Tips For Buying The Right Rug
A rug adds charm and character to any room, serving as a key element in establishing the overall design. Buying the right rug brings your space together and builds a strong foundation for the rest of your furnishings. Considering the following factors will help you refine your search for the ideal area rug.
Elements to consider
Size and shape: No matter what style or color you decide on, the rug’s size and shape will remain constant, therefore these should be your primary priorities.
Regardless of how well you know the space, you should always begin by measuring it before laying your rug. To provide you with a larger selection of carpets, choose a minimum and maximum size.
Color: Take the time to consider what colors you want while buying a rug. You’ll need to decide upon a primary, secondary, and accent color.
Style: RugSmart has an array of styles to choose from when you’re in the market for buying a new rug. From traditional and floral to modern and country with everything in between, it’s your privilege to decide where you want the style of your room to go.
Accessories: Decide whether or not you want to compliment buying a new rug with other accessories. Your room may need a basic facelift, but you may also want new pillows, a new paint color on the walls, etc.
Budget: Having a budget in mind when you set out to purchase a new decorative rug for your home or office is crucial.
Matching: Resist the urge to match all of the rugs in your home. Rugs in different spaces of your home do not have to match, but they should have complementary colors (especially if they are visible from the same area of the house).
Sizing is key when buying a rug
Size is an important element to consider when buying a new rug. If a rug is too large, it’ll take over the space in a negative way. If the rug is too small, the room will feel off balance. Remember these tips when considering what size rug to purchase.
- A rug is too big if it is closer than 18 inches to the walls in a room.
- Dining room rugs should be big enough to accommodate all of the chairs when they’re filled with people.
- Living room rugs should be large enough underneath a coffee table to reach the front legs of the sofa.
- A hallway rug should not be closer than 3-5 inches to the wall.
Buying a rug for the…
Each room in your home has its own vibe and impression to uphold. Choosing a rug that fits well in the space is the proverbial icing on the cake of a good design. Keep these tips in mind while buying your next rug.
Entryway: First impressions make for lasting impressions. Never use a rug that is too big or overwhelms the foyer. A rug that is too small and gives the impression that you couldn’t afford a larger rug is equally awful. Generally speaking, a round rug looks good in a foyer with a chandelier. A 3′ x 5′ or a 4′ x 6′ usually works well. A 2’x4’ is almost always too small.
Kitchen: The kitchen has more traffic, people standing around doing dishes, and spills of food and liquids than any other part of the house. Don’t forget the dogs and cats that love to leave their marks in the kitchen.
Normally, a 2’x4’ rug (or longer) works extremely well under the sink and extends to cover any appliances, protecting highly trafficked areas of the floor and providing comfort for the feet and legs. A rug made from Polypropylene (Olefin) fiber is best because it does not stain. Don’t buy cheap when you’re buying a rug for the kitchen.
Dining Room: Far and away the most important decision for the Dining room is to make sure the rug is the right size. Keep it 18” away from the walls and big enough so that the back chair legs don’t get tangled with the edge of the rug.
The minimum width and length of a rug should be at least three feet wider and longer than the table, while four feet is preferable. The size normally used is an 8”x11” rug with a slightly larger size being ideal.
Living Room: The living room is a space that has too many options to present here in this blog. A classic approach to buying a living room rug is to choose a large rug.
A large rug with furniture placed on it for a good visual flow will help keep everyone in the room together and engaged. The most popular living room sizes are 5’x8’ or 6’x9’, which nicely accommodates a coffee table and up to or under the front legs of the sofa.
Bedroom: When rising in the morning and, especially, on a cold morning, two sizes come immediately to mind; the 2’x8’ runner at the foot of the bed and the 8’x11” turned sideways and under more than half of the bed. Otherwise, a 2’x4’ on each side of the bed will work.
Bathroom: Since bathrooms vary from small and narrow to spacious enough for a comfortable leisure chair, almost any size will work. The most common would be one or two 2’X4s in front of the sink(s) to a 5’x8’ for the main area.
Office: A rug under the chair, desk, and visitors in front of the desk is preferable but, most definitely, use a chair pad behind the desk so that anyone working can roll about easily. A 5’x8’ or a 6’x9’ should suffice.
Outdoor: Outdoor rugs have become exceptionally beautiful and diverse in design over the last ten years with many of them used very suitably indoors.
One cautionary tip to remember when buying an outdoor rug is that only rugs made with polypropylene (olefin) fiber will stand the test of time. This fiber cannot be sun-bleached or stained due to its production process. The most popular sizes are the 5’x8’ to the 8’x11’ for the porch/patio furniture.
