Montreal Gazette

The right rug adds comfort, warmth and style to your home

- KARL LOHNES Trying to budget a room-decor project? Plan to spend at least half as much on a rug as you would on a sofa. Synthetic rugs cost about $5 per square foot and expect a three-to-five-year lifespan. Natural fibres will be about $10 per square foot

An area rug can be like artwork underfoot, but many people buy rugs that are too small or choose odd colours and patterns. The right rug adds comfort, warmth, colour and style, while defining a sitting area, grounding a dining room table or, with carpet runners, guiding you through the house. Here’s how to get the right size and style for your space.

MEASURE FOR THE ROOM

Living room: Do you want all legs of your furniture to sit on the rug or just the front legs? I prefer just the front legs if there are beautiful floors underneath, but if the flooring is undesirabl­e, go for larger rugs or even fill the floor surface leaving a border of floor that’s only about 12 to 16 inches from the walls.

Dining: The area-rug size takes its cue from the size of the dining table, not the room. Choose a rug that’s three to four feet longer and wider than the table. The table dictates the rug ’s shape, too: round tables get square or round rugs, and oval or rectangula­r tables get longer-shaped rugs. Hallway: To avoid the endless runway feeling of hallways, shorten their appearance by breaking the space visually with a runner that fills two-thirds of hallway’s length. In extra long halls, using two to three smaller runners also does the trick. Bedroom: Most people buy a large rug and sit the bed on it, which makes it hard to rotate the rug for even wear and cleaning. It’s better to arrange bedroom furnishing­s and then purchase rugs to fill the exposed floor space.

Designer tip: If investing in an expensive rug that you hope will last a lifetime, opt for an eight-by 10-foot rug, which tends to fit in most rooms and will move easily from home to home with you.

CHOOSING A STYLE

My preference is to choose your rug first in a decor scheme: Fall in love with a colour, pattern and style, and use it as inspiratio­n for all other decorating decisions, like throw pillows, ottomans and artwork.

Colour: Trendy rugs are great short-term investment­s for spaces like children’s rooms, family rooms and apartment living, while a neutral coloured rug will last longer than decor colour trends and adds an easy backdrop for coloured furnishing­s (similar to the neutrality of wood floors). When choosing a neutral, take inspiratio­n from the colours and tones of the floor it will be placed on so that everything blends seamlessly.

Pattern: Furniture is usually arranged facing the middle of a living or family room, so the centre of the rug ’s design is the most important element to consider. In a dining room, the centre of rug is hidden by the table, so the edges are where the eye will go. In a hallway, shy away from designs that emphasize the hall’s length and choose patterns that draw the eye across to visually widen and shorten the long, narrow space.

SYNTHETIC VERSUS NATURAL FIBRES

Silk and wool are comforting underfoot and an investment meant to last a lifetime, but keep in mind they’re expensive to clean and can stain. Natural fibres like jute or sisal are inexpensiv­e, rougher underfoot, but a great choice for layering under finer rugs and creating a casual look.

Synthetic fibres offer durability and come in great patterns, but the fibres often look cheap and can break down and fray quickly.

WHAT ABOUT THE COST?

 ??  ?? The Carrington Wool eight-by-10-foot rug creates a neutral foundation with subtle texture, UrbanBarn.com, $900.
The Carrington Wool eight-by-10-foot rug creates a neutral foundation with subtle texture, UrbanBarn.com, $900.
 ??  ?? The eight-and-a-half-by-10-foot hand-knotted wool Shalimar gives an exotic tile look — consider it fine art for the floors! $3,355, eCarpetGal­lery.com.
The eight-and-a-half-by-10-foot hand-knotted wool Shalimar gives an exotic tile look — consider it fine art for the floors! $3,355, eCarpetGal­lery.com.
 ??  ?? This Canvas five-by-seven-foot Impression­s Bloom rug lends a painterly look and is suitable inside or out. $100, CanadianTi­re.ca.
This Canvas five-by-seven-foot Impression­s Bloom rug lends a painterly look and is suitable inside or out. $100, CanadianTi­re.ca.
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