The Best Area Rug Tips to Adopt in 2024

Shoes play a significant role in completing our outfits, so do area rugs in our home. Area rugs can be dictators when it comes to how and what a room looks or feel. They add more to your space than just color, design, depth, and texture.

Visually, area rugs help create a focal point, define a space, and make everything look more appealing. Functionally, they help absorb noise, protect floors, and provide soft cushioning for our underfoot.

If you need a game-changer in a dull-looking room, adding an area rug works just fine. Catchy area rugs will help pull your space together while making excellent impressions on your friends and visitors. In this guide, you'll learn all you need to know about area rugs and creatively use them for your space.

Whether you already have a fully furnished space and you need an area rug to fit into your exiting room décor, or you're just starting out – there's an area rug for you.

Types of Area Rugs

We believe that the first step in getting it right is to know the types of area rugs available on the market.

The truth is, there are almost endless area rug options available, and choosing an ideal one may become overwhelming.

You should know that Area Rugs are classified based on several criteria, and they include:

Material Used – Area rugs can be classified as natural or synthetic based on the nature of the fabric material used in making them. Natural rugs are made from wool, sisal cotton, jute, silk, and other natural fibers, while synthetic rugs include those made from nylon, polypropylene, polyester, etc.

Production Method – Area rugs can be handmade or made with machines Handmade ones can be further classified into hand-tufted, handwoven, hand-knotted, and braided.

Weave – Area rugs can have a high pile or flat weave. Dhurries and Kilims are an example of flatweave rugs.

Textures – Shag rugs have a rough but soft texture. Woolen rugs have soft and smooth textures.

Size and Shapes – Rug sizes range from small doormats and accent rugs to large wall-to-wall carpets. We also have different shapes of rugs ranging from regular shapes (like rectangle, circle, oval, spherical, square, etc.) to irregular ones. Runner rugs for stairs

Class and Price – Traditional antique area rugs like Oriental and Persian rugs are considered luxury items because they are very expensive, while modern machine-made rugs are cheaper and less sophisticated.

Patterns – Geometric patterns, flowery patterns, and several other patterns can be used in creating beautiful rug patterns.

Style – Rugs come in various style designs, which makes them suitable for different décor settings. Rug styles include; traditional, contemporary, minimalist, maximalist, aesthetics, casual, official, and sophistication.

Colors - Rugs are also classified and divided along with the colors, from bright and bold colors to calmer and neutral ones.

What to Consider Before Buying Your Area Rug

Rea rugs are often preferred to wall-to-wall carpets because they are more user-friendly (i.e., they are easier to install, clean, maintain, and replace if you ever get tired of them). While it is not a myth that the available options in the field of area rugs are almost limitless, it is advisable that you also put the following things into consideration before settling for a particular area rug when you go shopping.

Size Matters

Size is a big determinant of how well an area rug will fit into your space, and it should never be trivialized. Therefore, you should keep the following things in mind before choosing an area rug for anywhere in your home.

Getting a rug size that's rather too small is one of the commonest mistakes people make when buying area rugs for their home. A right-sized area rug should fit comfortably under all the essential furniture pieces in a room. And if this isn't possible, at least the primary furniture's front legs should be on your area rug (the back legs can stay off it).

Nonetheless, ensure all the legs of smaller furniture are on your area rug whenever possible.

Leave an average size of 8" – 24" of bare floor between all edges of the area rug and the room walls. Ensure the rugs are placed at the center of the room, leaving an equal distance between the rug and the wall on all sides.

You can use different area rug sizes to divide up your conversation areas if your room is particularly large.

Quickly skim through our guide on Matching Room Sizes to Area Rugs to become a pro at this.

Think Colors & Patterns

Area rugs are very colorful and can be likened to artworks due to their aesthetic patterns. They offer a great way of infusing elements of playfulness and liveliness into a room, so don't be afraid to embrace bright colors and beautiful patterns.

