One of the quickest and easiest ways to update or change your décor is by adding an area rug. This is true whether it is a living room, dining room, sunroom, office, bathroom, kitchen or entry way, and now this even applies to outdoor spaces. The rug styles and designs are now limitless and affordable.
To see how this works, take a look at a furniture showroom, and imagine any of the furniture without an area rug. That brown sofa would look very boring and not as exciting without the pop of color the area rug is providing. That same principle applies to your home. In order to achieve the coziness and to accent the furniture, now imagine your dining room table or living room set with an area rug. This is the easiest way to create instant design décor. So how do we accomplish this? Here are some general rules that will help to make those decisions.
First, decide where you want to place a rug. Rugs can be used to define a space or to separate it. For example, if your room is quite large then the area could be divided with the placement of an area rug. One might be used to define a sitting area or another one to accent the fireplace by placing a rug in front. The area rug can also be used to “anchor” or put emphasis in a room. So how is this done?
Let’s start with a living room. By adding a rug to this area, the rug can be the focal point through the design of it or the rug will make the furniture the main focus by placing emphasis and drawing the eye to this location. If your sofa is a solid, then depending on your style, you can have the same style of rug. The key to deciding on a rug is to place the emphasis on matching the colors to the sofa and other items of the room. If you feel confident, then mixing styles such as a contemporary sofa with a traditional rug is also acceptable. If your sofa has a design, then a plain or less busy design would probably be more appropriate, and of course always look at the colors.
In a living room the general rule of thumb for the size of rug is to use a 5x8 rug if you are placing the area rug on existing carpet, and then to place the sofa and loveseat or chairs around this with the cocktail table on top. If your furniture is on a hard surface, then an.8x10 or larger rug is recommended. This allows all the furniture to be placed completely on the rug and prevents the furniture from sliding.
If you would like a rug under the dining room table, of course determine if your household can handle it, probably not a good idea with toddlers! However, there are rugs that are very durable, such as the outdoor rugs that can be used as such until the children are older. The rule of thumb under the table is for the rug to extend 24 inches beyond the table base. This allows the chairs to be comfortably pushed back without falling off of the edge of the carpet. Again color and style are important, and also consider what the rug will be competing with, wall color, artwork, etc.
In a bedroom, usually a large size rug is used and has the bed completely placed on the rug, as well as the two nightstands. Therefore a very intricate design would be lost in this area. However, using three smaller rugs, one on each side and one at the foot would allow the designs to be displayed, would add color and keep the feet warm if on a hard surface or help to preserve the underlying carpet.
Bathrooms and kitchens can be fun to add smaller rugs to. They can add warmth and a wow factor, especially if the right colors are chosen. Entry ways are also a great space to add an area rug to. They are inviting, as well as practical and keep the dirt from tracking in.
And of course always take into consideration the use and the wear of the rug, and purchase accordingly. High traffic areas probably need a patterned rug, as they will show less dirt. Synthetics are usually easier to clean than natural products, and usually have brighter colors and the designs can be more detailed, whereas natural products tend to be more muted and the designs not as intricate. With the products available on the market now it is getting more difficult to tell the synthetics and natural products apart.
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