Choosing the ideal carpets for your living room can be a challenging task, and many people are unsure of what to look for. The size, color, style, and weave of a rug are all important factors to consider. Even if you are aware of this, you may not be aware of what you are looking for to complement your interior.
To assist you, we’ve put together a comprehensive guide to selecting the best rugs for living rooms. Take a look at our top suggestions to ensure that the new addition to your décor is a perfect fit for you and your home.
How to Pick a Rug for Your Living Room
What are the best fibers for a living room rug?
First and foremost, there’s the more technical aspect of the rug to consider — fibers. When it comes to choosing the best carpets for living rooms, fibers are a crucial component to consider.
It’s important to consider how the rug will be used and who will be using it. Is it, for example, a high-traffic area? Do you have pets or children? Will there be furniture on it or will you be sitting on it?
Fibers made of synthetic materials
Polypropylene: Although this is a man-made fiber, it is the most stain- and wear-resistant. It’s really durable, and it can even be washed with a bleach solution (but verify with your shop first!). However, because it is combustible and does not self-extinguish, it is not recommended for use with an open fireplace. It also has a hard time holding its shape when furniture has been placed on top of it, and dragging furniture across it can cause permanent damage.
Polyester is a fading-resistant fabric that is also very easy and quick to dry. Because of its poor absorbency, polyester is resistant to water-based stains, while oil-based stains are extremely difficult to remove. It’s man-made and frequently mixed with another fiber, but it looks and feels the most like wool.
Fibers from nature
Wool carpets are both sturdy and warm, making them ideal for use as a rug to help insulate a space during the winter. Wool is often easy to clean and, if you’re searching for a rug to put in front of a fire, it’s also flame resistant. Wool, on the other hand, does not hold up well to acid spills such as juice or wine without becoming damaged. It’s also a pricey material that sheds easily, aggravating allergies.
Wool-Mix: Combining wool with a man-made fiber can assist minimize shedding and retain the rug’s shape when wool tends to warp. It’s a long-lasting material that’s ideal for carpets in living rooms that get a lot of traffic. A cheaper alternative to a wool rug is to combine wool with other fibers such as nylon, polyester, or polypropylene. However, because wool is inherently incredibly long-lasting, and man-made fibres aren’t, they tend to shorten the lifespan significantly.
Jute rugs: Natural fiber rugs, such as Jute rugs, can be a nice complement to a rustic-style environment. It’s reasonably inexpensive and comes in a variety of neutral colors, making it suitable for a wide range of interior styles. Jute is the least durable of the natural fiber carpets, but it is also the softest.
Sisal is a type of natural fiber. When it comes to high-traffic regions with a lot of footfall, sisal is quite durable. It does, however, stain easily, even from water, and is tough to clean.
What exactly are you attempting to accomplish with the rug?
Consider the practicality when looking for the best rugs for living rooms. First and foremost, you must determine the purpose of your living room rug. Is it being used to unify the space, or are you attempting to anchor certain furniture, or are you simply adding carpeting to the room’s center? Will it be under any furniture or a comfortable spot to sit? You should definitely think about the rug’s pile. A lovely shaggy rug is excellent for snuggling up on, but it may not be the best choice for beneath furniture.
When it comes to rugs for living rooms, they must be balanced. This means that the rug should be in the center of the room, with an equal quantity of non-carpeted and carpeted floor space. You should also balance your furniture, ensuring that it is centered and in line with the rest of the room’s furniture as well as the carpeting.
Rugs with Rectangular Shapes
If you’re doing it to unify a room, all furniture should be placed on top of the rug, as shown in the diagram. Around the perimeter of the space, leave at least two feet to six inches of bare floor. This is to prevent it from seeming excessively large. This strategy can make your living area appear much larger, making it ideal for tiny homes.
If you’re using a rug to anchor a space, make sure it’s large enough for all of the sofas and armchairs’ front two legs to rest on it. This prevents the rug from ‘floating’ about the room. This will make it appear more integrated with the overall design and less out of place. If you’re going to use this strategy, make sure the rug is longer than your sofa. If it isn’t, the sofa will overpower the carpeting, creating an odd effect.
Rugs that are circular in shape
This layout makes good use of the living room rug to unify the space and separate the living room from the kitchen in this open plan space.
If you want a circular rug, place the furniture on the outside of it. To keep the rug in the middle of the room, tuck a section of it beneath the middle piece of furniture. Place a coffee table on top to help tie everything together. If you’re going to use an animal pelt, make it a focal point by not putting furniture on top of it.
Always take measurements of the area where your rug will be placed before you begin. So you can get a sense of what proportions and sizes are appropriate for your living area. When a living room rug is too tiny for the space or furniture has to be rearranged to fit it in, it might look out of place and foolish.
If you use a rug that is too small to support your furniture, your living room will appear much smaller. This strategy is often discouraged by interior design regulations because it does not benefit your interior. If you want to try this look, use rugs that are the focal point of the room – but be cautious with this strategy.
What’s it like in your house?
When purchasing a rug, you should think about the realities of the item you wish to purchase. To last, the best rugs for living rooms must be able to blend into your lifestyle and household. They will not work if they are not realistic.
