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Tips for Choosing the Perfect Rugs for Your Home
Tips for Choosing the Perfect Rugs for Your Home
Contributed by Dakota Hendrix
There are many guidelines to follow in the world of interior design. Sometimes it may feel like there are so many things to consider that it is impossible to get everything working together into one cohesive unit. Not only does your living space or office need to be functional, but it should also have an identity that is aesthetically pleasing. A well-chosen rug can anchor the entire room and bring all of the other elements of design together. Read on to discover our guidelines and tips for choosing the perfect rugs for your home.
Pick the Color Carefully
On the road to choosing the perfect rug for your home, you will need to make many decisions. We can assure you that the choice of color is the most important one. Making a mistake here will have the most impact on the rest of the room, and the wrong choice of color will make the entire space look off. On the other hand, the right choice of color can positively affect the mood of the room.
Look at the existing colors of the room and the other furniture that you will place there. You can pick a rug that matches a tone that is already present, or go for a color that will contrast your furniture or walls. A splash of color can liven things up, but be careful you don’t go too far. You will have to look at that room day in, day out. If your furniture already has many vibrant colors, your best bet is a rug in a neutral tone.
A Patterned Rug or Single Color?
Single color rugs are a safe choice. They won’t clash with any other design elements, and they can be placed in pretty much any room. Solid colors work great if you already have something with a bit of visual flair.
Patterned rugs work the opposite way, and they can give a bit of life to an otherwise dull-looking environment. A well-placed pattern can be the stand-out feature of the room. Rugs with bold patterns work great if you already have plenty of solid surfaces or a minimalist approach to furnishing your home. Patterns offer a contrast to colder designs that are present in many modern homes.
Picking the Right Material
How much foot traffic will the room see? Will people be entering the area with their shoes on? Do you have children that will be playing on the rug? When choosing the perfect rugs for your home, you first need to answer these questions. Thankfully, there are numerous options to choose from. The best thing is that you don’t need to stick to the same choice for every room in your house.
You can take your pick from synthetic materials or natural and plant-based fibers. Besides functionality, the choice of material will also impact how a rug looks and feels. Materials also affect how long your rugs will last and how easy they are to maintain.
Here is what different materials have to offer:
- Synthetics – cheap and easy to maintain, these rugs are also excellent for outdoor areas. Unfortunately, they don’t feel as good to the touch as natural materials do.
- Wool – probably the most common material for rugs, and with good reason. Wool is durable and great for insulation while feeling soft at the same time.
- Cotton – a cheap alternative to wool that is easy to maintain and great for high foot traffic areas with a laid-back vibe.
- Silk – expensive, soft and luxurious, but it is also hard to maintain and clean.
- Jute and Sisal – rugs made from natural fibers are durable and sustainable, but they can be tricky to clean.
- Hemp – great for high-traffic and outdoor areas or homes with pets. Hemp rugs won’t be a soft as wool or silk, but on the plus side, they are cheaper and easier to maintain.
Maintenance Tips for Your Rugs
Getting new rugs for your home, or even just for one room, can refresh your home and give it a new vibe to your everyday life.
When you are giving your rooms a makeover, it may be the perfect time to use this opportunity to declutter. By having fewer items in a room, the rug will be the centerpiece, and you enjoy all the benefits it brings to the space. Your local movers can help you move the heavy items around your home before you put down the new rugs, so be sure to get in touch with a crew from the area to transport excess items. It will be much easier to place the rugs in a room free from clutter, and the maintenance will be much simpler as well.
Multiple rugs in one area can let you mix and match to get the most out of your living space. Rugs of different sizes can be placed in different areas of the room to separate them better visually. Remember that small rooms benefit most from a single, large rug. You can also arrange rugs piled over in layers to accent different areas of larger rooms.
The material of the rug factors in when it comes to the required maintenance. Try to be realistic that some materials require more effort than others. It would be best if you vacuumed regularly, but some rugs, especially flat-weave ones, should be beaten out to get the best results. More luxurious rugs, like high-pile silk, will probably need to be sent to professional cleaners.
Besides cleaning, here are some more things you can do to make your rugs last longer and have them looking their best:
- Avoid exposing rugs to direct sunlight for prolonged periods. Choose more durable options for outdoors and well-lit areas.
- Rotate your rugs occasionally to reduce the amount of wear on any one high-traffic area.
- Place rug pads underneath rugs that will hold heavy furniture to avoid dents and creases. Solid grip rug pads also help prevent accidental slipping.
In this article, we have given you tips for choosing the perfect rugs for your home, and as you have seen, there are numerous options for you to pick from. A well-placed rug will make the rooms in your house stand out and grab the attention of your guests. Whatever style of home you have, we are sure you will be able to find the perfect rug to suit your needs.