Space age

Zia Round Shag Rugs, $399 each, Crate and Barrel

Lorenz There’s one easy way to fix your floor’s issues. “Carpet tiles from FLOR—that’s the only thing I recommend,” he says. Why it kicks carpet’s ass: Each 19.7-by-19.7-inch tile can be bought separately, plus you can lay it over carpet and wood floors in a rug shape or as an entire floor covering. See a full list of FLOR tiles online ($7–$25 per tile, flor.com) or find select offerings at Target (Six pack, $60; locations throughout the city; target.com).

Buchalter Decent floor coverings are cheaper than you think, he says. “Great, inexpensive rugs make a bold statement.” Buchalter especially likes to bring a room together with a six-foot-diameter red circle rug, such as the Zia Round Shag Rug (pictured, below; $399 at Crate and Barrel, locations throughout the city; crateandbarrel.com). “It’s supersimple, you can get a lot of texture—like a really deep shag—and cover up a bad situation,” he says.

Dilworth Big Oriental rugs from stores like Michaelian & Kohlberg can cost thousands. Your saving grace: sales abound. If even sales can’t get you a rug in your price range, hit Craigslist. Type oriental rug into the search box, and you’ll find lots of options in the $100 to $600 range.

Laban “If [the floor is] really terrible and you can do whatever you want, I really think painted wood floors look great,” she says. “Maxwell [on ApartmentTherapy] did a post called ‘How to: Paint Your Floors and Not Screw It Up’…I really think it’s a great, gutsy look.” She also recommends tatami mats, traditional Japanese floor coverings that are often made from grass and come in an earthy tone ($30–$215 at tatamiroom.com and chopa.com). “They’re easy to put over carpeting, and you can take them with you to a new place.” Just think: You’ll never have to look at the God-knows-what stains on your carpet again.