Accidents and spills are unavoidable in a family with children and pets! Consider the colors and materials that will work best to limit the likelihood of visible stains.
a frantic household
To begin, wear is a rule that can be applied to most living room rugs. Your rug is likely to be subjected to a high amount of footfall regardless of who lives in your home. You should think about which materials would be appropriate for your living room rug.
The best rugs for decreasing the appearance of wear are flat-weave and low-pile living room rugs. When vacuuming or eliminating a specific area stain, they’re also a lot easier to clean. They also have less depth and room to hide dirt, viruses, and food because they are flat-weave or low-pile rugs. As a result, if you have young children, they are the greatest rugs for living rooms.
If you have hard flooring and want a thicker piled rug to offer some more padding, but aren’t sure whether to go with low-pile or flat-weave. Purchase a decent rug pad to place below it. It will provide a plush layer, making it softer and more comfortable to sit on.
Rugs That Are Safe For Children And Pets
If you’re still concerned about stains, choose a rug with a deeper design that won’t reveal little stains as quickly. These are truly the best rugs for high-activity living spaces. It will save you a lot of time and effort in the long run. For additional information on how to clean a rug, see our infographic.
If you have senior individuals in your home, keep in mind that rugs can be a tripping hazard. To keep it in place, keep the edges away from entrances and invest in anti-slip rug grips.
What’s the feel of the place?
When shopping for a living room rug, consider how you intend to use the space. What’s the state of the room?
If you plan to sit on the floor, a thicker rug is recommended. For added comfort, choose a rug with a thicker pile or a thick rug pad with greater padding against the floor.
If you’re merely using the rug to warm up the room’s décor, however. The thickness will no longer be a criterion to consider. If you’re buying a rug as a statement piece of ‘art,’ you’ll want to think about a few things.
This gorgeous rug from our Ted Baker collection can be seen here.
Small living room carpets with striking patterns, such as flowers or bright colors, can visually expand a space. As a result, in a smaller room, this could serve to create the sense of a larger space. If you choose a stronger rug, make sure you don’t put a coffee table or other furniture on top of it. Because you want to be able to view it, burying it behind furniture prevents it from being the focal point it should be.
Lighter, neutral-colored rugs are perfect for opening up a room and creating the illusion of space. The best living room rugs are basic carpets that unify and expand a space. Choose busier carpets with more designs in darker colors if you want to create the sensation of a quaint and intimate environment.
What is your personal style?
After you’ve taken care of the practicalities, it’s time to consider the style.
If you’re completely redoing a room, many interior designers recommend starting with the best rugs for living rooms. Everything else seems to fall into place around it. If you can build around the rug, you can decorate your space with the same colors as the rug. This style looks great and helps to tie your room’s decor together.
If you’re not redesigning, there are a few things to think about before deciding on a rug type and pattern. Try a patterned and vivid rug whether you have plain and solid-colored furniture. If you already have a lot of prints and patterns, a simple rug would be a better choice. You could mix patterns, but this is risky, and if you’re not careful, your space will appear cluttered and sloppy.
To assist compliment a patterned rug and make it fit into the décor, match accent colors in the rug to curtains or cushions. Like the decor surrounding this Harlequin Zeal Rug in Pewter. The greatest rugs for living rooms will complement your existing decor. This will also help to balance out the room’s other elements. You may even pair it with a solid-colored carpeting, but don’t go overboard because too much of a single color might make the space appear flat. However, you could always try experimenting with texture to give the plain colors more depth.
FAQ’s
Which rug size should I get for my living room?
The size of the rug you choose for your living room is determined by the style you want to achieve. Each size may give a room a completely different look. You could, for example, place a modest rug in the center of the room with a clean floor border dividing it from the rest of the furniture. As a center piece, a smaller rug with a cold print works well.
Alternatively, a larger rug might be used to create a welcoming environment. The largest living room rugs can span from wall to wall, effectively replacing a carpet. However, because they are less permanent than fitted carpet, you have greater range of choice.
What is the best way to match my rug to my couch?
This is the best place to find a cheap rug for sale. You may match a rug to your couch in a variety of ways, including color, pattern, and texture.
Tone matching is a fantastic method to bring your design together. Choose a rug in the same color family as your couch, but in a lighter or deeper shade. This avoids the feeling of a single note. Alternatively, to bring the couch and rug together, use accent pillows and throws in a color that matches the rug’s color palette.
Which rug material is ideal for high-traffic areas of the house?
A rug that will be used in a high-traffic location of the house must be durable. Wool and jute carpets, for example, are excellent natural fiber selections because they are both extremely sturdy and long-lasting. Natural carpets, on the other hand, can be difficult to clean, so Polypropylene is an excellent synthetic option. It has been improved over the course of the year to match the qualities of natural fibers such as Wool and Jute.
Thoughts?
The right rug can completely change a living area. A living room rug can provide a lot of benefits, whether it’s adding some extra color and warmth to your space or accenting certain aspects in it.
It’s considerably easier than you think once you get your head around the tiny issues like rug maintenance and material. Choosing the best rugs for living rooms can be difficult, but we hope our guide has gotten you one step closer to finding your ideal rug!
