How to Choose a Designer Rug for Your Living Room
Your living room won’t be complete without the style and personality that rugs bring. The patterns, textures, and colours of designer rugs can dramatically transform your living area into a comfortable and homey space.
Rugs provide softness to your charming hardwood flooring. They can visually expand the space for smaller apartments. They also add a hint of luxury and uniqueness to your home.
There are many rug designs in the market today. Choosing one can be overwhelming. From a list of designs, colours, and textures, how do you pick the best one that suits your design vision and matches your home’s existing interior?
Let’s look at some of the factors to remember when picking a rug for your living room.
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Stylish Living Room Rug
Your goal is to find a rug that is the perfect combination of function and style. Whether looking for a designer rug online or in-store, consider the size, design, material, and layering options below.
Living Room Rug Size
Size is the first thing to consider when choosing a rug, so do your measuring first to know which size rugs will suit your space. Whilst you can choose from standard rug sizes, sellers often let you customise area rugs.
Avoid a rug that is too small as it can make your living room look smaller. Large rugs can help accommodate major upholstered pieces. Ideally, heavy furniture should have its front legs sit on the rug surface for a visually balanced space. Additionally, don’t hide your floorwork. Leave four to eight inches of bare flooring so the resulting layout can easily blend in with the rest of the room’s design.
Rug Colour and Patterns
Do you want to upgrade your monochromatic and neutral living room? If so, focus on bringing in designer rugs with colourful and unique patterns. Your choice should depend on your existing interior design. Pull colours and textures from your current décor and base your style choice on them. Doing so will create cohesion and prevent visual clutter.
Solid colours are best for eclectic rooms to counter the style’s pattern and colour varieties. Darker coloured patterned rugs are advisable for a household with kids as these can easily hide dirt and spills.
Material and Textures
Your choice of materials and textures will depend on two things: First, the experience you want from your rug (e.g., how it feels underfoot). Second, how committed you will be to cleaning and maintaining it.
For example, wool feels soft and warm underfoot and is stain-resistant and durable.
Silk and leather offer you a luxurious and soft feel, however, they’re more delicate and harder to clean.
Cotton is light and comfortable, perfect for the hot days of summer. The material is also machine washable.
Synthetic area rugs offer more design and size varieties. Both are household favourites because of their durability, lightness, resistance to dirt and fading.
Genuine cowhide feels smooth. It is also low-maintenance and resists moulds and dust.
Using Multiple Designer Rugs
Layering or combining multiple rugs for your living room is the final factor that will make your space stand out. It gives you opportunities to introduce more colours and patterns into your space. You can also choose your main rug and an additional seasonal rug, depending on your style and functional needs during warmer and colder months.
Remember that rugs are not just there as a part of your home décor. Although they primarily add interest to your living space, they also help you create a comfortable and cosy space where the entire household can spend precious moments together.
