How do you tie a room together to make its design cohesive? FirstandMainPM.com says there are lots of ways you can do this but perhaps the easiest and most accessible method is to use rugs. Rugs are ordinary enough that anyone can creatively deploy them to improve the aesthetics of a room.
Rugs are not just for adding finishing touches to rooms. The fact that they cover a significant amount of floor space means you can actually use rugs to define the style of a room. The colors and patterns of the rug may serve as guide for what to include in the room and how to place those items.
Rugs can also be used to define specific zones in a room. For instance, you can use them to mark out an area for conversations or a dining area. Rugs can simply be used to provide visual appeal and you can do this whether you are using throw rugs or area rugs.
If you are thinking of ways to tie the design of your room together, look no further than using rugs. This post will explain the small things you can do to inject cohesion into a room’s design. You will learn how to create beautiful and comfortable spaces through the creative use of rugs.
How to tie a room together using rugs
When using a rug, imagine it as a canvas and the items you want to place on or around the rug as the details of your painting. The rug creates the background to the picture; it can make or ruin the ideas you have in mind. Rugs are a vital part of a room’s design.
Here are the steps to follow when trying to make a room’s design more consistent using rugs.
1. Pick your rug first
Finding the perfect rug is harder when a room is already decorated. It is easier to pick furniture and décor that go with the rug than to find a rug that will match your existing furniture and décor. Choosing the rug last will force you to use it as a mere finishing touch and you are more likely to end up with a disjointed look if you take this approach.
2. Choose a rug that is the right size
In order for the rug to effectively tie the design of your room together, it needs to be a certain size. The rug must be large enough to be the focal of the room. This means your furniture should be able to sit on it with enough room to still let a good portion of the rug show. In a living room, at least the front legs of your chairs should be on the rug.
3. Rug colors and patterns
If you are working in a small room, use a light-colored rug to create an illusion of space. In a larger room use a dark colored rug to make the room cozier. Rugs with bold patterns are better paired with chairs and sofas in solid colors. Let the colors of the rug suggest the accent pieces you add to a room.
4. Choose your rug style
Your rug’s style can be contemporary, traditional, or Victorian. The style of your rug will naturally define the style of your furniture pieces and décor. But you do not have to limit yourself to a particular style. If your style is eclectic, you can choose an area rug that will bind the different styles in the room together.
5. Consider the material and texture of your rug
Along with size, color and shape, the texture and materials of your rug matter. Rug materials influence final outcomes; different yarn and rug constructions will create different moods in a room. Natural fibers have a casual feel to them, while hand-knotted constructions are better for traditional settings. Large scale patterns work best for modern or contemporary settings.
6. Add some personality to the design
Understand the rules above, and then adapt them to suit your goals and preferences. Failing to let your personality reflect in a design will result in a regimented look in the room. Choose a rug with an unusual shape, such as a diamond-shaped rug. Let your rug possess a quality that will help the room stand out.
7. Use rugs to create contrast
It makes no sense to use rugs that do not stand in contrast to the furniture, décor, or wall paint in your room. This defeats the entire purpose of using a rug. Your rugs should accentuate the items in the room by creating disparity (in a good way) and not by blending in with the rest of the design.
In summary, when using rugs as an element to tie the rest of your design together the key things to remember are focus, symmetry and balance. Once you have implemented these three ideas in the design, you are free to add a bit of surprise and delight to the mix.