My Thoughts on Rugs

A while back I posted about the new rug in the sun room and a reader left this comment:

Picking out rugs is so hard. I always end up leaning towards really generic colors and patterns. Because even a couple hundred dollars is enough of an investment to me that I don't want to get tired of it and I don't want to have to replace it until it's worn out. I'd love to hear your tips on how to choose a rug that will accent a room but not look dated in a year (or five).

I have been thinking about rugs ever since I read this comment.  I think we can all agree that committing to certain items that go into our homes can be a challenge - especially the expensive ones.  I for one wonder if I will like (fill in the blank with item of your choice) next year.  This holds true even when I have the opportunity to review a "free" rug.  Sometimes it is simply hard to make a decision.  If you have followed my blog for a while, then you know that I have changed my mind a time or two.  One of those changes included getting rid of an oriental rug with colors that just "no longer worked".  Which brings me back to the question, "how do you choose a rug that won't look dated in a year (or five)?"

Well, good question - and not one that can easily be answered.  First let me say that there are several rugs that I consider to be timeless.  When I think of timeless rugs, I think of sisal and seagrass.  I also think of Turkish and oriental.  Then the modern girl in me ventures into the modern classics like stripes, trellis, and geometrics.  Which one is the best option?  It all depends on your lifestyle, end use, furnishings, and taste.  I don't think there is a right or wrong answer.

Let's look at some rooms...

 Seagrass

Cottage and Vine

If I could only pick one rug for the rest of my life that would go into every room in our home, I would pick something in the seagrass/sisal family.  If you had asked me this same question when our babies were in the crawling stage the answer would have been to go with something softer.  My guys aren't the best at wiping their feet before entering the house and neither is our dog.  So these rugs are by far the best for us given our current lifestyle.  A quick pass with the vacuum and it is clean.  Clearly the size is wrong now that the furniture has moved, but until then, it is what it is.

Traditional Home

Seagrass rugs relax traditional interiors and add warmth to modern ones.  

Pinterest

 

The neutral color is like a blank canvas that frees you to take more risks with color in accessories & fabrics.  Is this really an accent rug?  No, which leads me to the next style.

 Persian/Turkish/Kelim

Cottage and Vine

What if your room calls for something with more color?  Take our black and white bathroom for example.  This tiny little rug gave it just the pop it needed to keep the room from being boring.  Colorful rugs work especially well when the rest of the room is calm....

 Apartment Therapy

...or in this case modern.  I really like the character a kelim rug adds to a streamlined, modern kitchen.  And in this case, the colors balance out the yellow tones in the floor.

Pinterest

Generous doses of white mixed with neutral fabrics are key to making this rug work.  And did you notice, it is also layered over a seagrass rug?

 Modern

 Cottage and Vine

 While some modern rugs tend to be more on the trendy side, I believe certain ones are here to stay.  There will always be a place for a stripe, trellis, or animal pattern.  Because the pattern alone gives a graphic punch the colors can be more on the neutral side which may "work" for longer in your home.

 Lynn Morgan Design

I really love what this striped rug does for this room.  It looks modern, but not cold - very live-able.  The pillows could easily be switched out to come up with a whole new look/feel for the room.  

 House Beautiful

Those are my thoughts, now I would love to hear what you think.