A Guide to Choosing the Best Living Room Rugs

Not sure how to go about picking living room rugs? Don't worry! Follow our guide so you can pick the right rug (or rugs) for your living room

Is it time to spruce up your living room, but you aren't sure where to start? New living room rugs are one small way to make a big impact.One look inside a department store will tell you that there are many options to choose from. Shopping for living room rug ideas can be overwhelming. This guide is here to help.

Where to Start

When possible, starting with the area rug before you design the rest of the room is your best bet for a cohesive design. However, that's not always doable.If you're not starting from scratch, start with your floor plan. Measure your space. Your living room rug should fit the seating area, not necessarily the entire room.

Ideally, the area rug should fit all of the furniture. However, covering just the front legs of each seat is a great compromise. The goal here is when you're sitting down your feet touch the carpet, not the floor. Also, square rooms look best with circular rugs, while rectangle rooms work with rectangle rugs going in the same direction.

Pattern or Solid Living Room Rugs?

If your living space is already busy, a solid color area rug is best. However, if your decorations are more toned down, colorful area rugs might lift your space to the next level.Matching colors can be tough! For a safe bet, match the area rug's secondary color to your sofa. An often overlooked option to consider is layering one area rug over another. Layering colorful area rugs can give your room that fun pop you're looking for.

Feel & Durability

Just like it's important to choose a sofa to fit your family, your area rug needs to work for you. If your living room is a high traffic area, a low pile could be right for you. A high pile rug is softer on your feet but can inhibit folks with limited mobility.

There are so many more living room rug options than cut and looped wool. The contrast in your rug texture design can draw the eye in and add a finishing touch to a room. Dhurries and kilims are flat-woven, reversible rugs. They're usually durable and easy to clean and come in fun patterns and colors. Yarn and a woven base make up high pile tufted rugs. The different finishing techniques provide a change in texture. Tufted rugs tend to fare better in low traffic areas.

If you're looking for a softer, more vintage feel, overdyed or distressed living room rugs might be right for you. These rugs have a softer texture and a blend of colors that provides a classic look. For more natural living room rug ideas, a rug woven from plant fibers is a great place to look. They're durable, inexpensive, and great for complimenting a busy room with their neutral colors.

Natural vs Synthetic

Does your living room rug have to be easy to clean and hard to stain? A synthetic fiber is probably what you're looking for. Nylon rugs provide endless color choices. These colorful living room rugs are easy to clean and can withstand a lot of the abuse of higher traffic areas. They fade quicker and need replacing more often than rugs made with natural fibers.

Olefin rugs are a great choice for spill-prone families, as they repel water and dirt. They have a wool feel and are stain resistant. However, they aren't incredibly long lasting. Another great synthetic fiber option is the polyester rug. They may not come in as many color options, but their high durability and low price point make them an excellent choice for a family on the go and on a budget. Clearly, synthetic fibers aren't as durable as their natural counterparts.

Wool is one of the most popular choices in rug design. It's extremely durable and comfortable underfoot. It also naturally repels water, so cleaning up spills is easier. Cotton is the choice for colorful designs. They're less expensive than wool and can even be machine washable. Cotton's wool counterpart often needs professionally cleaned. Jute, sisal, silk, and viscose rugs are all viable options. Jute and sisal are rougher underfoot and stain easier, but are great for rug texture. Silk and viscose are soft and provide a wonderful sheen, but aren't very durable on their own.

Don't Forget Your Rug Pad

Rug pads are the most overlooked aspect of purchasing a rug. These can keep your rug from slipping, make it softer under your foot, and can lengthen the life of your rug. Rug pads can also protect the floor underneath your area rug from distress or discoloration.

Now What?

So, you know what kind of living room rugs you're looking for. What do you do now? While it's very important to know how a rug feels before you buy it, doing some online research is a great place to start. Search high-end websites and look at their living room setups. This can help you get an idea of exactly what you're looking for in a living room rug.

It's also a good rule of thumb to stay away from department stores and 'going out of business' sales when searching for a rug. Department store markup is crazy! The markup for furniture can be from anywhere between 200% to 400% depending on the store. You can save a lot of money and hassle by asking around where your friends and family purchased their area rugs. Rug dealers can often give you the best prices. Along with the right price point, you want to be able to see your rug before you buy it. Seeing and feeling it for yourself is often the best choice for being confident in your purchasing decision.

Done and Dusted

Choosing the right living room rug can be a complicated decision, but you're not in it alone! We are here to help. Contact us with any questions you might have. This is one of the most important design pieces in your home! At the end of the day, as long as your living room rugs make you feel happy when you look at them, you've made the right choices.