have enjoyed during their heyday.  And even though the space is small, you’ll quickly see why the Palais de l’Elysee (the official residence of the President of France), the Ritz Paris, and designer Jacques Garcia all turn to Celine Perrin-Davy’s Renaissance Paris for their custom embroidered linens.

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Thirty years ago, a group of knife-lovers in southern France were worried that the skills for making their traditional knives were going to be lost.  After all, who still cared about bone-handled hunting knives once used by traveling shepherds in Spain?  Apparently, Philippe Starck did.  As did the French government, which recognized that these were irreplaceable treasures.  So with their help, this little group of artisans started a thriving business making these knives.

In an era of mass-market production, this seemed like an impossible dream, but through the efforts of those folks, today this company – Forge de Laguiole – makes the highest-quality Laguiole implements in the world.  And every piece is completely made, from beginning to end, in the place where it all started: the original village of Laguiole.

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Kim Seybert’s table settings are so gorgeous that you practically don’t even need food to have a party. Part of her secret is knowing how to add volume to her napkins.

For the lotus layered napkin fold below, all you need are:

1) One organza napkin
2) One regular napkin
3) One napkin ring

And to learn how to put them together, just follow the instructions in the video below. We promise you everyone will be impressed.