Rugs create a personality in a room. Rugs anchor furnishings and help define spaces to make a statement. That’s quite a lot for one piece in a room! Many decorators will start with the rug as the base when designing a room. Colors and design can be pulled from a rug creating the drama in a room that speaks.
Picking the right rug
When selecting a rug the first consideration is to decide what the room is being used for, the style of the room, and how much light a room has.
There are so many different types of rugs available today. In various materials, colors, and fibers. Understanding the options that are available to you helps narrow down what you might be looking for.
Pattern and Color
Patterns should also be a consideration. Smaller patterns in a smaller space can make the room look bigger, wherein a larger room using a big bold pattern will scale the space making it feel cozier. The style of rugs creates the personality of the room.
Rugs shouldn’t necessarily match the furnishing but be within the same tonal color scheme to harmonize the room. Again, rugs are to pull the room together. If you have the need to put more than one rug in an area make sure that they do not contrast. Select one that dominates and the other complementary, you want the rugs to work together. Working with the colors of a primary rug and then doing complementary rugs with those same colors, but not necessarily the same pattern can work well in a larger space.
Consider tone, fiber, and similar feeling patterns when selecting rugs for a room. Natural fiber rugs are great for layering other rugs on top, or as a stand-alone for lots of texture. You can also layer rugs to cover more of an area if needed.
The size of a rug has to be appropriate for the space it is in. First, measure your room to get an idea of the size of the room. The chart below will guide you as to a recommended size to look for. When in doubt of the size consider leaning toward the larger side. In a room with one area rug leave at least 10″ -20″ from the edge of the rug to the wall.
Your goal should allow the furniture to be completely on the rug or at least the front legs of all the furniture to be on the rug. If you choose to go smaller the rug needs to anchor the furniture in the conversation area that you are creating.
General Rules To Go By
In the dining room, rugs need to be large enough so that when the chairs are pulled out they are still on the rug. A rule of thumb is to have the rug three feet larger than the table width and length. If it is not large enough, remove it.
In a living room, a rug should be longer than the sofa, here it does not necessarily need to be completely under the sofa unless you are concealing a floor. I suggest to clients that if you have the front legs of the sofa on the rug, do the same with chairs. The furniture can be adjusted to make the rug “fit” the room. You never want a rug too large for the room, having some “white” floor space is ideal.
In a Bedroom, you will want a rug for your feet when you get out of bed. These can be a runner or a large area rug. Since beds are typically a little over 6 feet long, a rug that is a minimum of 4 feet long will probably do the trick.
If you are not sure what would work in your room visit a reputable dealer in your area with room measurements or call a decorator to help.
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