Tips on How to Choose an Area Rug

Area rugs are important to home decorating because of their ability to upgrade a room and make it subtly more interesting. You can make your interior design pop or play together even better simply by placing one down underneath some furniture pieces. Because of its influence to change or add to its surroundings, you should try to choose an area rug that will coordinate with the rest of your décor. Make sure to take into account these considerations on how to select an area rug for the living room or any other space.

Finding the Right Place

How to pick area rug size can be challenging. The rug should be an appropriate size for the room in which you’re placing it. It should be big enough that you can place all key pieces of furniture on top of it. Rugs and furniture placement relative to the room’s dimensions can make or break its effectiveness.

In the living room, the rug should extend underneath the coffee table and at least to the front legs of your sofa and any armchairs. Likewise, a dining room rug should cover the floor where the table and chairs sit, even when the chairs are pulled out. If the rug isn’t able to accommodate the chairs and tables it sits below, it can look awkward instead of flattering. The proper area rug size will make any room feel larger and united.

A common error that people make with rugs is to get one that’s too small. A rug that only takes up a fraction of the floor can divide the space of the room and make it appear less spacious. For rug placement with furniture, look for a rug with a sizable amount of area that will extend beyond the edges of whatever furniture is centered on it. As for its interaction with the room itself, the length of a rug shouldn’t be more than a couple feet shorter than the smallest wall. We offer all suitable sizes of rugs for your room, from small rugs to extra large rugs at Boutique Rugs.

Proper Area Rug Placement

Area rugs finish off the furnishings and draw attention to the whole ensemble. As mentioned above, you shouldn’t obtain a too-small rug and then just set it off to the side of your furniture or underneath just one small piece. Doing so will split the viewer’s attention between the rug and the other furnishings, creating a disordered vibe. A small rug on the side can also throw off proportions. For example, if you want a rug to step onto when you get out of bed, you shouldn’t place a small rug right next to your bed. It’ll end up looking like an odd floor mat more than anything else. Instead of coordinating rugs, use one large rug to encompass the bed and some of the surrounding area.

The Harmony of Color

How to choose a rug color can be as important as its size. What hue would best serve the room you want to put the rug in? If your walls and furniture are neutral-toned, you could benefit from a bright color to serve as a point of contrast. You might also want to get rugs with multiple colors to bring visual interest. The same line of thinking goes for the reverse: a louder room would benefit from a more subtle rug. This could mean going for understated hues and sticking to one block coloration rather than a combination of many.

The Balance of Pattern

A rug’s pattern should also be cohesive with the style of your home. Depending on the aesthetic you’re going for, you can opt for a traditional, mid-century modern, bold, or muted design. Old-fashioned, carefully crafted furniture will benefit from intricately detailed rugs, while clean lines and smooth surfaces go well with geometric patterns. You can refer to pictures of room designs to get a better idea of how a pattern will look with different decorations and furnishings.

Your rooms can feel more sophisticated if you consider how the pattern of a rug will play with your furniture. If your rug has a design that contains a focal point, you don’t want to cover that up and obscure its attractiveness. By placing a more transparent piece of furniture on top of it, such as a glass coffee table with a thin wire frame, you won’t detract from the image. If your rug has repetitive rug patterns on it though, you can afford to block parts of it from view, such as knit decorative pillows, since no visual component will be missed.

If you’re looking for area rugs to decorate your home, check out our selection here at Boutique Rugs. From bohemian-style rugs to contemporary rugs, we can fulfill your needs no matter what design you desire.