How to Pair Furniture with a Luxury Rug

If you’re planning a brand-new living space and are keen to get every last detail right, you’re going to have to know everything possible about how to pair furniture with a luxury rug.

When it comes to home decor, items like sofas and armchairs are almost always primary points of concern, and rightfully so, because they are usually your focal points. But if you want to unite your ensemble and inject both beauty and dynamism into your space, finding the perfect rug is essential.

Here’s how our top designers do it.

What is the primary purpose of a luxury rug?

Rugs have traditionally been associated with luxury, providing warmth and comfort underfoot.

From a stylistic point of view, people use them not only to anchor their furniture but also to demarcate specific zones in their living spaces. Additionally, you can set the tone and mood in a room, define the perimeters of your conversation area and create a flawless aesthetic.

But to get all of this right, you must ensure that the colours, style, size, pattern and shape of your rug match your room's overall look and feel.

What to consider when pairing furniture with a luxury rug?

A high-quality rug is an investment piece, so make sure you get the best out of it by matching it perfectly with your furniture. Here are some things to consider to make sure you get this right:

Size:

Matching the rug to your furniture begins with size. And while you might think “the bigger, the better”, that isn’t always true.

If a rug is too small it will get lost in your room and if it’s too big it will overpower your space. To avoid this, ensure you accurately measure all furniture that will be resting on it (whether it’s a bed, dining table or sitting room ensemble) to get a clearer idea of the dimensions you need.

Colour:

Finding the right colour for your rug is a strenuous process, so think about the following:

• Choose a rug in a colour that contrasts with your furniture to add boldness and visual interest to your space.
• Coordinate your area rug with other elements in your room like curtains and accessories.
• Allow your rug to be a key feature in your room rather than trying to blend it in.
• Because they are woven in a variety of vibrant hues and patterns, oriental rugs can be difficult to match with your furnishings. To get around this, find a luxury sofa in a neutral colour and make your rug the focal point.

Shape:

Deciding on shapes can also be difficult. Ideally, your furniture arrangement influences them. However, just because you have rectangular chairs, doesn’t mean you need a rectangular rug. So if you want to be a little different, change things up by finding a rug shape that complements your furniture layout rather than just emulating it.

Patterns and styles:

Rugs come in all sorts of patterns and styles, from classic, intricately woven offerings to modern ones with bold geometric or floral designs.

Ensure you take into account the rest of your furnishings before you plunge and buy something too busy. If you have a neutral colour scheme, by all means, splash out on something fun and bold, but if you have patterned sofas or bedding, keep your rug plain.

Material:

Material plays a major role in your rug selection process. When choosing, ensure you consider your lifestyle, the longevity of the rug and how easy it is to clean and maintain.

To find out more about the pros and cons of all the options, read our in-depth article on what material is best for a floor rug.

Here are some extra tips to help make the rug-matching process seamless:

• Coordinate your furniture and rugs by selecting different hues from the same colour family.
• Allow for some contrast – you don’t have to match absolutely everything.
• If you want to play it safe, opt for neutral colours like white, black, grey, greige and brown.
• If you want to add visual interest to your room, it’s perfectly acceptable to mix bright colours and patterns.
• Creating a monochromatic look will add a sense of sophistication and style to your room.

To make your shopping trip easier, take a photo of your furniture layout with you and enlist the help of an expert if you get stuck. At FCI London, our professional designers are always available to guide your choices.

What are the benefits of an area rug?

Rugs can be layered over both hard-surface flooring and wall-to-wall carpeting. But why are they so popular? Aside from their aesthetic value, they have several benefits that help improve the quality of your lifestyle:

• Warmth: Rugs are much cosier than any other type of flooring and, if you use an additional pad, will insulate your home beautifully, saving you money on excess heating and making chilly winters easier.
• Comfort: Soft and accommodating, they reduce the impact on your legs and feet and give you a snug space on which to relax.
• Safety: If you have youngsters, a fluffy rug will keep them safe while they play and will reduce the risk of injuries should they fall.
• Protection: A good area rug will protect your floors from scratches and stains, preserving them for longer.
• Allergy control: Both rugs and wall-to-wall carpets benefit allergy sufferers by trapping dust and other allergens and preventing them from floating around in the air. This significantly reduces the symptoms of hay fever.
• Style: Not only do they add elegance to any room but, if you want to do a quick home refurbishment without spending a fortune, a change of rug is an excellent idea. Take a look at tips for styling rugs in a bedroom - it’s sure to give you lots of fresh ideas. 
• Camouflage: They cover up any imperfections in your flooring and wall-to-wall carpets.
• Noise reduction: A rug will significantly reduce the noise levels in any room by absorbing ambient sound, dissipating excess acoustic energy and reducing echoes. They also make walking on your flooring quieter, which is brilliant if you live in an apartment.

Shop luxury rugs at FCI London

We have a selection of rugs at FCI London to fit your lifestyle. We collaborate closely with renowned brands like Knot & Loop and abstract expressionist Anna Kosa to deliver a delightful array of bespoke alternatives.

To find out more, get in touch today or visit our spectacular showroom, where our team will help you find the rug of your dreams over a glass of bubbly.

Take a peek at some of our gorgeous home transformations on our interiors project page - they will surely inspire an “aha” moment of your own.