Color, texture, warmth — rugs can provide it all
A warm, cozy rug can make a room look and feel more appealing on even the chilliest fall night. And the right rug can be a source of comfort year-round.
“They’re also great in the summer, if you think about it, because your shoes are off, you’re in your shorts, the house is air conditioned,” said designer Michelle Gerson, founder of Michelle Gerson Interiors, based in New York. “You love to put your toes” in a cozy rug.
How do you choose the perfect rug for your space?
The latest options include everything from century-old Moroccan rugs to trendy, open-weave “sweater rugs.”
Here, three interior designers — Gerson; Ashley Moore, based in Texas; and Lauren Buxbaum Gordon, design director of Nate Berkus Associates in Chicago — offer advice on choosing rugs and using them strategically to add color, texture and warmth to a room.
Neutral, bold or both?
Gordon and Moore advise clients to consider rugs as beautiful, neutral backdrops for the rest of a room.
“Instead of being bold on pattern and color,” Gordon said, she prefers to get creative with the look and texture of the material. She might choose a flat-weave jute rug in a neutral color, or “mohair, woven-knit rugs that look like sweaters,” depending on the client.
Moore’s approach is similar: “I tend to have it as a neutral palette because it tends to be one of the most expensive pieces in the house,” she said.
If a client is seeking pops of bold color or pattern, she brings that in through items such as pillows and accessories that can easily be changed.
“It’s easier to change a pillow,” Moore said, “than it is to change a 12-by-14 rug.”
If you are craving a bit of color in the rug, flatwoven kilims that are mainly neutral but have some color can be a good compromise, especially if they are vintage and the hues have softly faded.
Layering
Layering rugs can give you both looks in one: a larger, neutral base with something striking, such as a thin Moroccan rug with a colorful, intricate pattern, laid on top.
Moroccan rugs “look good anywhere,” Gerson said. “You can put one in a fancy Parisian apartment and it makes it look cool. Or you can put it in your kid’s dorm room and it makes it look cool.”
Moore uses one as a runner on her kitchen floor to add a burst of color. She also said that they can be great if you have bought a home with wall-to-wall carpeting that you don’t love but aren’t ready to pull up.
“My carpet in the bedroom is actually really dark, so I have a bright rug on it now,” she said. Beyond adding color, the smaller rug helps “define the space,” she said.
If you are layering, make sure the rugs are the right size, Gerson said. “Type into Pinterest ‘layered rugs,’” she said, and search for pictures you love. Note the sizes of the rugs and their placement, so you can create the right balance.
Softness and durability
Many people are particular about what their feet touch first thing in the morning, Gordon said. So a thick rug of mohair or soft, fluffy wool can be a great choice.
But in houses with young children or pets, an openweave rug might soon look worn.
Many wool or mohair rugs also shed, especially lessexpensive ones. That may be a worthwhile tradeoff: If you are buying a rug for a child’s room and know you will be redecorating in just a few years, Gordon said, you might be “fine with knowing that it may shed.”
Though “no one wants to pay the price tag for a fivefigure custom rug,” she said, sometimes that is the wiser long-term investment.
Not sure about the durability of a rug you find online? Read the comments, Moore said, to see what other shoppers have experienced.
And consider going vintage: If a rug has survived a long time and still looks good, Moore said, it probably will weather the wear you will give it, too.
Natural fibers such as wool and silk are surprisingly easy to clean, but make sure you clean them the right way, the designers said. Fight the urge to wipe a stain (which can rub it in further), and instead grab your vacuum cleaner hose to lift up the stain, Gerson said.
And protect rugs before stains happen: The designers suggest having rugs (and upholstery, too) professionally sealed. Many companies offer the service because, Gerson noted, “everybody spills.”