A rug pulls a room together and anchors the room. Review my article, How to Anchor a Room with a Rug, for further reading on that topic. Depending on what the rug is made of, a quality rug is an investment, similar to quality furniture. You may be waiting to find the right rug or unsure what you want.
3 Tips for creating a conversation area or covering bare floors:
- Spend some time thinking about your style and what you like. Do you like a traditional look, floral, bright colors, muted colors, patterned, etc.
- Understand what rug dimensions you need in a room. A general rule is that you want 18″ of bare floor around the rug. In new construction, where you have open spaces, the problem is finding a big enough rug. The larger the rug, the more expensive it can become. I suggest you purchase the correctly sized rug for a room you can afford versus buying a higher quality that is too small. Wayfair offers a guide on selecting the right rug size and shows how each layout can work.
- Know your budget and how much you want to spend.
Understanding Rug Construction
Quality rugs are made of natural fibers and good dyes. Natural rugs are wool, silk, or cotton. Wool is fantastic at hiding dust and soil; however, beware of low-quality wool that breaks and sheds feeling like straw. You will find less expensive rugs made of synthetic fibers such as nylon, acrylic, polyester, and olefin.
My tip, if you are the type of person who is constantly changing your look and don’t care about a high-quality rug, purchase the less expensive one. Or if you have kids and dogs and know it will have high traffic, a less costly big box store option would be perfect. It is better to have a rug in a room you know you will have to replace than a bare floor. A rug absorbs sound in an open room, softens the space, adds color, and can pull pieces of furniture together.
How to Buy a Quality Rug
The first step is to educate yourself to understand how to discern a fake natural content rug. Visit rug galleries, flooring or furniture stores, antique, and consignment shops. Stay away from the always “going out of business; everything must go” stores that you often see advertised. Here are a few resources:
- What you need to know: Fake Silk Rugs
- Buying Antique Rugs
- Interested in purchasing a rug at auction? Go to Auctionzip.com for an auction in your area.
Don’t Forget the Rug Pad
A rug pad prevents slipping, reduces wear, and protects the flooring. Understand the various rug pad materials and choose the right one for your needs.
If you need help choosing the right rug for a room, give Debbie a call at 610-955-8202 or email for a consultation!
By Debbie Correale, Redesign Right, LLC. Stay connected on Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Houzz, and Instagram. Feature photo licensed from Shutterstock.