Wall-to-wall carpeting might not be right for every room in your home. Whether it’s a kitchen with tile floors, or an entryway with vintage hardwood, there are a number of reasons why you might not want to cover and entire space with carpet. If you’d still like to enjoy the comfort of carpet without committing to wall-to-wall, however, an area rug can be an excellent addition to the room. Today we’ll look at a few ways to make the most of area rugs in your home.
Think function, as well as form
When choosing a pile height and material for your rug, consider the type of space it will occupy. A long, shaggy pile, for example, is probably better suited to a sitting room rather than a kitchen. A rug in a kitchen should typically have a short, stain-resistant weave that’s easy to clean and maintain.
Be color conscious
Be sure to choose a carpet that will complement the existing color palette in the room. If the room is decorated primarily with neutral colors, a solid, brightly-colored area rug can serve as a nice accent piece. If, on the other hand, the room is painted in more vibrant colors, you might use an area rug with a neutral, geometric pattern to anchor the space.
Establish borders
Area rugs are not wall-to-wall replacements. Leave space between the edge of the rug and the wall to allow the space to “breathe.” This can add a nice, aesthetically-pleasing border to the room, and divide expansive spaces into smaller, more manageable ones.
Don’t forget the furnishings
Chances are an area rug won’t be the only thing on the floor in the room. Instead, it will share the space with other furnishings like couches, chairs and tables. Use these rugs to help orient furniture in functional, comfortable ways. An area rug can act as a great blank slate on which to experiment with the design of a space.
I can definitely see why color scheme would be extremely important when it comes to area rugs. My living room is very bland at the moment and it could use some personality. I definitely think that we should find a rug that could best suit the style of the rest of our room.
I am so pleased to find this article! I always struggle when I’m buying rugs….they always end up being too big or too small. These tips are very helpful for choosing right area rugs. Thanks.
You do make a pretty good point in the article about making sure that you look at color. After all, you will want the color of the rug to match the rest of the colors in your room. Of course, you may still want it to stand out so a complimentary color might be a nice choice as well.