Choosing the Perfect Rug for Your Space
Choosing the Perfect Rug for Your Space
How do you choose the right rug for your home's open living spaces? If you are looking to decorate your living room or kitchen space, the right rug can both enhance your comfort and really pull the entire room's design together. A good rug can act as a fatigue mat, making hard floors more comfortable both for standing and sitting. A stylishly chosen rug can accent the entire space. For a home of hard floors, a rug may also be essential for keeping your feet warm during cold months and reducing loss of heat through the floors. But how do you choose the right one?
The best rug for any space is chosen through size and shape, material and pile, color and style. Because each home and room space is unique, there is no "one" right answer. Instead, we're here to offer a useful frame-of-reference so that you can choose the best space for your home's own style, space, and the very purpose of the rug.
Let Purpose Guide Your Rug Size
The first thing to choose about your rug is the size. Start by measuring the space you want to fill. Use a tape measure or laser ranging tool to determine just how much floorspace you can or need to fill. Some rugs are accent pieces, centered in a larger space to bring focus and style - and perhaps to sit underneath a stylish centered coffee table. Or you may be seeking an area rug to turn a hard wood or tile floor into a carpeted space that is both warmer and softer on the feet than the original flooring.
Measure the space you want to fill along with the maximum possible space that your rug can occupy. Use these dimensions to investigate only rugs in the correct range of sizes. That said, it's OK to choose a rug that is a few inches smaller or sometimes larger than your original measurements.
Rug Fibers, Pile, and Washability
Next, consider what you want your rug to feel like and to be made of. The material of your rug determines so much. Your rug material changes the texture under your feet, the fluffiness of the rug pile, and how easily the rug is stained or washed. The woven fibers change the texture, thickness, and fluff of the rug pile, while the pile itself determines just how padded and elevated the rug is compared to your floor.
In areas that will be walked over all the time, a thick pad and a tight pile weave are best. In spaces where there is likely to be spilled food or tracked mud, favor carpet styles that are easier to wash and more resistant to stains.
In areas where there is little traffic but you might enjoy lounging occasionally, we advise rugs with softer fibers and a thicker pile. This makes them more comfortable for places like the living room floor where viewing parties might include those sitting on the floor.
Choose Your Rug Shape by Design
Most rugs are rectangular, many rugs are square, and specialty rugs can be any shape at all. Area rugs are rectangles that should be chosen in the size and dimensions that best fit your room. A rug in the kitchen or a rug meant to pad the floor underneath the living room seating area can be sized exactly to the space you wish to fill. Decorative rugs change the decision-making process.
For a decorative rug, you can get more creative. Many people love circular rugs and mandala or star-like circular rugs which create a beautiful centralized dynamic for any space. A few rugs are other symmetrical shapes like triangles or regular polygons like hexagonal or octagonal rugs.
The right shape of rug for your space should be determined by the lines of the room you'd like to draw together. A creatively edged rug, like a mandala, is best for a creative space and to add an element of ordered chaos to the room's design while square or octagonal rugs create a regular, even look while also pulling the focus of your room toward the rug's center.
Match or Contrast Style to the Decor
What style of rug should you choose? Do you want a solid color, stripes, or concentric circles for a simple design? Would you rather a complex woven design of baroque flowers or a classic detailed Persian style rug? Would you rather modern geometric print or an endless escher-like layer of ever-smaller rectangles?
The answer to this question can be found in the room around you. Match the style of your existing decor. If your decor has strong lines, choose strong lines for your rug to match. If your room pulls together toward the center, choose a rug whose design is also centralized instead of a spread-out pattern. If you want to define the space, choose a rug with greater accents around the edge, or a centralized flower or geometric design to draw the eye toward the center.
If your room is ornate, a baroque or Persian rug may be more appropriate while minimalist style favors solid-color, striped, or geometric rugs instead. Let your current style be your guide in choosing the right style for your rug.
Decide on Subtle Colors or Accent Color-Pop
Last but certainly not least is picking a rug of the right color or colors. The first thing to decide is whether your rug should blend in or stand out. If the rug is meant to become a subtle improvement to the flooring, like most area rugs, then a solid understated color is best. match the current decor, favoring darker colors to minimize stains or lighter colors to create a pristine look.
For accent rugs and rugs meant for decoration, consider a color-pop choice instead. Look at the current decor and identify your accent colors. You may have light fixtures of a rich bronze or trim of a brighter color. You may already have throw-pillows or accent furniture with colors that cause the subtle paint colors to pop. Use your rug in the same way. Choose a rug that is either all-accent-color or with a neutral base color featuring color-pop accents of its own that bring the entire room to life.
Pulling it All Together: The Right Rug for Your Space
So what is the best rug for your kitchen or living area? It all depends on what you want to achieve. Choose a large, subtely designed area rug to quietly enhance your space or bring the room together with a color-popping central rug. If you are filling a walkway, measure your space and decide if this is an understated or decorative rug choice. If you are trying to bring your living room to life, choose a centralized rug that includes a touch of your other existing design elements.
For more insights on how to beautifully decorate and enhance your home's design, contact us today!
