Are you looking for a rug for your home but don't know where to start? It can be very difficult to find the right size carpet, how to place it and how to make it look good.

Placing rugs in your home instead of carpeting allows for greater flexibility. They are a good choice if you like your hardwood floors but want to add some warmth and decorative interest. They are also easier to clean and easier to change if you fancy something new.

There are many carpet options, but which one is right for you? According to Zeina, there are a few things to keep in mind when choosing a rug for your living and dining room.



Key factors to consider when designing a room with a rug:

What if you fall in love with a sofa or rug that doesn't match your wall colour?

When designing your living room, the carpet should be the first thing you choose. Then build your room around the rug. It's harder to find a rug you like after you've designed an entire living room, so it's best to start with the rug and then choose everything else.

Always choose the paint colour last. You can get any colour under the sun for the walls, but not for the carpet or large upholstery. outdoor rug

Design rules
Interior designers follow a rule called the 60-30-10 rule. This means that the main design theme should be 60% of the room. Start with the largest elements, a rug, the wallpaper or the sofa. The second design should make up 30% of the room, such as curtains, a side chair or an accent wall. Finally, the 10% is accent colour, including throws, cushions and artwork.

Some people start a room with a nice cushion pattern, but it's best to start with the rug. Then you can build the rest of the room around the big patterns and colours of the main design theme.


How do you choose the right size rug for your living room?
To choose the right size rug for the room, you need to consider two things: the size of the room and the configuration of the furniture.

Sometimes we are limited by the size of carpet we can use because the room is small. Other times it is big enough, depending on the furniture layout.

The first thing Zeina recommends is to follow the shape of the room. If the room is rectangular, do not use a square rug. Use a rug that is proportional to the size of the room. If you use a rectangular shaped rug, place the long side parallel to the long wall of the room.

How to place furniture on the rug
The second tip is to follow the "leg rules" for furniture. When you like your hardwood, you don't want to cover everything.

Three ways to position your rug:
No furniture legs on the rug.
Use a slightly smaller rug and leave only the front legs of the furniture on the rug.
All legs on the carpet. Lay the carpet under all the furniture.
The option you choose depends on the size of the room. Zeina says the best rule of thumb for most Ottawa/Kingston homes is to leave all front legs on the carpet.

When all the furniture has its front legs on the rug, it creates a space for conversation. If the rug is smaller and the feet are not on the rug, the room feels busier and therefore smaller. If the carpet is partially under the furniture, the floor seems to expand in terms of scale, making the room seem larger.