A few years ago I brought some friends over to the house I grew up in. “Oh, wow!” one of them said as soon as we walked in the door. “I love these gorgeous hardwood floors!” My immediate response was, “Huh? Wow, we really do have hardwood floors!” Because, honestly, I had never noticed them before. So much of our house was covered in huge area rugs, with more unused ones rolled up and propped in the corner. It never occurred to me that our floor was anything more than repeating, colorful patterns, worn through in places from years of excited feet.
As nostalgic an anecdote as this is, I think it’s a good indicator that there’s a balance to be struck when buying and placing a rug. It pulls a room together, but can also quickly overwhelm. Like so much in home decorating, choosing a carpet is all about balance.
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When you think ‘rug’, your mind may jump immediately to the Persian-style carpet, beautiful, intricate creations that are more art than anything else, but that doesn’t necessarily have to be true. Carpets in neutral or muted colors can be great bases for living rooms or bedrooms and, like the rugs in my dad’s house, slide right under the radar. Simple, flat-weave rugs can be used to soften a hard floor or protect cold feet in winter, as well as unify a specific part of a large room. Note how the rug in the above photo has created an ‘island’.
Most of the time when you go about choosing a rug, though, you are obviously thinking about aesthetic. Patterned rugs, like the one in the photo above, can add a sense of creativity and harmony to a room, as well as inject some color and movement into an otherwise static set-up. Make sure to measure your space before you make your selection–you don’t want a rug that takes up too much of the room, and at the same time you don’t want it so small it gets totally covered up by your furniture.
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Another important angle to consider is the material of your rug. Flat-weave rugs are best for high-traffic areas, where there is a greater risk of spills or tracked dirt. Wool, cotton weave, and synthetic fibers are typically the most affordable and safest bets, although keep in mind that wool has a distinctive odor when it gets wet. High-pile rugs are softer and more luxurious, and are often best utilized in a bedroom or somewhere less extensively traveled. There are also rugs woven from silk and other luxury fibers, and those are definitely the sort you want to keep out of reach of children and pets.
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Many rugs are an investment–they are pricey and cumbersome, and therefore you want to think carefully before you purchase. On the other end, there are lots of smaller, low-cost rugs available that can be mixed, matched, and thrown around with abandon. Colors can compliment decor or, like in the picture above, be a fun, whimsical statement that pulls in the eye. With low cost synthetic fibers, it’s easy to find inexpensive choices for the more dirt-happy parts of your home–bathrooms, kitchens, and front halls.
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Whether you go for a simple flat weave or a luxurious high-pile rug, keep in mind that it will need to be cleaned. A lot of rugs don’t actually get the attention they need; dirt and other particles get ground into them, and sometimes not even vacuuming can do the trick. Flat weave rugs can be cleaned with a rug-cleaning machine (which are available to rent) or in a pinch just rug shampoo and a sponge. Pricier, higher-pile rugs or antique rugs, however, may need to be professionally cleaned.
Carpets are a great choice when you want a new look but don’t want to paint walls or replace furniture. The right rug can change the whole tone of a room–dress it up, dress it down, or just freshen things up.
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