Top Tips for Decorating With Area Rugs

Your room is lacking pizzazz and you can’t quite put your finger on the problem. Before you start painting and buying new furniture, the simple solution to your dilemma might be right under your feet! Area rugs add that final decorative layer to your rooms. They are an integral part of room design and should be high on the list when shopping for home furnishings. Rugs can set a mood, serve as a focal point or provide much needed contrast in a neutral room. Whether you have been blessed with stunning hardwood, gorgeous tile or ordinary builder grade carpeting; a rug will add instant warmth and personality to your space! Follow these tips to find perfect rug for any room in your home.

When selecting an area rug remember—size matters. Before hopping in the car to hit the stores, take some measurements of the room in question. Give yourself some leeway on size—that way you won’t waste time trying to find one fitting your exact dimensions. 

In the living or family room, look for a rug that is large enough to accommodate your main furniture grouping. Should your furniture sit on the rug or off? No hard and fast rules apply here—do whichever is pleasing to you. Also use rugs to delineate one space from another in an open floor plan design (such as combined living/dining areas.)

Speaking of the dining room, allow for a rug size that will be large enough for guests to seat themselves when the chairs are pulled away from the table. A good rule of thumb is to measure the table and add two feet to the diameter.

Here are a couple of great bedroom ideas: to keep your tootsies toasty, make sure your area rug extends at least three feet past the sides and foot of the bed. Another solution is to purchase 3’ x 5’ rugs for each side of the bed. This not only adds color and interest to your bedroom, it warms up those cold wood floors!

Standard rug shapes include round, square, rectangular and oval. Choosing the right shape can make or break the room design. In most cases, opposites attract. Take into consideration the shape of your room and the pieces of furniture when shopping for your area rug.

A boxy room may cry out for a round rug. Offset curvy furniture with a square or rectangular rug. Soften the hard lines and angles of furniture with an oval or round rug.

A round dining room table doesn’t necessarily demand a round rug. The juxtaposition of a round table and a square rug may provide just the right balance to your dining room. 

Rugs are a great way to experiment with texture in a room. Today’s wide variety of area rugs can provide a unique look and mood to your interior spaces. Experimenting with texture on the floor gives new dimension to a tired room!

Natural materials, such as sisal, jute or seagrass impart an organic feel in a traditional room.  Modern berbers, with their dense loop construction, add a casual softness to a room and are more comfortable under foot than the grass cloth varieties. A sculpted wool rug can be the focal point, bringing a sense of elegance to a bedroom or formal spaces. Fluffy flotakis and shags turn up the hip quotient in contemporary interiors.

Rather than creating jarring color contrasts, pick a rug that coordinates existing colors in the room--upholstered furniture, pillows, window treatments and paint. Do some quick preparation by noting the overall color scheme of the space. To pull the look of the room together, focus on rugs that coordinate with two of the primary colors

Take things a step further by bringing along a digital photo of the room, a throw pillow or swatches of fabrics or paint colors. These color references will give you a good idea of how your new rug will work with the other colors in your room.

If you have played it safe with solid color upholstery, pillows and curtains choose a rug that makes a bold statement, such as an oriental, kilim, tapestry or hooked floral. Here’s an easy way to make it all work:

Match the most predominate color of your area rug with your sofa color. Coordinate the second dominate rug color with occasional chairs. The third color in the rug should complement curtains, wall color and pillows.

Rugs are not cheap, so protect your investment. Be sure to save the “care tag”—it will tell you if you need to dry clean, wash or spot clean your rug. Take smaller rugs outside weekly to shake out the dust and dirt. Most large rugs can be vacuumed just like carpeting (oriental rugs and those made from delicate materials may require special care.)