7 Rules For Selecting The Right Rug
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How to choose a rug- Avoid these common mistakes when selecting a rug
How do I choose the right size rug for my house?
Learn How To Choose the Right Rug and Stylize Your Home. Decorate your way to FEELING GOOD and choose the right rug with these tips. A home can make you happy if you invest time in creating an environment around you that is joyful, organized, and filled with special items, and collections.
Cultivating Comfort: Essential Tips for Selecting the Perfect Rug
Ever feel like your space is missing that certain something? A well-chosen rug can be the transformative element you crave. Rugs add warmth, define areas, and establish a room's overall mood. But with a dazzling array of colors, textures, and patterns, selecting the perfect rug can feel overwhelming.
IN this post I will cut through the confusion, offering key principles to guide you towards the ideal piece. Let's embark on this journey of creating a truly inviting and stylish haven.
Kate Marker Interiors… love this rug, love this room via Decor Pad
Unveiling the Rug: Your Guide to a Perfect Fit
Ever wonder how designers create those beautifully balanced rooms? It's all about picking the right pieces! Today, we're focusing on rugs, those comfy and stylish anchors that set the tone for your space.
This post is a sneak peek at our free guide, "Top 5 Decorating Secrets," which unveils designer tricks for creating amazing rooms. Here, we'll explore how a rug can:
Add warmth and comfort: Step onto a plush rug and feel the difference!
Tie your room together: Colors and patterns in your rug can echo throughout the space for a cohesive look.
Define areas: A rug can visually separate your living room seating area from, say, your playroom.
Ready to find your perfect rug? Stay tuned for our next post where we'll tackle choosing the right size, style, and more!
*** While this room is nice, it screams two major mistakes indicating an interior designer WAS NOT consulted, and why this rug does not work. Read on, and you will never make these errors. Its nice, but…..
Selecting the Right Rug
Your living room isn’t complete without a rug. But with so many options out there, finding the best one can be like trying to solve a puzzle. So here is my advice to help you with your choices and best practices to keep you out of potential trouble. (Like trying to return rugs! Super difficult.)
1. SIZING for any Room
Most important rule: Always select a rug that is big enough that the furniture sets will all have their front legs resting on it, and yet not too big, that it will go all the way flush to the walls, sometimes covering heating vents.
2. Thoughts on Dining Room Carpets:
Design Tip for size: Width: Choose a dining room rug wide enough to accommodate your table width, your chairs, plus an additional 2 feet behind the chairs on each side of your table, so someone can pull out the chair. The minimum width is typically 8 feet plus.
Length: If your dining table is expandable, choose a rug that will still fit beneath the table when it's extended.
3. Take Note of Any Room Obstructions:
Be very aware of the heating vents or HVAC in the floor that you don’t want to cover. It’s important to work around them when planning a rug. Sometimes it may require a custom cut to fit and allow a larger carpet for your room. Ideally, the starting size for a rug is one that fits the layout and extends 4 feet underneath for all four legs. With the vents in the room, you may only be able to accommodate the front 2 legs.
TIP- if you have a fireplace you will need to cut around the hearth which is custom, or measure in standard sizes like 8x 10, or 9x12, and make sure this will ideally leave circulation paths unobstructed.
Look at the circulation patterns and make sure the pathways are wide enough to walk in. There’s nothing worse than one foot on the floor and one on the rug. Choose a rug that covers the full pathway or leaves the area exposed so you're not walking half on and half off..
“If I am working with an apartment and smaller rooms, my goal is to expand the space and give it a sense of being larger. That’s when I will recccomend using one rug, and make it as big as possible.”
Deborah von Donop | dvd Interior Design
Kelly Wearstler - for inspo.
4. A Large Rug In A Small Room Will Make It Feel Larger:
Smaller spaces, and living rooms enclosed by walls and doorways, usually benefit from a single large rug.
In large rooms: rugs should fit the configuration of the room and furniture. It should fit the seating area and underneath, to help define the area where everyone sits. For example, a 15 x 20-foot living room, is arranged in one large conversation area, so we should look for a rug to cover and frame that entire area, big enough so that at least the front third of the furniture sits on the rug. TIP: it is better to go too big than too small.
If you have an area that is an open concept plan, I like to have smaller rugs define areas. I also prefer the same design for each rug so the look is cohesive overall.
A few great rug selections are available online.
The Rug Company- Paul Smith Design - this is Art
5. View Your Rug As a Piece Of Art!
Let's elevate your rug selection beyond functionality and into the realm of fine art, just like Martha would! Here are a few ways to view your rug as a masterpiece:
Texture Rugs: Imagine a woven rug with a subtle sheen, adding a touch of elegance to your space, like a beautiful painting with layers of brushstrokes. Texture rugs can add similar visual interest with their varying heights and materials.
Centerpiece: A well-chosen rug can be the focal point of a room, similar to how a stunning landscape painting draws the eye in a gallery. Think about a rug with a captivating pattern or bold color that sets the tone for the entire space, just like a masterpiece would command attention.
