Interior Design Tips
**This post contains affiliate links that pay a small commission if a purchase is made. It has no impact on you! Also, as an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. But don't worry, all of these were used in my actual projects so I'm definitely on board with the awesomeness of these rugs!**
In my opinion, I think the finishing touch on a space is the rug. In most cases, a room feels incomplete without the rug (and yes, I think this most of the time, even if there is carpet on the floor). The rug gives an opportunity to add a little bit of warmth, texture, and dimension to the space, whether it be through the pattern on the rug or the materials it is made out of.
Here are a couple of my recent projects, both for clients and my own home and the rugs used in each space and why!
MCDW Home Office - RugsUSA Chunky Jute Tassled Rug
In this space, I wanted something that brought in texture without overwhelming the space with pattern. The space already has a lot going on with the black slat walls and natural wood chevron corner (see the full pictures here). I opted for a chunky Jute rug and absolutely love this one with tasseled ends! The natural feel of jute seems to help the space feel more welcoming, natural, and relaxed! Rugs USA is one of my favorite spots for jute rugs, and this off-white bleached version definitely did not disappoint!
Hythe Street Dining Room - Target Safavieh Navy Boggios Rug
Being a dining room, I wanted to go darker under the table, but not pull your eyes away from the stunning wainscoting in this space (see the full project here). This super affordable Target find gives a little depth with the subtle striping but stays consistent enough to keep focused on the parts of this room that truly wow! And this rug has held up thus far with 2 large dogs and a cat plus entertaining! Target is one of my favorite places for rugs. There are SO MANY stylish yet affordable options!
Lakecrest Street Home Office - Rug Collected Kendra Distressed
I love love love the distressed look of this rug. It works so well with the old cigar lounge feel of this home office space (see the full project here)! I wanted something to pair nicely with the more masculine feel of the space, but soften it simultaneously. And the very best part of all Rug Collective rugs… THEY ARE WASHABLE! And to be honest, spills just wipe off these rugs so they don’t even need to be washed for most spills! This definitely fit the bill for this client and his family + pets!
Hallway Glow Up - Crate and Barrel Agra Jute Runner
When I did my hallway glow up, I desperately needed some warmth in this little space with dark blue wall + ceiling and gray LVT for floors (see the full glow up here). This jute runner was just the ticket. What I love about it is the braided mix of natural and bleached jute to give it some color and dimension. While this rug is usually a little bit on the pricier side, I snagged it on super sale for $66! Crate and Barrel definitely has some higher quality rugs that are gorgeous, especially if you can find a good deal!
Living Room Renovation - Amazon Safavieh Paris Shag Rug
I never thought my fiancé and I both would love a shag rug like this but I’m such a fan. It adds a lot of texture without adding a ton of pattern or color to the space. This Amazon find is super affordable and high quality. And the shag helps hide the dog fur between vacuuming - high importance to me since we have 3 very furry dogs.
Now, lets talk about a few tips for choosing rugs:
Wear and Tear
How is the space being used? Do you think it will get a lot of wear and tear or spills?
This may determine the color (or at least light vs. dark) of the rug or clean-ability. Think a lot will get spilled on it? Maybe a washable one is right for you! Trying to hide your white dog's fur? Maybe a light colored rug is right for you!
Rug pad
Just get a rug pad. Period.
A rug pad does a few things:
It protects your floors. Not all rugs are created equal, especially the back side of them. The pad can prevent damage to your floors.
Adds some padding underneath. Again, not all rugs are the same, some are very thin like your washables and some are extremely thick like your shags. You wouldn't install carpet without the padding, right? No. That's the most important part!
It can help keep your rug in place. Some have rubber on the bottom to act as "feet" to keep your rug from sliding. This is really important on runners and for people like me that have dogs (or kids) running around the house!
Here are my favorite rug pads - don't cheap it out on the pad. The felt rug pads are the way to go and wont hurt your floors. I typically go for 1/4" thick but it depends on the thickness of my rug. The standard felt rug pad and the rubber backed felt rug pad can easily be cut down with scissors to be just slightly smaller than your rug.
Choosing the Right Size
Most people have too small rugs. If it is too small, it defeats the purpose of it pulling the space together. It feels like pieces of furniture are floating in the room.
A general rule of thumb is that your main furniture - such as your sofa + chairs in your living room - should at the very least have the front feet on the rug. If the feet do not touch the front of the rug, it is too small and you should size up. If your seating furniture does not rest up against a wall, you should have all 4 feet of it on the rug with maybe a couple inches to spare.
If you are on the fence, you should likely go with the bigger size. I really like to draw out a diagram on paper of the room to scale with my furniture so I can test what a rug size would look like from a birds-eye view.
So now you are ready to pick a great rug and hopefully you like some of my recommendations above that have worked well for me in the past! Let me know what you think!
Happy designing + DIYing!
Katie