If you’re pondering how to decorate a room with a luxury rug, let us start by saying that, if you’re not sure what you’re doing, it can be pretty challenging.
As professional interior designers, we know that creating a well-considered home that exudes flow, balance and aesthetic excellence is a complex process.
Elements like light, colour, texture, form, space, pattern and line are all key components to a harmonious result, and seamlessly blending these into one visually masterful space takes patience, skill and a very good eye.
Because of their importance in the overall look and feel of your room, rugs, in particular, are tricky to navigate.
In some projects, especially if you’re starting from scratch, they can be used as your anchor point, giving you free rein to build the entire room around them. But if you already have furnishings in place, you’re probably going to have to work a little harder to incorporate one into the rest of your scheme and still manage to tie everything together.
Stay with us and we’ll teach you a few tricks and tips that will simplify the process, ensuring that your luxury rug becomes one of the most successful décor features in your home.
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Chat NowWhy are luxury rugs so highly esteemed in interior design? The answer goes way beyond just appearance.
Aside from adding colour, pattern, texture and style to your space, they have the unique ability to unite each component in a room, bringing visual interest and cohesivity to your entire ensemble.
They can also be used to cover up stains on worn-out wall-to-wall carpeting without having to rip it all out, and have several additional benefits that make modern living cosier. Here are just a few:
Not only do area rugs help to lessen the impact of your steps as you walk over your flooring, but they also muffle the sound. This is particularly useful if you live in an apartment or have a home that is prone to echoes.
Households full of youngsters often install hardwood or tile flooring to mitigate the mess. However, children need a soft perch on which to sit and play and to stop them from sustaining injuries should they slip and fall. A good rug will do just that.
Rugs greatly benefit people with health sensitivities by trapping dirt and dust and preventing them from floating around in the air. Then all it takes is a quick vacuum to ensure an allergy-free environment.
We’re all aware of how much heating costs during winter. Using a luxury rug or two, especially if paired with a rug pad, is a cost-effective, highly efficient way of warming up your home.
A luxury area rug will not only transform the aesthetics of a room but will also help anchor your furniture and prevent sofas, tables and cabinets from sliding around and scratching your floors.
If you’re tired of your current aesthetics but don’t have the budget for new high-end sofas or a fresh coat of paint, a luxury rug goes a long way towards changing things up without breaking the bank.
Not only is a luxury rug easy to maintain but if you choose one that is durable it will last you for decades. They can also be taken with you wherever you go, making them an investment that’s worth every penny.
There are a number of factors that need to be taken into consideration when selecting a rug for your living areas, and lifestyle is certainly one of them. These hot tips will help make your shopping trip easier:
When it comes to area rugs, size definitely matters. Choosing one that is too small for your room will make it feel disproportionate and uninviting while picking out something far too big will actually make your space look smaller.
Most pre-made area rugs come in these standard measurements:
If none of the above are suitable, then having a luxury rug custom-made specifically for your space is an excellent idea. At FCI London, we work closely with bespoke weavers Knot & Loop and abstract expressionist Anna Kosa to create masterpieces that will match the colour, style and size of your room - get in touch and we’ll walk you through your options.
By rule of thumb, a living room rug should allow for approximately 10 – 20 cm of bare floor between its edges and your walls and needs to be big enough to rest your sofas, coffee tables and armchairs on its surface. If this is not possible, make sure that at least the front legs of your key furniture items can be accommodated. This will ensure a sense of balance and proportion.
Your material choices are of vital importance. Why? Because not all fibres have the same qualities. If you have a busy household filled with little ones and pets, a delicate silk offering just won’t do, but if you’re a single adult with discerning taste, then it’s an excellent option.
Here’s a breakdown of what’s available:
Finding the right colour and pattern when choosing a luxury rug will have a significant impact on the overall appearance of your room. These suggestions will help narrow down your choices:
If you find several rugs that you love or want to create a look that’s a little more interesting, layering is an excellent idea and is used widely among design professionals.
