One of the biggest struggles our interior design clients face is selecting the right floor rug for their home. From colour to size, style to shape… it seems there are a tonne of considerations to be made.
In today’s post, not only am I uncovering some of the big floor rug mistakes I see clients and blog readers make in their homes (so you don’t make them too), but you’ll also have the chance to win a $750 Miss Amara rug voucher at the end of the post.
Once you’ve read what not to do below, you can hit the giveaway at the bottom of this post and enter to win a rug for your space that you know will look just right. So scroll on as I guide you on some of the common rug blunders you need to avoid.
1. The Rug Isn’t Big Enough for the Space
A rug is a big investment, I hear you. There’s sadly no way around it though. You can’t just get a smaller rug so you don’t spend as much money, because the truth is it’ll look wrong in the space.
You want a rug to ground a room, with the furniture either sitting partially on it or completely on it. If the rug is too small, you’ll have loads of naked floor showing. And when it comes to layering a room, naked hard flooring is not cute.
For a living room, there are a few standard rug sizes you can purchase, and we’ve explained each size here for you if you need. Trust me, if you’re ever in doubt about what size rug to get, always go bigger. You won’t regret it.
2. The Front Sofa Legs Aren’t on The Rug
I’ve never met a rug I haven’t put the legs of a sofa on. Some designers might like to have a gap between the sofa and the rug, but I’m not one of them. Your furniture and rug do not need to socially distance; let them touch one another. They like it.
The image above is the perfect example of how far you should place your rug under furniture at a minimum. In some rooms, if the rug is larger, you’ll have it extend under the sofa more, but the above is a nice fit from a scale perspective.
Having the legs of furniture sitting on the rug also helps from a stability perspective; it means you’re not likely to walk on the sofa and have it slip and slide around. Walking on a rug should not feel like a Survivor challenge.
3. You’re Too Scared of Pattern
A room needs colour, texture and pattern to have it look and feel resolved. Think of these three elements like Charlie’s Angels, the sisters from Charmed, or Destiny’s Child; it doesn’t work when one is missing (you can also clearly tell my peak era was the early 2000s).
People always worry about a patterned rug dominating a space, but it’s not the reality. In fact, I’ve not ever put one flat-coloured rug in any room I’ve designed. The rugs I use always feature pattern, even if the pattern comes from the subtle textures in the rug.
Think of pattern more as ‘movement’ in a rug. And if you scroll through every one of the images from Miss Amara in this post, you’ll see they all feature movement to a certain degree.
4. Your Sofa is Wider Than Your Rug
When your sofa is sitting in your living room, the rug that runs underneath the front of it needs to extend beyond the sofa width. If should extend at least 10cm either side, but you can go up to about 50 or 60cm if you plan on placing a side table next to the sofa (as seen above).
No world, universe or galaxy exists in which it’s OK to have the rug not run the full width of the sofa. If your rug steps in significantly from the edges of your sofa, you need to seek penance from your nearest spiritual leader (or, just replace it with one of the gorgeous rug styles in this post).
This applies to both edges of your rug too, if you’re having a sofa on one side and armchairs on the other (like above). The rug should always extend beyond the furniture that sits on it.
5. You’re Not Exploring the Joy of Runners
Yes, floor rugs are delightful and divine. They do so much of the work in making your space feel warm and layered. But one of the areas people often neglect rugging up is kitchens and hallways.
These two zones are all too often left outside alone (like Anastacia… I told you the early 2000s were my peak). They’re pretty hard zones that end up feeling cold, sterile, or echoey due to the lack of soft furnishings in them. The answer is simple here: you need to embrace a runner.
A floor runner like the one above is a great way to add depth and dimension to zones that aren’t large enough to fit a standard size rug.
6. You’re Covering Up An Amazing Pattern
As I mentioned earlier, every rug I specify for our design clients has pattern or movement in it, so you’d be wise to embrace this feature in the rug you purchase. There is a bit of fine print when it comes to this advice though.
If you’re feeling daring and want to embrace a rug with a large-scale pattern on it (like a giant circle in the middle of the rug design, for example) have a think pre-purchase about the furniture that’s going to sit over it.
