Area rugs are one of my favorite decorating accessories for the home! I consider them ???artwork??? for your floors! Area rugs can bring a splash of color, pattern, and a welcoming texture to any room. With so many people now choosing hard surface flooring for their homes, beautiful hardwoods, natural stones, and porcelain tiles; what better way to enhance and define your space than to add a gorgeous area rug!
Think of a sumptuous, shaggy area rug to add cozy warmth and comfort under your feet, especially in the winter months. Area rugs also help to absorb sounds and muffle noises in your home. They can create a visual interest and a focal point for your room. A rug will help to protect your flooring and furniture, as well as cover any minor imperfections you may want to hide. As you can see, there are many benefits to using an area rug in almost any room of your home, living room, bedrooms, dining room, foyer, and hallways!
So, when it comes to choosing the best area rug for your space, it???s important to know the dimensions of your room. This helps in figuring out the right shape and size for your rug. If you outline the area where you want your rug to go, you will get a better idea of size. This is easy to do with masking tape. You might want to consider the location of doors and how they open, as well as your traffic pattern. Keep in mind that rugs can create an optical illusion, an undersized rug makes the room appear smaller where as a larger rug can make your room appear larger. So, use this to your advantage and when in doubt, go with the bigger size!
The common rug sizes for a living room or family room are: 5 x 8, 8 x 10, and 9 x 12. If you have a smaller space, or prefer not to have the legs of the furniture on the rug, go with a 5 x 8 size. The 8 x 10 rug size works great in a living room; usually you will want to place the front legs of the furniture on the rug which will help to connect all the pieces together. With a room size rug like a 9 x 12, you will want to place the furniture fully on the rug. This will pull all the furniture together and help to define the space. Another rule of thumb is to leave at least 18 inches of floor space around the perimeter of the room. That way you can show off some of your beautiful floors underneath.
Image courtesy of Loloi
When it comes to dining rooms, the size and shape of your table will help to dictate the shape of your area rug. Round tables work great with a round rug. While rectangular shaped tables work best with a rectangular shaped rug. Be sure to allow about 24 inches around the table so that the chairs will be able to sit comfortably on the rug when they are pulled out.
Image courtesy of Loloi
With all this in mind, now comes the fun part, selecting a rug that will enhance your space and add an element of design to your room! There are so many choices out there, so have fun with it! Now???s your chance to bring in a pattern that will complement your furnishings, some color that will liven up your space, and an interesting texture that will bring comfort and warmth to your home!
For more information and help in selecting an area rug, stop in and see us at Michigan Tile & Carpet! We have a huge selection of area rugs in a variety of styles to choose from! Hope to see you soon!
Kathy
???I have a passion for color and design that I love to share with my clients.???
