The Perfect Rug For Your Space

How do I know what to pick?

Picking a rug for your home can be difficult, and with so much variety available, how do you pick the perfect one? We all know one of the classic ways to decorate a room is with a rug, and these days, the styles, shapes, and colours of floor rugs available are practically innumerable. It’s great news for rug aficianados, but what if you don’t have a clue how to style a room with a rug? This handy guide will give you some of the best ideas for rug styling so you can decorate like a pro!

Centrepiece or part of the show?

The first place to start is to determine if your rug is a foundation or the magic marker that connects the dots. If you’ve already put all your furniture in the perfect spot and just need something to tie it all together, then you’ve most likely already got a plan regarding the rug’s size, shape, and colour.

If you’re starting from scratch, then the perfect rug gets to be the piece around which you build the room. Every room is different in this regard. For example, you’re a lot more likely to build an entire living room off of a rug than you are a bathroom, though anything’s possible in home decorating!

It matters what rug you pick

The point of a rug is to highlight your furniture and pull the room together, so it matters what you pick. Solids are a great staple, but colours matter. If you have brightly coloured furniture or wall art, a more tonal floor rug may be a wise way to balance the room. Similarly, if your furniture is neutral, a brightly coloured rug can add just the pop of fun the rooms needs. Don’t count out patterns either! Bold, big, and brash patterns can be a fantastic foundation for a quality space, as long as your furniture isn’t shouting too. Subtle patterns are a wonderful way to add texture to a room with a lot of character. If you like to decorate with books, artwork, and baubles, stripes or spots in soothing colours can be an interesting dimension. Maybe cowhides are your thing?

The truth is, a lot of the choice - when it comes to colours and patterns - really ends up being a matter of personal preference and good judgement. The more challenging skill set is how to position a rug! Rugs are accessories, but they often feature prominently, so placement is key. Some placement tips will probably seem like obvious conclusions. A good example of this would be a rug for a dining room, as the best choice is typically going to be large rugs that cover the space the table and chairs occupy. However, not all dining rooms are created equal, and not all are suited for a rug in the first place. Don’t take any rug rules as gospel, because no one knows your house and your space like you. That being said, there are a few pieces of advice you can follow when planning out your space.

So how do I place my rug?

When using an area rug, a rug that is designed to accent a specific part of a space, make the rug a little smaller than the space you’re putting it in. It needs to give the furniture and the floor room to breathe, without being too small to be worth noticing. A nice way to compliment your space is to have the front two legs of your dominant seating furniture piece rest on the rug. There are multiple ways to take this tip and run with it. Large area rugs can be the platform on which you place a table, or they can accent the space in front of a fireplace. Another awesome tip for area rugs is to use them to split a room. A rug that’s focused entirely on the left side of the room, anchoring the furniture, leaves the entire right side to form its own layout and emphasis. By that same token, it’s not at all impossible to use more than one indoor rug in the same space. The biggest thing to be wary of in that situation is your colour choices. Rugs should complement each other. Don’t be afraid to mix textures for an added punch!

There's plenty of variety

Rugs come in all different shapes, just like rooms. Long, narrow rooms can be elongated visually by long, narrow rugs. Patterns help with visual tricks like that as well. Not all rugs need to match the shape of their rooms though. A long room like the one we just mentioned could be given a fun pop with multiple circular textured rugs or a modern spill shape in a fun colour. A lot of shape choices will depend on how you plan to theme your space, so don’t be afraid of what seems unusual or unconventional. A great way to accent a traditionally square room is a large round rug, or even with a hexagonal rug. If your furniture emphasises lines, go for a more angular rug. If your furniture and décor have curves, go for curves in your rug! Be aware of the size of your rug when using it as a centrepiece. Never cover the whole floor. Your room will always appear larger and more cohesive if you leave a visible floor border around the edges of the rug.

The real choice is yours

Ultimately, the most important part of a rug is how it makes you feel. Does it comfort you? Calm you? Inspire you? Pump you up? It may sound like a lot to expect of your rug, but colour, shape, and size choices can say a lot about you and the space you’re designing. Trust yourself, and trust your space. If the rug doesn’t work, the whole room will scream at you to let you know. Most importantly, don’t forget to have fun!

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