Interior Collab designers weigh in to, ahem, lay the groundwork on choosing the right rug for the right space, every time.

by Allegra Muzzillo, ACM Interiors
December 1, 2021

When it comes to selecting the right rug for your room, size matters. But beyond appropriate size, questions of proper placement, color, and materials just add to the stress of picking the perfect one. (Because who really wants to go through the hassle of returning an ill-gotten rug?) Beyond appropriate size, there are also other confounding things to consider, like where it should go, what it should look like, and what it should be composed of. Yes, it’s true that certain fibers wear best in certain areas (while others are designed to simply sit there and look pretty), but what about choosing the right color? And aren’t there certain rules when it comes to furniture placement (legs on, off, or half on/half off)?

SIZE DOES MATTER
When starting with an empty room, choosing an appropriately sized rug is, decidedly, less daunting. But if you already have furniture, things get a bit more complicated. “I often see my clients using a rug that’s way too small,” says Clara Song, of Clara Song Design in Harrison, New Jersey, “which throws off the proportions of the space. Keep in mind: Bigger is always better.” Each of our designers agree: Invest as much as you can in a rug of the utmost quality, and in the largest size, you can afford.

Like many of her colleagues, Gala Magriñá, of Gala Magriñá Designs in Queens, NY always includes painter’s tape in her design tool arsenal. Not only does it foster crisp paint edges and prevent damage when driving a nail into drywall, but it also acts as an incredible visual aid for designers whose clients need help envisioning how things look before spending a dime. “Proper rug sizing is the hardest thing people struggle with,” says Magriñá, “and the easiest hack is to measure out four pieces of blue painter’s tape that match the rug’s size, and stick them onto the floor where you think the rug should go.” After that, she says, you can move existing furniture around to create the optimal layout—and get a sense of whether the space calls for a larger or smaller rug.

Since rugs tend to come in standardized widths and lengths (i.e. 2ft x 3ft, 5ft x 7ft, 8ft x 10ft, and so on), Magriñá likes to start a rug search with exact measurements in mind so she can search via the vendor’s size filter. “The last thing I want to happen,” she says, “is to fall in love with a rug that doesn’t come in the size I need.” Heartbreaking, indeed.

NAIL PROPER PLACEMENT

Once you’ve nailed down a rug’s appropriate size, choosing where furniture goes, in relation, can be a bit of a nail-biter. The truth is that there are just as many designers out there touting hard-and-fast rug rules as there those are who break them. So although no all-encompassing formula exists for placing furniture on a rug, our Interior Collab colleagues do have some basic criteria they follow in their own design practices.

The New York, New York-based designer, Ahmad AbouZanat, of Project AZ, has developed an uncomplicated rule of thumb: He chooses the largest rug possible, that extends just 10-to-12 inches past the furniture sitting on its narrowest edge. “If space permits,” says AbouZanat, “I prefer furniture sitting within a rug’s parameters because this arrangement best defines a space and promotes its intended function.”

“In, say, a dining room,” says Magriñá, “I think it looks better if all of the furniture sits atop the rug.” But in a living room, for example, “a rug can partially peek out from underneath the sofa, and look really good most of the time.” Song, too, agrees, saying, “In general, large-scale furniture, like a sofa or a bed, should sit on the edge of the rug.”

For bedrooms in particular, Gianna Marzella, of GiaMar Interiors in New York, New York, chooses a rug that “extends at least 2.5ft on either side of the bed,” to accommodate nightstands and “to provide a soft and generous landing pad.”

Pep up: Since there’s no one-size-fits-all approach, sometimes optimal furniture placement is a trial-and-error process, and it might take you a few tries to achieve the look you want.

GETTING IT RIGHT: MATERIALS AND APPLICATION

Just as we choose certain clothing to suit the occasion—such as a moisture-wicking t-shirt for sweating it out, or a fancy silk frock for a formal dinner—rugs, too, should match the scene. How frequently a space will be used (for entertaining only, weeknight mealtimes), the main activities taking place in that room (eating, sleeping), and who will spend the most time there (pets, kids) should dictate your rug material of choice. 

In very general terms, the three types of rug materials are:

1. Natural (jute, seagrass, wool, cotton)

2. Synthetic (polypropylene (olefin), nylon, acrylic)

3. A Blend (natural + synthetic fibers)

Of course, each has its pros and cons. Synthetic, and synthetic-blend rugs are easy to clean and stand up well to wear-and-tear, but aren’t as sumptuous as wool, for example. And lower-quality natural and blended rugs have a tendency to shed. Likewise, high-quality wool and silk rugs, for example, are expensive and may need professional cleaning. And although natural-fiber rugs are pleasingly wabi-sabi and often allergy-safe, they’re also ultra-absorbent (hello, mold) and notoriously difficult to clean.

“My favorite is wool,” says Song, “because its long-lasting natural fibers are durable and forgiving of stains.” She acknowledges, though, that handwoven wool rugs can be pricey: “More affordable alternatives are nylon and polypropylene, which are also durable, stain-resistant, and great for high-traffic areas and people with children and pets.”

AbouZanat, too, goes with wool whenever possible. “Wool is my go-to because it holds up better and takes on many textures and forms,” he says. “My absolute favorites are wool-silk-blends; they look super-rich and feel very soft to the touch.” In kid- and pet-friendly rooms, AbouZanat may also choose a rug designed for commercial applications and cites Ruggable as a viable quality source. 

Although Marzella doesn’t call out specific materials, she says that the bedroom rug might be the most important one you choose. “The way we wake up in the morning can really set a mood for the rest of the day,” she stresses. “Since that rug will be the first thing you step down on, it should always feel soft and luxurious.”  

A good rug pad, too, is, arguably, a thing of beauty. Always use one: Rug pads protect floors, prolong the life of your rug, prevent tripping hazards by keeping the rug in place, and even offer some extra padding and sound attenuation. Most come in standard rug measurements and can often be cut to size.

CONSIDER COLOR AND PATTERN

Optimal coverage and performance aside, what’s a rug’s purpose if it doesn’t bathe a floor in requisite beauty? “I always start by choosing the rug first,” says Song, who asks her clients whether they’d like their rug to make a statement or play second fiddle. “Rugs are a great way to add color and texture,” she adds. “I go for bold, patterned rugs for impact—and the patterns then help me set overall color schemes. But if they prefer something subtle, I show them textured jute, a flat-weave kilim, or a high-pile Beni Ourain.”

AbouZanat, for his preferences, opts for striking colors, textures, and patterns in open-plan spaces. In highly-trafficked areas, smaller rooms, and those with a lot of furniture, “I focus on texture and keep it monochromatic for an understated-yet-sophisticated look,” he says.

Have a room with white walls? It might behoove you to take a page from Marzella’s design notebook. In selecting a rug for a room that isn’t, shall we say, very colorful, she’ll create a color scheme by sticking to one color family while varying patterns and their scales. She’d go with a small-scale geometric pattern on the rug, for example, and echo its sentiment with, say, a large-scale piece of artwork also featuring a geometric design. Again, there are no rules here, so let creativity and your unique eye be your guide.

Does the world of rugs still mystify you? Click below to search Interior Collab’s member directory for a local interior design pro to help realize your unique vision.

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