Let’s talk area rugs for a minute. They won’t take you anywhere you want to go, but they do another kind of magic.  They take a bunch of individual items and make them one.  When done correctly, you get the feeling that everything in the room is a family.  Area rugs are like marriage.  Never mind, that’s weird.

Anyhoo. Having wall to wall carpet doesn’t replace the need for an area rug.  An area rug’s purpose is to define and unify a space. Comfort or warmth is a fabulous bonus, but not the main role.  It is more than ok to layer rugs.

The biggest area rug mistake is getting one that’s too small.  I know it’s tempting, because these suckers can get expensive.   I have some tips for getting an affordable area rug, but for now let’s forget about money and talk function.

With all other things equal, rooms without a proper rug feel more cluttered than rooms with a rug. Here’s why: When you don’t have a rug your eye views every piece of furniture as a separate unit.  With a rug, your mind views everything on the rug as one.  You sense less stuff so the room feels cleaner.

Choosing the Correct Size

Living Room: You need a rug big enough that all of your furniture can have at least the front feet on the rug.  If you have enough space and budget, get one big enough that all the legs of the furniture can fit on the rug.

The next 3 pictures show everything the same, furniture size, location and placement.  The only difference is the rug.

No Rug.  See how separate and disjunctive the room feels?

Even with wall to wall carpet, there’s no cohesiveness to the space.

This rug is too small. It feels cozier, but still not connected.

This is the proper size rug for the space.  In fact, I could pull this arrangement even closer for a cozier feel and put all the feet of the furniture on the rug.

And just for giggles, a properly sized rug layered over wall to wall carpet.

Dining Room:  Purchase a rug at least 6 feet longer and wider than your dining room table. So there will be 3 feet all the way around when your table is centered. That gives enough space for the chairs to stay on the rug even if someone is sitting in them. If you have a square or round table, you can still use a rectangle rug.  Square or round rugs are good too.

The big question on dining room rugs is whether you want to deal with a rug and food spills.  I’ve found for most foods for our seagrass rug to be easier to vacuum up than the wood floor was to sweep and mop.  I love our rug under the table, and it protects the wood floors from chair scratches. (We are having a hard time getting the felt pads to stay on.) Remember I have 6 kids from toddler to teenager, so spills happen. Tomato sauce has come right up out of the rug with a stuff brush and some laundry stain remover.  I’m having more of a challenge with some red spots that appear to be melted popsicle….

Dining room, no rug.  It’s ok, but missing some cohesiveness and warmth.  

Dining room, too small rug.  I like the warmth of the color of the rug, but it would be better not to have a rug, than to have one that’s too small.

Dining room, perfectly sized rug.  There’s enough space to pull out the chairs and stay on the rug. It has a balanced feeling, a good union, and warmth.

Bedroom: Get a rug big enough to extend beyond the bed 3 feet at the foot and both sides.  Mine isn’t pushed all the way to the wall, but is far enough towards it that when I get out of bed my feet are on the rug.

Bedroom No Rug

Bedroom Too Small Rug

Bedroom Properly Sized Rug

Bedroom Properly Sized Rug with Layered Sheepskin

Choosing the Right Rug Material

Wool:  Pros: Wears well; super plush and thick. Cons: Food Dye is a permanent wool dye–Koolaid, Gatorade or similar will RUIN the rug; they shed like a pet; scrubbing a wool rug will felt it and permanently alter the texture–no carpet cleaners, please.

Leather: I don’t have any experience with leather rugs.  I imagine they would be soft underfoot, would wear slick eventually, and have staining issues.  They look really cool and can be pricey.

Sheepskin: I have faux Ikea sheepskin rugs.  They vacuum pretty easily and fluff up with a pet brush.  I’ve heard of people cleaning them with a run through the dryer, but this made my rug look matted. Vaccuming works best for me.  I’ve also heard of people putting both their real and faux rugs through the washer and dryer.  I’d be scared!

Cotton: Pros: Soft, bright colors.  Cons: usually a thinner rug, wears out more quickly than wool, can fade easily

Hemp, Seagrass, Jute, or Sisal: Pros: they look great in any space; they are timeless and classic; they wear well and eat dirt.  My choice to go under our kitchen table. Cons:  These aren’t usually soft underfoot (but some are softer than other’s.  Check individual product reviews.) They can shed but usually drop it directly under the rug.  I’ve heard of some problem scratching wood floors, but haven’t had it happen here.  A rug pad can help protect your floor.  I layered my scratchy seagrass rug with faux lambswool runners strategically placed where our bare feet rest most often.

Outdoor Rugs:  Pros: wear really well; can be scrubbed or hosed off; treated to resist sun fading.

Where to buy your Rug

I have purchased 7 rugs from RugsUsa.com.  They always have a sale going on and rotate which rugs are part of the sale.  Patience is a virtue.  Figure out what you want, then wait for the sale.  Overstock.com also has rugs, they will cost a bit more, but are still less expensive than most places.  Target occasionally has a really good deal, just not the selection.  Their returns are easy since you can just take it back to the store.  Ikea has a few rugs at good prices. Most of their rugs are too small for my purposes, but we purchased our dining room rug from there and love it.  I also have 6 faux sheepskin rugs and plan to get more for winter.

Criagslist is a decent place to look for rugs too.  We got lucky and grabbed our 9×13 seagrass bedroom rug from there for $100.  It was brand new.  The seller didn’t like how rough it was and didn’t want to mess with returning it.  Score!

Phew! Maybe I should have broken that up into a couple of posts.  What are your rug questions?