When in doubt, answer some questions for yourself before you commit to an area rug selection. Perhaps you need a large washable rug such as this one from Ruggable. Their 9x12 washable faux vintage look checks in around $740.00 CAD. You will also need to purchase a pad for this endeavor. Maybe you are interested in a sisal rug for your high traffic family? You can find one here at $409.00 for an 8x11.4' rug. I personally have done a little bit of research for a while, and recently found some beautiful low pile vintage Turkish rugs for our home which consists of a teen, two dogs, and a contractor (not to mention me... I'm usually covered in dirt for one reason or another.)
After learning the huge benefits of wool and cotton low pile rugs, I also loved that purchasing vintage handmade rugs goes hand in hand with my sustainable living endeavor, keeping these beauties in the spotlight and reusing decades old works of art.
An area rug is most definitely an investment into your space. It should fill your space by not only muting sound, cushioning your feet, but visually breaking up the flooring that is laid under it. Your living room can likely accommodate a rug up to 9x12 feet, and that includes perching your sofa's front legs directly onto the rug itself. Not enough for your space? You can always consider layering rugs. (Crazy, but you soooo can.) The pro tip here, is that you either want one rug to sit under the front legs of all of your furnishings in your living area, or you want a large rug for the main area, and you can let your side chairs satellite off with their own anchoring space that is harmonious with your main grouping.
Note the image on the left shows the front legs and chaise legs of the sofa are on the area rug, along with the coffee table. There is an ottoman also using this rug as an anchor.
How do I choose a material? Should I be afraid of vintage wool rugs? Is polyester more durable?
First consideration; who is going to be using this space? It's important to keep this in mind when purchasing area rugs. If you have littles, pets, or someone in your home has a job that can potentially bring dust and debris into your home, you'll want to consider things like how deep the pile (the fibers that make up the "walked on" part of the rug) is, and how easy it will be to vacuum. The deeper the pile, the more dirt, debris and allergens the rug will trap, and the more difficult it will be to vacuum. At this point, give consideration to things like the fibers the rug is made of. Polyester rugs can trap moisture and allergens as they are not natural fibers that breathe and allow air to flow through them easily. Natural fibers such as wool, cotton and jute are highly favored not only for their resilience, but for their resistance to moisture and allergens.
What about colours? Consider your colour palette that you're currently rocking. Your area rug should bring contrast, colour tones and, in my humble opinion, should be a work of art splashed across your floor. Whether that means it's a beautifully designed rug, a bright and cheerful Wayfair favorite, or a low pile, singularly coloured tidy piece, you want it to be nice, not just utilitarian.
Hallways and long spans between rooms are an excellent place to have fun with colourful rugs as they typically do not contain a lot of furniture to clash or draw attention away.
Considering layering rugs? Now you're talking! Layered rugs look amazing and they lend a lot of interest to the room you're working on. I am personally a huge fan of this practice as I love lush visuals and I love to mix and match. Pay attention to scale, and patterns. Your layered rug patterns should share some similarity such as colours, but they definitely should not share the same or similar patterns. The key to a good layering is to shake it up. Add a large sisal rug under a smaller vintage rug. Or, add a striped rug to anchor your room, and add a smaller cow hide rug under the coffee table to create a second anchor point in your seating area.
Can't wait to see what you come up with!
Interested in a vintage, hand made, all natural fiber rug (or pillow cushion throw?) I got you.
Check back soon for a shopping section.
Thanks for stopping by!
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