Choosing and styling area rugs can seem daunting, especially when you’re uncertain as to size, pattern or placement. These 5 tips will make your next area rug purchase a breeze and ensure that you’re happy with its look for quite some time.
1. Consider your floor plan and purpose. Are you needing an area rug that will anchor a large living room, welcome guests through an entry hall or draw the eye to a serene sitting area? Think first about the floor plan, taking into consideration the walkways and anchoring furnishings.
2. Play with pattern. For a sleek, midcentury-inspired room, overwhelming patterns are a no-go. Instead, bring in prints in doses. Does your sofa or bedspread boast an amazing pattern? Keep the room feeling as fresh and modern as possible by opting for a palette-friendly, solid-colored rug. On the flip side, if your furnishings offer neutral tones or solid hues, area rugs are the perfect place to infuse your room with retro design.
3. Think about texture. Adding a rug to your bedroom? A soft, plush shag would be a far more welcome greeting in the early morning in comparison to a scratchy flat weave. However, that flat weave might be the perfect solution to capturing dust tracked in through the front hall.
4. Measure it out. A small rug will make any room feel choppy and incomplete. Rather than distracting from the beauty of a great lounge chair and midcentury sofa setup, shy away from area rugs that won’t truly fill your space. Find one that you love but isn’t quite big enough? Try placing it at the foot of the bed, under a smaller sitting area or even under a desk. In the dining room, ensure that there is at least 3 feet of rug on every side of the table. This will allow plenty of room for chairs to still have all four legs anchored on the rug even when a guest is seated.
5. Anchor it. Don’t leave your Eames chair floating off in the corner alone. Instead, pull the furnishings in and put all four legs of a sofa or chair on the rug. In tighter spaces just the front two legs can do as well.
