All About Rugs
I don’t know about you, but I love a good rug. I love getting comfortable, taking off my shoes, and unwinding to watch a great movie with a glass of wine. On today’s blog I want to talk about rugs, what’s the deal with them, and how to go about selecting a rug out of the millions of options out there. I’ll also share my tips and suggestions to selecting the right one for your home and price point.
Why do you need a rug? Nowadays you’ll find most homes have an open concept layout, which makes it hard to figure out how to lay things out. For example, where does the dining room end and where does the living space begin? A rug is a great way to help section off areas in your home. Using a nice size rug that fits all of your living room furniture pieces nicely with about 6-10” extra on all sides gives a sense of order and intention, automatically. Depending on the style, a rug can make a room feel formal, elevated, or casual and organized. Aside from the design aspect, it also adds a comfortable attribute to the space. It also helps with acoustics to reduce noise, and is a great way to keep the floors from getting scratched by the heavy furniture. The point is a rug can bring warmth, comfort, and functionality to your space.
When looking for a rug, there’s four key elements I would consider: your lifestyle, the quality you need, the size required, and your style.
LIFESTYLE
The first thing to consider is your lifestyle and how the rug will be used. Do you frequently have friends and family over?, do you host formal dinners?, do you have kids?, pets?, etc. Based on this, you may want to look for a formal and luxurious rug that won’t need to be cleaned too often, or maybe you’ll opt for a more durable fabric rug that is easier to clean. This will help narrow your search versus getting side tracked with a rug that’s not what you need. Knowing this will save you time and money from making the wrong choice. I have come home with the wrong size rug (many times) and have learned that you need to do your homework (like with everything else) before you purchase a rug. If you do, you’ll be a lot more confident when you come across one that you love.
QUALITY
Knowing the purpose and location of the rug will also help you figure out the quality that you need for the space. Below are the two different fiber types of rug fabrics you may find.
Natural Fiber
Natural fibers come from nature and are processed into fibers. This includes but is not limited to wool, silk, cotton, coir, bamboo, jute, sisal, and more. They are great for living rooms, bedrooms, dining rooms, offices, and entryways. Indeed, wool is a favorite of mine because of its comfortable feel and durability. Although they require more care than synthetic fibers, they are usually softer, are richer in color, last longer, and add warmth to a room with their earthy textures and colors. They vary in price points from low (cotton) to high (silk/wool) but in general they are more expensive than synthetic fiber rugs.
Things to note: Natural fibers are absorbent and can mold so you want to avoid as much water as possible when cleaning. Vacuuming / beating out dust / spot cleaning / professional cleaning are all forms of recommended cleaning. They are also more eco-friendly than synthetics that are machine made, and can last a lot longer and hold their value.
Synthetic Fiber
Synthetic fibers include nylon, polyester, acrylic, viscose, polypropylene (olefins). Although natural fibers do have some great perks, synthetic rugs also have some great benefits. For one, they are much more affordable, and very durable and perfect for high traffic areas. With synthetic rugs you are also able to steam clean as they don’t absorb like natural fabrics do, making them extremely easy to clean. If you have kids and pets and are looking for an affordable and durable rug, this is your best option.
Things to note: Synthetic fibers are much smoother and hide dirt less, which means you’ll have to clean them more often than natural fibers. However, you’ll be able to steam clean without ruining them. In addition, they are not environmentally friendly, and you’ll have to replace them more often as they don’t wear as good as natural fabrics.
In the end, it really comes down to what you need and what your budget is. There are a million options nowadays, so you won’t have a difficult time finding one that you love.
SIZE
A very important thing to consider is rug size. This is also the most complicated for most, as getting a sense of how a room would look like with a specific size rug is not straightforward. To make that part easier, the trick is to use painter’s tape - place tape on the room’s floor on the edges of where a rug should go to help you measure what size you need. While you are doing it, remember you want to keep a good 6“-10” perimeter. See below some example layouts that illustrate optimal rug sizes for a space.
STYLE
Looking for the perfect style rug is not an easy task. My best advice is to keep in mind the style of the rest of your space. Is your home modern, or more traditional? This will help you stick to your isle of style (don’t get side tracked). If your home is more transitional, you can get away with either a more traditional style rug or a more modern looking one based on the style of decor that you have or that you are looking for. If you are starting with a clean slate, it is easier. I would then use the rug as a reference point to which every other selection in the room connects back to. For example, you might use a color or two from the rug as accents throughout the room. Using the rug as your key inspiration feature through your project will help keep your home looking consistent and purposely designed.
I hope this helps you the next time you are searching for a rug. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via my contact page.
Thanks for reading my blog and until next time!
Janiece
