How to Choose a Rug for every Room

A designer rug can be the perfect way to tie a room together. It can help to define the floor space, make the room more comfortable, reduce echo and noise and add some colour and texture. However, choosing the right rug for each room can be tricky. What works well in a living area may not be suitable for a bedroom. So let’s have a look at a few things you need to consider when choosing rugs for different rooms around the house.

Bedroom

Your bedroom should be a calm retreat from the world, so decorate it accordingly. Avoid loud colours and busy patterns. Instead opt for neutral or soft colours and minimal patterns. Choosing a rug like this can be part of a furnishing strategy for improved sleep.

Since you tend to have bare feet in the bedroom, you want to opt for soft and comforting fibres, like cotton, wool or silk. It also helps to use a thick rug around the bed to muffle footsteps and reduce noise in the bedroom.

Living Room

The living room is where you can play with some bolder rug choices. While you can certainly pick from a range of vibrant colours and exciting, modern patterns, you want to avoid your rug becoming the dominant feature of the room. Instead, it should complement other furnishings in the space, like artwork or your couch.

When picking a living room rug, remember that this is a high-traffic area. Therefore, you need a rug that is highly durable, resistant to stains and easy to clean. Here are few tips to clean oriental and persian rugs. Consider fibres like wool, acrylic, polypropylene, jute and sisal. A patterned rug, like an oriental or Persian rug, can also be a good choice in these areas as the patterns can help disguise minor stains and wear.

Of course, if you have pets, durability becomes an even more important factor. Pets can cause additional wear and tear to rugs and you need to make sure your final rug choice is pet friendly.

Entry Hall

Like your living room, the entryway to your home is a high-traffic area, so durability and stain resistance is a must when picking a rug. You’ll also want to choose something that’s easy to clean, since people will tend to track in dirt and debris from outside. And while it’s not recommended to choose as bold a rug as you would in the living room, you can still show off your personality here. Think about the tone you’d like to set as guests enter your home.

Dining Room

For a traditional dining room, you’ll want a large rug that is soft and simple. Like the bedroom, opt for neutral or gentle tones and avoid loud patterns. It can help to look at the colours already used in your dining room, including other soft furnishings like table runners or chair cushions. Pick a rug that complements these colours.

It’s best to choose a larger rug to avoid the dreaded floating furniture look. Your rug should comfortably fit your dining set-up with room to spare.

The fabric and durability of the rug you need will depend on how often you use your dining room. For instance, if you only use it for special occasions, cotton, silk or viscose may be acceptable choices.

However, bear in mind that the rug you choose will also need to withstand any food or drink stains that may occur over the course of dining. Therefore, a more durable and easier to clean fibre like acrylic or wool may be a better choice.

Take your time when choosing rugs for each room of your home. Ensure that the rug will enhance the room, while withstanding any regular wear and tear.