Things to Consider:
Your Lifestyle
For a rug that's going to last, you'll want to make sure it can
hold up to your lifestyle. Do you have young children or pets? Are
you placing your rug in a high-traffic area, such as an entryway or
family room? If so, you'll want to select a rug that's durable and
easy to clean. A dark-colored, patterned rug will also help to hide
stains or dirt in high-activity areas.
Your Personal Style
Decorating with area rugs is a great way to add personality,
instant comfort and style to your room. Take a look at the design
and color scheme that you've already started to create in the room
to make sure your rug complements the décor. To tie the look of the
room together, you'll want to select a rug that coordinates with
the paint color, furniture and accessories already placed in the
room.
Use these general design rules and ideas when shopping
for your new rug:
- Neutral walls and furnishings allow a bold rug to take center
stage.
- If your primary furniture, such as a sofa, is a solid color,
consider selecting a patterned rug.
- On the flip side, if your primary furniture has a lot of color
and pattern to it, select a solid color neutral rug that
coordinates to ground it.
- Consider coordinating your rug color with your pillows, drapes,
wall color or other accents in the room.
- Placing an area rug under your bed in a bedroom is a great way
to add warmth and comfort while eliminating cold feet in the
morning.
- Don't limit your space to just one rug, using multiple rugs can
help define different spaces within a large room.
- For the trend-setters, layering a rug can be a great way to
bring in multiple colors and textures.
- When decorating a room with an area rug, don't completely cover
the floor. Allow some space for the floor to show underneath to
define the space.
Area rugs come in all shapes and sizes, consider the size of the
area where you will be placing the rug: see our section on How to
Measure