Area rugs with bright colors and bold patterns can be exceptionally beautiful. However, make sure they are in tandem with the existing room décor, furniture, and other items in the room.

Go for area rugs with colors and patterns that express your personality, character, style, taste, and preference.

You can also get a customized pattern on your rug if you don't like the general ones or don't find them fanciful enough for your home.

Material Is the Difference

When it comes to area rugs, the material doesn't make the difference, it is the difference. Material is everything!

The area rug material plays a vital and decisive role in the price, durability, feel, ease of cleaning & maintenance, placement area, etc.

You need to look beyond the rug's fascinating appearance and give due consideration to the quality of the rug material.

Rugs can be made from natural or synthetic fabric materials or a mixture of both. Some of the natural fibers and synthetic materials used in rug making includes:

Wool – Wool is considered the best and the most popular natural rug material due to its soft and durable nature. It is widely loved by rug manufacturers, homeowners, and rug lovers. Woolen rugs provide warmth, comfort, and warm cushioning to the feet while also adorning your floor with majestic elegance. They are very durable, easy to clean, and stain-resistant. However, they often shed when exposed to moisture and can be very expensive for an average buyer.

Cotton – Cotton isn't as popular as wool, but they're a very good alternative for those who want a natural rug that's more affordable. Area rugs made from cotton are versatile, durable, easy to clean, soft, and appealing.

Silk – Silk rugs combine softness, durability, and sophistication. If you're a lover of luxury, then silk is your best bet. Silk rugs are also considered one of the most durable natural rugs, but they are not easy to clean and can be very expensive.

Sisal – Sisal rugs have a beautiful beachy look with a soft and durable feel. They are eco-friendly and can withstand pressure from high foot traffic. However, sisal rugs absorb liquid and tend to get stained when spills occur.

Polypropylene – Polypropylene area rugs are one of the best synthetic area rug materials around. They're not only beautiful, but they're also very practical, soft, and durable. Ease of cleaning & maintenance, affordability, elegance, and efficiency are selling points for polypropylene rugs. If you're don't mind a synthetic area rug, it shouldn't be far from the top of your list.

Polyester – Polyester is another popular synthetic area rug material due to the soft, thick cushioning they provide to the underfoot, alongside their attractive physical appearance. Polyester rugs are easy to clean and have strong color retention.

Others – Linen, Nylon, Fiberglass, etc. are some of the other synthetic fibers used in area rug production, while jute, seagrass, bamboo, etc., constitute the natural fibers used by rug manufacturers.

Tips for Decorating With Area Rug

• Use your area rug to define spaces or separate areas, such as conversation areas, foyers, or dining areas. This is especially useful in large rooms that need definition or studio apartments.
• Area rugs can be used to create variety or diversification in a room.
• You can use an area rug to create harmony in a room by complementing the already existing décor.
• If you need to make a statement or create a focal point in an area, then an area rug is just perfect.
• Rugs can be used to dress up or decorate a wall when they're used as art.
• You can play around with various rug shapes. You don't have to choose only conventional shapes.
• Size matters, so don't assume a rug size is too big or too small for space.

Bonus Tip – Always use a rug liner or rug pad to keep your rug from moving and sliding around.

Area Rug Cleaning & Maintenance

Buying a beautiful area rug is one thing; keeping it in top shape for a long time is another – maintenance is the bridge between them. We all know that if it lacks proper maintenance, no matter how good a thing is, it's destined for nowhere but the trash can. The following tip can help you keep your rug in top shape:

• Vacuum your area rug regularly with care.
• Spot clean the right way.
• Keep your rug away from direct sunlight.
• Rotate your area rug occasionally to prevent uneven wear or fading of the rug.
• Remember to use a rug pad.
• Read the rug manual to know if your rug is machine- washable or not.

Ready to bring your space to life? Shop Luxe Weavers’ quality and affordable area rugs at great discounts and free shipping today. Don’t miss out!