Match or Contrast: Rugs can complement or play off the colors and patterns in your furniture and artwork, just like an artist might use colors that harmonize or create a dynamic contrast.
Install tip: Cut Your Pad Slightly Smaller on Each Side and know that Every rug needs a pad. A pad will extend the life of your carpet and offer stabilized rug with a luxurious feel. A thicker pad offers additional cushioning and a more luxurious feel, however, the primary reason for a pad is safety. - Deborah
6. When selecting your rug's material, think about how you live
High Traffic & Easy Care: For busy households with pets or children, prioritize durable and stain-resistant materials like wool or synthetic fibers. These can withstand everyday wear and tear and clean up easily, just like choosing furniture that's both beautiful and practical.
Luxurious Comfort: For areas with lower traffic, like a bedroom, you can indulge in a softer material like plush wool or a luxurious viscose rug. These materials create a cozy and inviting atmosphere, perfect for a relaxing retreat.
7. Pick a Rug After You Have Selected Your Base finishes.
I like to have all my finishes like a wood floor, the different wood tones on the furniture, and upholstery before choosing an area rug.
Monochromatic color scheme: In a calm monochromatic room, i think about texture, like sisal or wool. For a little drama, iI will consider a rug with a punch of color as a starting point in the selection process.
WHAT ARE THE MOST POPULAR RUGS LATELY?
Right now, I have been using rugs in warm neutral colors and tone-on-tone geo patterns, as well as in rugs that have a bit of a relaxed coastal vibe to them, with a soft sisal look. These past few years, we have been spending more time at home, and most people wanted to make changes in their home decor to make their spaces feel at once clean and peaceful, as well as relaxed and inviting.
I find the most impressive rugs are like fine works of art for the floor. A bright color or interesting pattern may work in a quieter room.
The larger the rug the quieter the pattern and colors for me. I do like to go bold in a hallway! Since there is minimal furniture to coordinate within a hallway or entranceway, you can go all out with a multi-color pattern, zigzag design, or color-block motif.
Choose complementary colors and patterns. You want to match it to the secondary color of the room and complete the look. A general rule is to not select the primary as the same color everywhere, it may be too much.
Consider adding pillows to add a mix of texture and repeat the color story of other elements is in the room, like the rug and art, or drapery. This will elevate the sofa and color story of the room with prints and textures.
8. What size Rug Should I Get? Don’t underestimate the power of painter’s tape.
The most important factors when choosing a rug are selecting the right size and color for the space, as well as the right patterns and styles that fit your overall aesthetic.
I always encourage parents and pet owners to consider performance rugs, and I always advise customers to do research on the different materials and pile heights available. It never hurts to order a sample to make sure you like the look and feel of a rug.
“When you’re not sure if a new piece (art or furniture) will fit in your space, take some painter’s tape and tape out the dimensions. It’ll be easier to visualize its size!” – dvd Interior Design Also try shopping on RUGS DIRECT, they have a super easy visulaiztion tool, so you can see the rug in your room!
Buying a Rug Online is Easy with Our Top Picks
8 Awesome Places to Buy Stylish, Affordable Area Rugs Online
One Kings Lane
Target- anything Threshold or Studio McGee
Serena & Lily
Boutique Rugs *** new find!
Recap: I view rugs as works of art.
Consider a neutral rug that softens a space while accentuating design focal points, It can help highlight a focal point like colorful and sculptural furniture or
Using a patterned rug as a layering juxtaposition of patterns and textures, a rug ties an interior together to create a unique design narrative.
Rug size, color palette, and other elements in the room should all be considered when choosing a rug.
Blend contrasting textures and colors by layering rugs
Choose a color palette and mix and match within.
Play with shape? - If you are creating a custom area rug, consider an unusual outline that adds a new dimension to a space
Pair bold graphic prints on the carpet with minimal furniture
Choose contrasting furniture that pops in the space
Follow these tips above when selecting area rugs and you will achieve that finished look. Selecting the perfect rug for your room is an instant upgrade to creating a beautiful home.
*Now having read through all the tips, can you tell me the 2 design mistakes in the title image that scream an interior designer was not consulted for the photoshoot? Let me know in the comments if you found these mistakes.
Design Your Best Life: I hope this post and the step-by-step process and focus on different areas in your home to style, will give you a visual reference to follow as you’re styling your own home! Im looking forward to hearing your thoughts. Styling is an important layer for creating a comfortable and balanced room with all the fixings.
You might also enjoy these resources on Design Tips for your home.
Best Online Visualization Tool for choosing Rugs!
Our Best Online Decor Resources
Strategies for A Kitchen That Is Functional And Beautiful
xoxo,
Deborah
PS: If you want to see how my firm can help you choose the best color and
create a home that you love, go here.
Also, comment below and let me know if you have any other useful tips for selecting rugs.
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How To Choose The Right Rug