If you’ve ever wandered through a Middle Eastern bazaar, you know how merchants sell Persian rugs as “magic carpets.” And the wry little smile as they explain… That is, these rugs fly via international shipping to arrive on your doorstep. But lo and behold, the blessing of a perfect rug can be just as magical in its reframing of a dining room or stoic endurance through high foot traffic.
Stylist for thehome.com.au, Emma Blomfield, hails rugs as “your opportunity to make a statement and inject some colour – think of them as art for your floors!”
Can getting up on the wrong side of the bed be instantaneously remedied by a soft shag underfoot? Can domestic territories be mapped by a simple shape?
Hush, let the perfect rug answer. Here are some key points to consider when choosing your floor art:
- Circumference matters. A dining room rug should comfortably accommodate all dining chairs once pulled out – calculate a 50-60cm push-back space in proportion to the table. Don’t let those furniture legs cross borders!
- Undersized rugs will distort the space. For the living room, use the sofa as a guide, and measure the rug to rest 20-30cm on either side of the sofa.
- Round rugs act as fillers. In passageways that draw high traffic flow, a round rug will generate interest in the space. In other rooms, they can become the kids’ designated play area.
- Position three-quarters of your bed on the rug, so that it gracefully protrudes from underneath to greet your feet in the morning.
- Location, location, location. A hardwearing sisal or hemp rug will adapt to exposure, but cream rugs have a delicate constitution unfit for the rough-and-tumble life.
- “Choose accents that tie back into the colours in your rug. For example, if you have mauves, blues and mustard yellows in your rug, then choose decorative pieces in these colours also,” Emma advises.
