Area Rug/Carpet Question?

How do you think it would look if I bout a piece of carpet a little smaller than the size of the room and put that down? Like 3-5 inches of hardwood still exposed around the edges of the room.

It won't look weird at all, and a lot of people do that. When you have hardwood floor with nothing to break it up, it kind of feels cold and endless if you know what I mean? Putting a big area rug down can warm up a room or simply change the style of it.

If you are looking for a specific shag/thick carpet in a neutral color you could try something like this Bamboo Shag or this Romance Champagne Area rug.

Any high quality rug won't unravel as it will be reinforced at the edges. To keep the rug from curling at the edges on your floor, adhere it with carpet tape to the floor.