7 Tips for Choosing the Best Area Rug for Your Living Space
You spend a lot of time in your living space, so you want this area to look its best. If you’re considering revamping your living space with an area rug, we have seven tips below for choosing the best one.
Measure Room Dimensions
An area rug is often a focal point for a space. However, choosing a rug in the wrong size can make a room feel awkward or unbalanced. That's why it's important to measure your living area before you buy an area rug.
Decide on the Layout of Your Furniture
Before you start measuring your room, decide on the layout of your furniture. Will you arrange your furniture around a central focal point or create smaller sections? Once you have a general idea of how you want to arrange your furniture, you can start measuring.
Measure Length and Width
Measure your room's length and width with a tape measure. Measure the longest part of the room first, then find the width. Write down the measurements, rounding up to the nearest half-foot.
Set Your Budget
Your measurements tell you the size of your room, and your budget tells you the size of your wallet. Setting a budget can help you narrow down your options and find the best rug for your living space.
Look at What’s Available
Once you know the specifics of your living area, it's time to start looking at the types of area rugs available on the market. Each type of rug has its pros and cons in terms of cost, durability, and design. Look up a few rug styles and prices to give you an idea of what to expect financially.
Consider What You Can Afford
Consider how much you can reasonably afford to spend on an area rug based on what you’ve seen. Take into account your other necessary expenses like rent, utilities, and groceries. And remember that an area rug isn't just a runway for high-end designs; it’s also a functional piece of décor. A good rug is a good investment.
Consider the Room’s Style
Once you have a budget in mind, you can start looking at rug styles that will look good in your room. If you’re changing the room’s aesthetic and your rug will contribute to that new style, you can look for inspiration online.
Determine the Room Style
Before you can take a room style into consideration, you must identify what it is. You may have designed your living area with a specific style in mind and can jump immediately into coordinating rug styles. But if you’re unsure what style your living room is, you can look up pictures online. For example, rooms with minimal décor, neutral colors, and multifunctional furniture often fall in the minimalistic style category.
Choose a Coordinating Rug
A coordinating area rug will complement the existing style with its colors, patterns, and material. For example, a plain gray wool rug would probably work well with a minimalistic living area.
Think About Color, Pattern, and Material
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when trying to find a coordinating rug for your living space. Break down coordinating elements into color, pattern, and material to help you determine which rug is the best.
Color
When choosing a singular color or combination of colors, consider your room's color scheme. You can pick a rug that contrasts with it or matches it. Keep in mind that lighter colors make a room look bigger, while darker colors make them feel more intimate.
Pattern
The pattern you choose impacts the overall look and feel of your room. You can select a busier pattern to add character to smaller spaces or subtle one to create a calming effect in larger areas. When you have furniture in the room, you can select a rug with the same pattern as your furniture. Just ensure that the patterns don't overwhelm each other.
Material
Your rug’s material will determine how challenging it is to maintain and how long it will last. If you have children or pets, you'll want to ensure the rug is easy to clean and can stand up to high traffic.
Focus on Texture
Material doesn’t just affect the durability of your rug. It also affects the texture. Texture can play a significant role in transforming a room’s look and feel.
The Texture of Certain Materials
Natural fibers like wool, silk, and cotton have a soft feel, while fibers like jute and sisal have a rough texture. If you have a family member with allergies, a wool or synthetic-fiber rug may be the best choice. They’re both less likely to trigger allergies than natural fiber rugs.
Your Personal Preference
Ultimately, personal preference is the most crucial factor in choosing a rug's texture. Experiment with different rug textures, and find out which one feels the most comfortable under your feet. Take the time to touch and feel the rug before purchasing it. This will give you a better sense of how the texture feels when walking on it.
Look for Durability and Safety
The texture of your chosen rug material can contribute to its durability and how safe it is to use. You must focus on the durability and safety for your potential area rug before bringing it into your home.
Durability
You want a rug that will stand up to daily wear and tear, especially if you have kids or pets. Look for rugs made of high-quality materials since they’re often durable and easy to clean. Try to find one that’s also stain resistant and easy enough to clean yourself so that you don’t have to worry about getting dry cleaning.
Safety
Area rugs can be a tripping hazard if you don’t properly secure them to the floor. Be sure to choose rugs with a non-slip backing or use a rug pad to keep your rug in place. The last thing you want is to slip and fall because your rug moved.
Give Yourself Permission To Experiment
Choosing a good area rug is a long process, and it’s easy to feel bogged down with remembering measurements and looking for safety features. Don’t forget that while this rug is a functional part of your home, it should also make you happy. Give yourself permission to experiment with sizes, styles, colors, patterns, and textures that make you happy.
Look for Contrast
If you want to experiment but don’t know how to start, you should look for contrast. Just remember to balance this contrast with other complementary features. For example, find a rug in a complementary material but a contrasting color.
Allow Trial and Error
It’ll take time for you to choose the best area rug for your living space, even if you follow these tips. Give yourself time and grace for trial and error until you find the right rug.
If you’re revamping your whole living area and not just buying a new rug, head to Grand Furniture. We offer affordable living room furniture. We hope your new rug and furniture take your home to the next level.
