Choosing A Rug For The Living Room

When it comes to giving your living room a makeover, every little detail is important. The living room is where you’re most likely to host friends and family when they come over, so design is key. Not only this, but the lounge is the room where you will kick back at the end of a long day, so you’ll be wanting a cosy environment too. One piece of furniture that can help you strike that balance is a rug. Rugs complement the decor and give a touch of comfort to the room and it is for this reason that they are a great addition to any home. But how exactly do you pick the right living room rug? 

Patterns and Colours 




Colours and patterns are the things you will be first drawn too since these elements are what let you create themes and reflections of your personality. This is great if you are starting a room from scratch, but if you’re working with an existing decor, your choice will be a bit more limited. Ultimately, you want to rug to work nicely with the room, no matter the aesthetic. Think carefully about existing accessories and furnishings so to best match your rug to the rest of the room. Alternatively, if you’re wanting your rug to be the feature piece in a room you can look at contrasting and bolder colours that will draw the eye.

Patterns are a huge trend right now.  You might be a bit apprehensive of lively colours and patterns, but the truth is that they can help to enhance the decoration of the living room beautifully. As mentioned previously, this is great if you’re wanting the rug to be the centre of attention. If bold colours really aren’t your thing, look instead to softer palettes with quieter patterns that can still add that much-needed depth and dimension to a room without being too loud.


Size and Orientation



In a rugs case, size matters. First, it is really important to measure your room before buying to make sure the rug is going to fit in the living room. There’s nothing worse than ordering a rug that is too big or too small and having to start all over again. The reason size is so important is because it needs to give a feeling of balance to the room. As well as this, the way you place the rug is also equally as important. In open spaces, you need it to have it well centralised, otherwise, the room could look like chaotic and untidy. In smaller rooms or with smaller rugs you have the luxury of using them under coffee tables or desks to highlight a certain aspect of the furniture. 


Texture


Another important feature, we often look for that warm and cosy feeling under our feet but on the other hand, we also want something practical and easy to clean. A popular rug material choice is a wool rug. These add comfort and cosiness to the room but are also easy to care for. Similarly, shaggy rugs, which are currently bang on trend, are known for their deep pile length which earns them their name. Shaggy rugs are great for adding that much-needed texture to an otherwise bland room, plus, they are great insulators for your floor. If you’ve got a busy room already, its best to avoid shaggy rugs, as they may drown the room out. 

So there you have it, a small guide to help you choose a good rug that will help you to transform your living room in a cosy cocoon.

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8 comments

  1. We've got the original wooden floorboards in our front room so having a big rug was a must otherwise it was freezing for the kids to sit on, we went for a bold pattern too which I love.

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  2. Oh we don't actually have a rug in our living room at the moment as my kids rubbed playdoh into our old one! This has inspired me to start looking again as they do really make the room a lot cosier don't they x

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  3. Rugs are particularly handy when you have kids - especially if they're cleanable! They're also good if any of the family have allergies and you don't want to go complete bare floored.

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  4. Great advice here. I inherited a large antique rug from my husband's grandparents so we sort of decorate around that!

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    1. We have a lovely old rug in a red pattern that we use in our bedroom.

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  5. Great tips! I'm going to be laying a wood floor in our lounge soon, so we're on the look-out for a nice new rug to complete the look! It's actually the first thing I'm going to get, so that I can style everything else around it :) xx

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  6. I don't have a rug in my current living room but I will definitely buy one in my new house, as the floors there are covered with tiles. I am looking after a bold colored one, to give a bit of color to the room.

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