How to Choose a Rug for Your Living Room

Choosing a rug for any home space can be a challenge, especially if you are redesigning or just moving into your home. For this reason, we wrote a basic guide outlining the core elements of selecting the best rug for your space.

Identify the Rug’s Function

It may sound silly to those who aren’t typically design-focused, but rugs can have many purposes, both functional and aesthetic. Dark-colored rugs can ground a room, while light ones can offer a beautiful contrast when placed over darker hardwood floors. Rugs can serve as a soft place for kids to play, or they can make your living room appear larger or smaller. Knowing what you want your rug to do will help quickly narrow down your options.

Choose a Color Palette 

Rugs look best when they are coordinated with the rest of the room. If you already have specific colors represented in your living room, see if you can get small samples of them. For example, a color swatch of your couch or a paint sample of your exact wall color can be brought to the store with you while you shop for a rug.  

Measure the Space

You may be able to ‘eyeball it’ and estimate the rug size you need, but you’re better safe than sorry. Measure the exact area where the rug will be placed and write down the dimensions. This way, you won’t waste time considering a nice rug that’s the wrong size. If your couch is against a wall, your rug should be large enough to go under the front legs. If your living room is large and contains lots of extra space, all of your primary furniture should fit on the rug (e.g. coffee table, sofa, chairs, end tables). 

Choose a Style

Once you have the colors and size mapped out, it’s time to choose a style. This step is all about what suits your taste, but it’s also important not to mix too many contrasting styles in one room. You might go with a simple modern look, choose stripes or geometric patterns, or find an oriental rug that fits your space. 

You’ll also need to choose between natural and synthetic fibers, which each have pros and cons. But overall, natural fibers like wool and cotton last longer and won’t hold odors and stains as synthetic fibers do.

Find the Perfect Designer Rug

If you have children or pets, you may wonder if investing in a quality rug is even worth doing. But chain store rugs with cheaper materials can fall apart easier and make your home look generic. In addition, cleaning technology now allows you to remove stains and odors from older rugs without a trace, so there’s no reason not to invest in quality. 

Whether you need a high-quality living room rug or you’re seeking Philadelphia rug repair and cleaning, look no further than Zakian Rugs. Our family business has generations of experience in repairing and restoring fine rugs to like-new conditions. Call today and we’ll answer any questions you have about our designer rugs brands.