4 Easy Ways to Decorate Your Room With Rugs

A well-designed western home means a blend of rustic furniture, decor, and quality finishes that work together to create a richly layered and compelling space. One of the best ways to pull together all those elements? A beautiful area rug! One with the right size, color, and design can complement the rest of the furnishings for a unique design dimension. However, finding the right rug is essential. We always recommend following these four interior design rules when selecting a rug for your western home. These tips can help you find the best option for your dining room, living room, or entryway, to instantly lift the space and make it feel intentionally designed.

If you’re looking for more advice, tips, or rug inspiration, visit us at our Fort Worth home furnishings store! We’d be happy to help you design a beautiful space for your home.

1. Get the size just right.

When you buy a rug to fit within a room (such as a bedroom or study), subtract three feet from both the length and the width of the room to find the proper rug dimensions. This extra bit of breathing room around the edges makes the room appear larger. When placing a rug under your dining table, buy a rug large enough to provide at least two feet of additional space around the edge of the table on all sides. This lets guests easily push their chairs away from the table without moving their chair legs off the rug. For a long, narrow space (like a hallway) runners should be, at minimum, four inches narrower than the width of the space and two feet shorter than the length. 

If you absolutely love a rug, but it’s slightly small for your space, consider layering two rugs. Buy a larger, neutral one (such as one made of woven jute) that won’t clash with your statement rug. Place the larger rug down first before placing your statement rug in the desired position. This helps you maintain the correct aspect of floor coverage while getting to showcase the rug you love!

2. Choose the rug first.

Most people select furniture, artwork, and even throw pillows and accessories before searching for a rug to round out their space. However, this can significantly narrow your options. Make sure your rug is a statement piece, and not just an afterthought, by shopping for the rug first when redesigning an area. You can still opt for a solid color or a neutral design, knowing that your additional design decisions will complement the piece that’s likely to take up the most area in your space.

3. Don’t be afraid of patterns.

A bold pattern can seem daunting, but it can also end up being the showstopper centerpiece that gives your room that “wow” factor. If you select the rug first when redesigning a space (rule #2), you have more options for choosing the pattern that speaks to you. If you do opt for a bold or intricate pattern, be sure to select minimally patterned or neutral colored furniture that complements it. 

So many modern rugs now offer a new twist on traditional “oriental” rug patterns. For instance:

• Overdyed: Overdyeing is a traditional technique of bleaching and re-dyeing a hand-knit rug a solid color. It can give even new rugs a vintage, lived-in appearance.
• Ikat: Ikat is a type of weaving pattern that produces a slightly “blurry” effect, due to the tight weaving pattern and pre-dyed fabrics used. It has a recognizable style that works well with western home decor.
• Chobi: This pattern of traditional, oriental style rugs is known for its floral designs and neat, symmetrical border. It’s great for lending an antique and upscale look to a more traditionally designed room.

4. Consider its location.

If a rug is in a high-traffic area, such as an entryway, hallway, or main living area, opt for darker colors and patterns which can hold up under heavy foot traffic. Or, make sure the fabric and weave of the rug are durable enough for the amount of use it will see. For those less-frequented areas (such as a guest room, formal dining room, or formal living area), experiment with unique designs. In these spaces, it’s okay to choose the lighter-colored rugs with minimal patterns that may require more care and maintenance.

Find the Right Rug for Your Western Home

Rugs, just like your other home furnishings, can be a wonderful way to express your individual interior design style in a non-committal way; after all, rugs can be rolled up and moved to other areas when it’s time to refresh a space’s style!