Design Inspiration: How to Decorate With Area Rugs

A rug is a decorating element you should never take for granted. It anchors a room, pulling together all of the pieces so that your living room or bedroom furniture doesn’t feel like it’s been plopped into the space. Carpets add texture, coziness and pizzazz. If you’re wondering why your home feels unfinished, you might want to consider what’s underfoot.

Anthropologie

1 / 10

Colourful Character

Oversize poppies run through this flamboyant area rug from Anthropologie. Aptly named the Brilliant Poppies Rug, this flashy find will steal the spotlight, especially in a room that’s perfectly coordinated. The blue sectional, green armchair and gold-patterned wallpaper are confident decorating choices with a big pay off. The point? Choose an amazing rug and decorate around it!

Wayfair

2 / 10

Put a Rug on It

You know when you’ve got leftover rice and some veggies and little else in the fridge? You put an egg on it. Suddenly it’s magically transformed. And that’s what happened here. This lime cotton rug from Wayfair is the proverbial egg that has made over the dull corner of the room. Delicious!

Getty Images

3 / 10

Spot the Gaffe

OK, so we’re going to knock points off of this (albeit amazing) room. That carpet needs to be whisked underneath the sectional stat. Apart from that gaffe, we are loving the gripping geometric pattern. And yes you can mix in stripes, polka-dots et al. because the less matchy-matchy the room the more nicey-nicey.

HGTV Canada

4 / 10

Yes to Rugs in the Kitchen

Add colour, texture and style in a kitchen with a swanky runner – or two. It’s the sort of design derring-do we can firmly get behind. Ignore the naysayers who say textiles don’t belong in a kitchen. They’re the same ones who don’t like wood floors in a kitchen. They’re not the boss of you.

Oliver Yaphe

5 / 10

Hallway Monitoring

Oliver Yaphe’s hand-knotted, zero-waste runner is sublime in this long hallway. Seamlessly connecting the rooms, the mile-long rug also beautifully echoes the neutral tones in the room. You can pick it up at Y&Co in Toronto.

Oliver Yaphe

6 / 10

Ooh La Loo!

The nice thing about a rug is that it’s portable – as with drapery, it’s easy to switch up the look. Want to go sassy and vivid? Chunky colourful stripes, like in this runner from Oliver Yaphe (through Y&Co in Canada), creates a bit of fun in the bathroom.

Jessica White

7 / 10

Tie it Together

An eye-catching Persian rug has earthy flair in this bohemian living room. Finessed by Hannah Leonard of Loom and Kiln – a seller of stunning vintage rugs – the pouf, pillows and rustic coffee table are on point vibe-wise.

Wayfair

8 / 10

Southwest Style

Sporting a Southwest-inspired print in neutral hues, this durable area rug from Wayfair matches this room’s ranch vibe. Imagine how wrong it would feel with a bright pink rug, for example.

Lou Collection

9 / 10

Artful Moment

Sure you’ve got a non-slip bath mat, but is it as beautiful as this rug from Lou Collection? We didn’t think so. It’s criminal to lay down a drab mat when your bathroom is artfully composed. If you’re worried about ruining the rug, then only use the mat for bathing and then stow it away.

Lou Collection

10 / 10

Meeting Point

A high-traffic hallway or one that needs warmth is an ideal spot to unfurl a rug. With its deep orange and purple jewel tones, this one from Lou Collection is majestic against the terracotta floors. If space permits, create a vignette where the rug meets the wall, like this.