Hi friends!
One of the most common design concerns I hear from clients is the use of area rugs and how to find the best rug for your space. As our design trends have shifted away from traditional wall-to-wall carpet favouring hardwood or laminate flooring, area rugs continue to grow in popularity. And they have come a long way in the last few years! Now, more than ever, area rugs are versatile, functional and even easy to clean at home!
In today’s blog post, I’m going to be chatting about how to find the best area rug for your living room, along with some of my foolproof size guidelines to make sure you always choose the right sized rug for your space.
Don’t be afraid to take up space!
One of the biggest hesitations I often come across when trying to find the perfect sized rug for a room is a client’s worry that the rug will be too big and too overpowering for the space. More often than not, people tend to air on the side of caution and often end up choosing a rug that is much too small for their space and ends up shrinking the perception of their room. This is even more important in a living room since we are dealing with larger furniture items like couches and chairs.
Here are some of my top tips for finding the right area rug for your living room:
Allow for at least a 20” walkway between the pieces of furniture in your living room
Ideally, your rug should be at least 6-8” wider than your couch. Without this space, your couch will look like it is teetering on the edge of your rug
There are various ways to position a rug under your couch - all four legs on the rug, just the front legs on the rug or floating in the middle of the room. Knowing which placement design works best for your furniture is key BEFORE buying a rug.
Pro tip: Whenever I am using a large area rug in a space, I always use painters tape to tape out the measurements of the rug and play around with the furniture to determine if the sizing works with the room. This little trick will save you quite the headache down the road when choosing the right size for your furniture.
Think of an area rug as an investment in your design
Area rugs have come a long way, but these innovations in design don’t come without a cost. While there are tons of cheaper options available, I always recommend my clients invest in crucial statement pieces (like an area rug) to really tie their home design together. When choosing an area rug design, these are my top recommendations to ensure you are getting the best bang for your buck.
How versatile is the design? Is it a timeless colour and pattern? Or is it more trendy and unique?
Depending on your space and personal style, neutral, more timeless designs will often have a longer lifetime in your home and evolving design.
Is the rug designed for my family’s lifestyle?
It is important to consider if this rug will be able to withstand children, pets, foot traffic etc., in your home. Consider if the rug you are choosing can be easily cleaned or if it requires special care.
Looking for your perfect area rug? Some of my favourite places to shop area rugs include Ruggable, West Elm, Jungalow and cb2.
Want to learn more about how your furniture and area rug layout can change the look and functionality? I’d love to chat!
