Rugs - A Powerful Tool In Your Interior Design Arsenal!

There are a number of considerations when selecting a rug to avoid common mistakes such as too small a size for the room, lack of pattern or colour and durability.   Too often people select a rug that is too small for their space or are frightened by taking a step into pattern.  We are here to help demystify the rug selection process and open up the possibilities of pattern, shape and texture.

Something to consider at the start of your rug journey is the placement of your rug.  Is it in a high traffic area?  Sitting in full sun?  Do you like seeing pile movement i.e. tracking?  Selecting the appropriate materials for your rug will assist with longevity as well as aesthetics.   Jute and man-made fibre rugs can be great for hard wearing areas, short pile rugs are good for lots of traffic and chairs scraping in and out from dining tables, long pile rugs are delicious where you can sink your toes in and rest.  If your rug will receive lots of sun-bathing opportunities then look for a rug that can cope with intense UV as delicate cottons and silks will fade quickly.

A neutral rug is a great place to start if you have a large area and need to have synergy across the greater space, need textural interest or want to layer your rugs.  There are a really large range of neutral rugs and many of these range in size from small to extra-large.  When you are considering a neutral rug think about the material and texture of the rug as well as the way the edges are finished.

Neutral rugs include materials like jute, wool, cotton, poly-blends, bamboo silk and so on.  If you are needing a really large rug there is the option of using carpet and binding the edges to create a rug.   There are lots of edging options and if you need to get a large rug made adding a leather binding for example, can help elevate and finish the piece.

Neutral rugs are great for layering and work well alongside geometric, patterned and organic shaped rugs, grounding the space and allowing the partner rug to be the hero.

If you need a feature rug or want to tie elements of a room together then think about a gorgeous round floral rug.  These rugs by Designers Guild are all about being the hero in the room.  If you have a room full of neutrals and want to define a space or create a 'wow' moment then using something patterned and vibrant on the floor can really bring life to your interior scheme.

Cowhides come in a variety of colourways and of course no two are going to be the same!!  Cowhides can be really useful on the floor to break up the symmetry of a room and work well layered with a neutral rug underneath to bring scale and size to the space they are filling.

Cowhides wear well and are easy to keep clean with a vacuum or a shake outside.

A well blended rug can be one of the keys to your finished interior.  When all the elements in your room balance there is harmony and synergy.  A patterned rug can be a key item that enables this magic to happen.  Alternatively a patterned rug can be the jumping off point for the design and style of the room and can set the tone for the space.

There are a huge variety of patterned rugs and a few keys to consider are the scale of the pattern, the combination of colours, and the intention of the rug - do you want to bring cosy warmth, inspiration, colour or a sense of calm?

Sheepskin rugs tend to sit within a neutral colour palette and are all about cosy comfort and visual warmth.  Deliciously soft underfoot these rugs are meant for curling your toes in.  Sheepskin rugs come in round and rectangle as well as multiple skins together giving an organic edge to larger rugs.

Vintage and vintage-inspired rugs suit multiple interior styles and can fit in every room in the home.  Vintage rugs are a great way to soften modern homes and are full of soul and character.  Often with muted tones vintage rugs are a great way to add interest without dominating the scheme and will always feel classic and timeless.

Geometric rugs can be very effective at providing interest in a room without dominating the scheme.  Geometric rugs can be really useful to tie through an open interior where you may be matching a couple of rugs over a larger connected space - think neutral with geometric, or geometric with organic.

Rugs are the foundation of your rooms and your furniture plan.  Too often small sized rugs are used in areas and rather than the furniture being grounded by the rug, the rug floats as an accent piece in the middle of the floor.  Here are some tips on rug and furniture placement:

If you have a large rug and are wanting all your conversational furniture on the rug then make sure you give yourself a good 30cm of gap between the furniture and the edge of the rug.  In addition, you need to give your rug room so it isn't overwhelmed and doesn't look like wall to wall carpet - allow 60-100cm between the edge of the rug and the wall.  If your rug is placed too close to the wall in this configuration you are in danger of crowding the space and everything will feel like it can't breathe.  (The exception to this is if your sofa is against the wall - just allow a few centimetres between the rug and wall so you are not using up valuable space in the room).

This layout is the Feather and Oak Interiors go-to.  The front legs of the furniture are placed on the rug and the back legs get to hang off the edge and take up space.  This layout helps to make your room feel spacious and all the furniture gets a chance to be an individual and shine.

Layering rugs can be a super-useful tool to add visual warmth and provide dimension and interest.  If you have a vintage rug or feature rug that is 'too small' for the area then layer a larger neutral rug underneath to provide connection to the furniture and then the vintage rug over the top.

Layering but going outside of the symmetrical.  Double time 2 is the layered option but with an organic shaped or secondary rug that sits outside of the edges of the bottom rug.  This can be useful if you need to add visual size to the rug placement or you want to encourage the flow of movement through the space to another area.  One key with this placement is to still ensure that the front furniture legs are placed on the secondary rug as well.

There is always an exception to every rule and Flying Solo is it!  Sometimes you can make a 'too small' rug work by only having your coffee table placed on it but you need to be clever.  If your rug only slightly misses the front legs of your furniture then there is no need to call the rug police - this look can be pulled off by creating a smaller gap between the rug and sofa and a slightly larger gap to the chairs (but don't go more than 30cm or your rug will look a bit sad and then you might get sad too!).

This rug placement is all about using an organic shaped rug to break up the symmetry and move away from the classic rectangle.  This type of placement can be really helpful for awkwardly shaped rooms, or the addition of an off-centre chair into the living zone.

The main points to take away from our rug placement guide are that you need to try and find a rug that is proportionate to your furniture sizes so that you can have the majority of your furnitures front legs on the rug.

The variety of rugs we can source now and the effect they have on your interior is amazing.  I believe rugs can transform a space and also can hold the key to tying a scheme together.  My last hot tip is if you are deliberating over size and scale get out a roll of masking tape and mark out on the floor the different rug options.  Place your furniture in different configurations and see how the space feels before committing to the rug purchase.

If you need more help with sizing and sourcing we would love to help!