This technique can be applied to both hard flooring and wall-to-wall carpets and will help to infuse your space with personality, texture and style.
It’s also a brilliant way to change up your room seasonally. Simply keep your primary rug as a constant (sisal and jute make an excellent base) and top it with a gorgeous shag during the winter months and a light, cotton creation when the weather warms up.
To find out more about how to do this, read our article on rug layering and its benefits.
The positioning of your newly-bought luxury rug can make or break a room and fuels a number of heated debates among professional interior designers, especially in rooms that are short of space. But, while creative license is obviously permissible, there are some guidelines that just work. Here they are:
Round rugs will undoubtedly infuse a sense of fun into any room. They have the ability to break up straight lines and provide bags of character for boxy interiors.
For bedroom applications
They can be slipped under a portion of your bed or be used as a focal point in another part of your room without the need for any furniture at all.
If you’re decorating a large space, small round rugs can be scattered at random or in a stepping-stone pattern to create visual interest. This will help to balance the bed’s mass and break up expansive floor spaces.
Large round rugs work well when placed off-centre under beds in rooms with little space. Make sure that there is enough to step onto when getting up in the morning because in this scenario, balancing style and comfort is key.
For dining spaces
We recommend that you place your dining table in the centre of a round rug making sure that it is large enough to accommodate any extensions. Your chairs should still sit on the rug when they are in a pulled-out position. This rule applies whether your table is round, oval, square or rectangular.
For sitting rooms
If you have a substantial living area, it’s acceptable to let your rug float in the space between your armchairs and your sofa, but make sure that it is anchored by a central coffee table to create harmony.
For smaller areas, slide a third of your rug under the middle of your main sofa to help connect it to the rest of the room.
A highly popular choice because of their ability to fit into most room configurations, square or rectangular luxury rugs are classic additions to any interior.
There is a straightforward principle that designers stick to with these specific shapes in order to make sure that they connect all your furniture items together and create a sense of balance. It’s often referred to as the “four-two-none rule” and basically dictates that you can choose to place all four, only two or none of your key furniture’s legs on your rug.
The no-leg rule is the trickiest of them all and can often make a room look off-kilter or ungrounded, so enlist the help of a professional if you are in any doubt.
If you want to be different and are up for a challenge, invest in an irregular-shaped rug like cowhide or faux fur.
Because they don’t have a central point, it’s advisable to avoid placing any furniture on them – but that’s not a problem because they look fabulous when positioned at a jaunty angle in front of a luxurious sofa, ottoman or set of armchairs.
If you’re going to layer a number of differently-shaped rugs, make sure that your furniture placement makes sense. Use the “four” rule for smaller pieces like side tables or occasional chairs, and the “two” rule for sofas to create stability and equilibrium. This works well for informal setups like media - or playrooms.
An important component of interior design is to establish a focal point in order to bring the room together, draw the eye in and allow you to visually explore every aspect of the space without feeling distracted or overpowered.
This could be a piece of décor like a coffee table or painting or an existing architectural feature such as a window or fireplace.
Using a rug to establish your focal point is a great idea. Not only will it add colour, pattern and texture to your space, but it will also help define your conversation area, connect all your furnishings and enhance the overall style of the room. Follow these suggestions to make sure you get it spot-on:
There’s no doubt about it, luxury rugs are the darlings of the design industry and have the ability to completely redefine a room.
From adding underfoot comfort to creating a theme, enhancing your colour palette and defining a focal point, they are multifunctional phenomena that you simply shouldn’t be without.
As interior specialists with an eye for excellence, and suppliers of luxury furniture including tailor-made rugs, we’re confident that we can fulfil all your refurbishment needs, no matter how out-of-the-box you’re willing to go.
So if you’re looking for décor that will tickle you pink, get in touch with us today or visit our spectacular showroom for a glass of bubbly, a guided tour and some sound advice.
You can also browse through all of our latest projects to find inspiration and see exactly why we have so many happy customers!
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