Designing With An Area Rug

Is your room need a makeover? We recommend that you start with the floor. Follow these six seamless tips on purchasing and decorating with rugs as your foundation.

#1: Go the Extra Mile

If something seems to be missing in an otherwise well-decorated room, chances are a rug will be your solution. Do not be afraid to spend a little extra to get precisely what you want. Area rugs are a great investment, providing years of service and often, appreciation.

#2:  Enhance Rug Appeal With Hard Surfaces

All rugs can be applied over any type of floor covering. If you’re building or remodeling, consider inserting the area rug in the tile, marble or wood floor so you have a flush floor throughout, with no fear of stumbling over the area rug corners.

#3: Don’t Choose a Rug That’s Too Small

Skimp on size, and your room will look smaller. You need your area rug to set boundaries, and ground your furniture. In a living room, your area rug defines the conversation area, and it should be large enough so at least the front legs of the furniture are on it. In the bedroom, you want to feel the area rug on your feet when you get out of bed, We recommend that you have two feet to extend beyond the bed on each side.

#4: Add Playfulness to Wall-to-Wall Carpet

Don’t be afraid to layer an area rug over wall to wall carpet. It adds playfulness, and pulls together your room with the boundaries it needs. Plus it adds extra cushion and a splash of design to any space, including those rooms with wall to wall carpet flooring.

#5: Choose Your Area Rug First

If you’re decorating your room from scratch, our area rug experts typically recommend that you choose the area rug first. It’s the big, essential piece that ties a room together, and if you wait until you’ve placed the final throw pillow or finished hanging the drapes, you could search for months before the perfect area rug comes around. When designing a room, we recommend that you choose the area rug and then throw pillows, and textiles for curtains that go best with the area rug for that space and decor style.

#6: Invest in a Quality Rug Pad

A rug pad dispels slipping and sliding, and adds a layer of comfort underfoot,  especially to a flat-weave rug. Rug tape is useless -- it doesn’t work, and will ruin your hardwood floors with its stickiness.