Tough But Light Sensitive

• Brazilian cherry wood is one of the hardest woods available for flooring and household trim. It can still be damaged by spiked heels, furniture scrapes and spilled liquids, but is far more durable than even teak or oak, and its changing colors are dramatic. Brazilian cherry is a popular name for the wood of the Jatoba tree, native to the South America rain forests. The wood is red with dark lines through it and is lighter when first installed. It mimics true cherry tree wood by darkening over time with exposure to light, eventually attaining a deep, rich, cherry color. That quality of color change is important to factor in when placing a rug. If your floors are new or just a few years old, they will continue to change tone where light hits them. A rug in a sunny area will shield the wood from exposure and you could end up with uneven patches of color on the floor.
  
  

Exotic Carpets

• Oriental carpets create a luxurious look against Brazilian cherry wood. Whether the wood is allowed to age to its natural reddish hue or stained a deeper mahogany red, the gleam of hand-loomed silk is set off against the rich wood. Think of the wood as the frame for an antique carpet, and arrange furniture to show off both the rug and the generous border of hardwood floor that surrounds it. Smaller, collector's rugs, like Tabriz carpets, can look like jewels scattered around the room when you use a number of them in an open-plan interior. Keep furnishings to a minimum, and select pieces that don't hug the floor so you can see more of it.
  
  

Floor Art

• When the hardwood floor is sleek and beautiful, too much texture detracts from it. Complement a Brazilian cherry wood floor with a flatter weave, but don't be afraid of color and pattern. Art rugs are a gallery for your floor. Contemporary designers often work with indigenous peoples to produce one-of-a-kind or limited edition rugs that could drive the rest of the design in your room. Tibetan and Nepalese rug makers collaborate with Western artists to create high quality, traditional rugs that are almost too fabulous to put on the floor. If the real deal is out of your price range -- because you spent the whole decorating budget on the wood floors -- hunt for good quality, commercially produced carpets based on classic ethnic or contemporary art designs. Whichever rug you select, place a rug pad beneath it, both for extra cushioning and to protect the rug from excess wear.
  
  

Sustainable Hardwood Floors

• Jatoba is not a renewable rain-forest tree. The demand for Brazilian cherry wood floors creates a huge incentive for illegal tree harvesting in the Amazon. If you are considering a Brazilian cherry wood floor, look into Forest Stewardship Council certified wood and do some homework to be sure the suppliers are all certified as sustainable harvesters. Better yet, select ipe or iroko wood, which are among Brazil's sustainable timber products. Your carefully chosen area rug will look just as beautiful on a floor that preserves the fragile integrity of the rain forest, and you can walk on it barefoot and guilt free.