The last thing you want to do is buy a rug with a big circle in the middle and then cover it with a coffee table. You’d be wise to choose a rug with a smaller repeat pattern (like the one above) so you get to see the pattern even with a table on top.
7. You’re Not Buying with Pets in Mind
A friend of mine used to entertain me with stories about how her dog would vomit on her expensive rug and she always had to roll it up to go get it professionally cleaned. They do not tell you this when you watch The Dog House Australia, that’s for sure.
And like my friend, many people buy rugs without thinking about the possible mess that can ensue when there’s a pet in the house.
The good news is this: there are actually rugs made specifically to withstand pet stains. They’re easy clean, they’re low maintenance, and they still look amazing. Miss Amara stocks loads of them.
Click here to check out phenomenal rugs made with pets in mind.
8. You’re Not Matching the Rug to Room Use
A rug and a room are like contestants on The Bachelor; you’re trying to find that perfect match (but with a lot less making out).
Have a good think about the room you’re buying your rug for, and what you’ll be doing in that space. For example, an ultra-shaggy rug you might roll out in a bedroom to create cozy vibes would not work under a dining table where your toddler is dropping tater tots.
Some rugs work in certain spaces but not others. Flatter piles without weaves work well in dining rooms because they can be cleaned more easily if spills occur. This is less crucial in a bedroom.
Click here for all of my tips and tricks for rugs under dining tables.
Win a $750 Miss Amara Rug Voucher!
The team at Miss Amara have been kind enough to offer up a $750 voucher to one lucky winner, that you can spend on their website on any rug you like!
PLEASE NOTE THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THE WINNER WAS GLENDA SMITH.
To enter to win the voucher, simply:
- Click here to explore the rugs on the Miss Amara website
- Come back to this post and drop a comment in the comments section below
- Comment which rug is your fave and why
Competition is open to Australian residents only. Comp closes 11.59pm Sunday May 29.
It’s the Wilamina Grey & Ivory rug for me, as it would go beautifully with my grey sofa and has just enough pattern in it to hide the dog fur & kids’ crumbs.
Such bizarre timing – we are off to look at some rugs today!! We were flooded in January and now that the weather is getting colder have decided to replace the rugs we lost… I love the look of Neera Grey & Ivory Abstract Diamond Rug for our lounge area. We have a huge black leather couch and dark coffee table, plus dark wood floors, so it needs a lighter rug to lift the area. The dining table would look amazing on the Mae Grey & Ivory Hand Knotted Cotton Bamboo Rug, as we have charcoal tub chairs and a chunky dark wood table – it would be a huge feature in the living space! Oh I think I may just have to go crazy on this website – the bar has been set!!
I love love love the Kira Diamond Detail Textured Rug! It’s subtle in colour so it doesn’t steal the show. The pattern is symmetrical but with various designs and weaves throughout, keeping it really interesting to the eye. I’d love to have these rugs in my lounge … and my dining room … and my bedroom … and my hallway!
Its hard to pick one winner but I do love the Ashanti Tribal Pattern Berber Wool Shag Rug because of its patterns and natural tones of wool. I’m imagining my feet sinking into that luxurious thick pile.
I liked a few but I think the Elletra would look good in my room. I’m dabbling with Hamptons and this rug might work.
I absolutely love the Laila Ivory Braided Wool Rug, as it has a neutral and warm color. This color would suit perfectly in our living room as we have a dark grey carpet and a grey couch. This rug would lighten the room up and will give it some cosiness. It will furthermore be a perfect place for our 10 month old to play on.
Camilla Tribal for the depth n texture with a bit of lux….!!!
Recently I chose a neutral cream 4 X 3 for a friend in need of advise….it truly is spectacular and not only grounds her lounge space over original timber boards but lifts the entire space..I believe Miss Amara rugs are divine!! Thank you..
I NEED the Elouise Cream and Grey rug in my life!
Vaasa Grey Felt as u believe it would look fab in my living room
What a hard decision to make…I instantly fell in love with the piper orange & blue multi colour tribal rug, as soon as I saw it I knew this beauty would be perfect in our family room. It’s the finishing touch that I’ve been looking for!!