How to Choose the Right Small Rugs for Your House

Rugs have been a mainstay in homes for years. With the rise in popularity of wood flooring, rugs offer a neat and versatile contrast to the texture and color and provide a feeling of warmth and comfort. They are often used to hold together other room fixtures to give a sense of coherence and wholeness.

Despite their simplicity, deciding which type of rug is best for your particular living situation can be challenging. Everything from size and positioning to color and texture needs to be carefully considered if you want your new rug to bring out the best of your space.

That is why we have put together this list of handy tips and pointers for you to consider when choosing your rug.

Rugs vs carpets

While a carpet offers a sense of uniformity and coziness to a room, once it is in place, little else can be done with it. This can be a big benefit for those who are not interested in chopping and changing and who prefer things to be as simple and hassle-free as possible.

Rugs, on the other hand, provide scope for change and can be used for various purposes. Small area rugs are straightforward to move and can easily assimilate into new furniture arrangements. They are also much easier to dispose of once they lose their quality.

There is also a vast range of colors, textures, and materials to choose from, and unlike a carpet, they can be used in combination with wood flooring to give even more choice.

Purpose

A rug's purpose and location within the house can often have a large bearing on which is the best rug to select. For example, certain rooms can be considered high-traffic areas, meaning that whatever is on the floor, be it carpet or rug, will have to endure much more than a room with much less footfall, such as a bedroom or study.

As a result, a rug made from materials such as sisal or polyester may be best suited for bathrooms, as both are highly durable as well as being washable. Rugs that take pride and place in your living room, which will often see a lot of activity, will suit a material such as wool or other natural fibers. Our Kyoto grey rug is soft, durable, and has a range of linear patterns to choose from.

And for a room such as a bedroom, a rug made from silk, such as our Esine rug, might be just what you are looking for.

Size

As with most fixtures and furniture within a room, it is essential that you have a firm grasp on the dimensions you can work with. However, the size of your rug also impacts the room's visual appeal once it is in place.

One thing you should look to avoid is what's known as the 'floating rug.' This is where small rugs become disconnected from the rest of the features in a room. An area rug should be used to create a sense of cohesion within a room, with each significant piece of furniture connected physically to the rug.

There is no hard and fast rule when it comes to which size is most appropriate. If you want to install a statement area rug that will see most of your floor covered, we recommend ensuring an even gap between the edge of your rug and the wall. If you are looking for something smaller, experiment with newspaper first to get an idea of your preferred size and positioning.

Shape

When most people think of rugs, they automatically think of a square or rectangle. These are often the best choice for bringing symmetry and organization to a room. However, there is much to be said about what other shapes can do to a room as well.

Circular rugs, such as our Amawago rug, are well-suited to complement circular dining tables and are often effective when placed beneath a coffee table if you have a circular seating or sofa area. A bay window or archway may benefit from a semi-circular rug at its base. If you have a particularly eclectic taste, then you might want to throw all sense out of the window and go for a rug with no discernible, recognizable boundaries.

High pile vs Low pile

A rug's pile is related to the amount of visible material on a rug's surface. A high-pile rug, for example, has multiple long fibers protruding from its surface. This usually makes high-pile rugs much softer and more luxurious, though they can be tougher to maintain. Low-pile rugs are usually more practical and easier to clean but aren't often as visually appealing.

The type of pile you choose is closely related to the rug's purpose and where you will place it. High-pile rugs will be best suited to cozier rooms, such as the bedroom or living room, whereas low-pile rugs should be considered for high-use rooms where damage or staining is likely, such as the bathroom or kitchen.

Patterns and colors

As with all features in a room, a rug should complement the aesthetics that are already present within a room. Conversely, if your rug pad is intended to act as the central pillar of a room around which everything else is organized, the designs and colors you choose should account for a wide scope of furniture types and textures.

As a general tip, rooms that already have vibrant colors might benefit from rugs that are more neutral in color to add some balance to a room.

Similarly, balance is important when it comes to rug patterns. If your furniture already has solid colors and textures, rugs with slightly more exciting pattern work may act as an effective contrast, such as our Asta runner rugs.

Always keep in mind that the larger the rug, the more dominance it will have within a room.

Final thoughts

A rug is simple in concept but is often tricky to get the most out of. A rug that is too large will often dwarf the room's other features and fixtures, whereas one that is too small may look out of place, particularly if it is left to float.

However, once you have allowed time to experiment and have settled on a size and shape that you think will work, they often become a key feature of most contemporary homes.

At Viesso, we offer a wide scope of rugs across a range of shapes and textures. Most of our designs come in numerous sizes, allowing for a huge amount of customization. As with all our other pieces, our rugs are manufactured using eco-friendly practices and designed using only sustainable materials in line with our key principles.

If you are thinking of purchasing a rug or two for your home and would like some guidance, or if you have any other queries, then do not hesitate to get in touch. You could also check out our recent blog post on the characteristics of modern furniture design.