Our Rug Buying Guide Makes Life Easier 27th Apr 2021 Posted by Alice Ewens on 27th Apr 2021 Facebook Instagram Pinterest Linkedin What to look for and things to consider when buying a rug onlineRug buying can be hard; the perfect rug can make or break your room. The right rug can transform a space, tying the décor together or acting as a feature pop of colour or pattern. Get it wrong, and you risk cramping or cluttering your space or overshadowing your furniture. Figuring it all out can be confusing and overwhelming so we’ve pulled together this comprehensive guide to help you buy the perfect rug for your home. Rug SizesLet's start with the basics. It can be hard to visualise sizes available on the market when rug buying. (measurements shown are to scale relative to the height of the man)What Available Space Do You Have?The next step in rug buying is to understand exactly what space you’ve got to play with. Read the room; mirror the orientation and dimensions. Large rooms = large rugs, small rooms and hallways = smaller rugs or runners, long rooms = rugs should be placed lengthwise). Tip : Try to keep at least 24"/ 60cm of bare floor around the edges of your rug so that your space isn’t swallowed by the rug.How To Measure When Rug Buying Use a decent steel tape measure to measure your space. Jot down the dimensions for easy reference. Once you know what space you’ve got to work with, you can find suitable rugs in the right sizes. image: pexels Example Room to Rug Size Ratios If your room is 5' x 7' / 153 x 213cm,aim for a rug that is 3' x 5' / 92 x 153cm medium rugsIf your room is 6' x 7.5' / 183 x 229cm, aim for a rug that is 4' x 5.5' / 122 x 168cm large rugsIf your room is 7' x 8' / 312 x 305 cm, aim for a rug that is 5' x 7' / 152 x 213cm XL rugs Tip: Use painter’s tape or masking tape to mark out the space on the floor to visualize it.You can also use our innovativeroom planner! How To Place Your Rug In Your RoomRug Buying for Living RoomsShop our living room range here! shop this style(note - not an XXL rug) shop this style shop this style If your room is big enough, choose an area rug (XXL or more) to sit all your furniture on You can also go for a medium rug and rest the front of your sofa / arm chairs on the edges of the rug Or go for a small rug perfect for resting your feet and your coffee table on. Remember that lighter colours will help make a room look larger and maintain a light and airy feel. credit: @mydreamhome_usplus6 shop this rug Rug Buying for Dining RoomsShop our dining room range here! shop this style(note - not an XXL rug) shop this style shop this style(note - not a round rug) Mirror and match the size of your room. If you've got the space, area rugs (XXL or larger) will fit all your dining furniture on. A larger rug will also make a room look bigger. If you can, aim for rugs that will allow your chairs to still sit fully on the rug even when pulled out from the table to seat guests - it's a little safer and steadier. Round rugs are also an option that look great with a round dining table. shop this table Chrome and glass furniture placed on lighter coloured or unpatterned rugs is a great combo. It maintains the light and airy look of the furniture. Rug Buying for BedroomsShop our bedroom range here! shop this style(note - not an XXL rug) shop this style(note - not a runner) shop this style If your bedroom is big enough, you can opt for a big rug (XXL or bigger) to place all your furniture on. Aim to have the rug visible around all edges of the bed and bedside table. Runners along either side of the bed also look great and can add a little extra protection to high-traffic areas. Medium or small rugs can look lovely at the end of your bed. Avoid placing the end of the bed on the rug, as this can make your bed uneven. image : pexels shop this style What's Your Personal Style?When rug buying, you’ll want your rug to feel and look like it belongs with the rest of your home and décor. At the end of the day, you’ll be living with the rug, so make sure it’s something you really love. Choose a rug that matches your own style and goes well with your other furniture, or at least won’t distract from it. Whatever your personal tastes, there’ll be a rug to match.Similar styles create a cohesive look.Plain and neutral rugs can act as a blank canvas to build your room upon, especially if you have some signature furniture pieces to display.Alternatively, bold or patterned rugs can create a feature focal point for the room. What Do You Want Your Rug To Do?Generally, we buy rugs to add some warmth and something snuggly under our toes. But rugs can serve different purposes. The colour and placement of your rug can make a huge difference. As we’ve already mentioned, the right rug can really bring a room together; it can be a blank canvas to show off your furniture, or a focal point for a room.A large rug can make a room look bigger, as can a light-coloured rug. Darker, or smaller rugs can bring a room in to feel cosier and warmer, but can also make a space look smaller. Rugs can also be used to break up or allocate areas within a room to create designated spaces (think – play area versus TV area within a lounge) or create a definition between dining and living spaces in open-plan rooms.) light rugs dark rugs soft & warm rugs feature rugs simple rugsWhat’s Your Lifestyle Like and What Room Will Your Rug Be In? credit: @forever_home_ateam It’s also important when rug buying to think about where your rug will be placed and how much traffic and wear it’s likely to get. If you’ve got pets and/or children, or do a lot of outdoors work, then perhaps very light coloured rugs might not be the most practical. Similarly, rugs in high-traffic areas like living rooms and hallways will get more wear than in the main bedroom. A soft, snuggly deep-pile shaggy rug might be perfect for your tranquil zen den but might not be great for the kid’s playroom. Low-pile rugs are quick and easy to hoover and most synthetic fibre rugs are relatively easy to clean. soft & fluffy rugs hard-wearing low-pile rugsHow To Care For Your Rug All our rugs here at Furniturebox UK are made of synthetic fibres. Polyester, Acrylic, Nylon & Polypropylene rugs are the easy-care option. They’re particularly durable without compromising on softness, so you can brush or vacuum the surface as necessary. Synthetic shaggy rugs can sometimes flatten over time. image : unsplash Other Materials:Wool rugs are pretty durable but do need gentle handling when cleaning. We recommend using a hand brush or nozzle attachment on your vacuum.Cotton rugs are breathable and hard-wearing, great for most living areas. Easy to care for, they can be brushed and/or vacuumed.Viscose rugs are a semi-synthetic material that does need to be handled with care as they can get moisture damage. This means they’re better on low-traffic areas and cleaned with a hand brush or vacuum with a nozzle attachment.Natural fibre rugs made from plants and grasses are incredibly durable so they’re great ideal for high-traffic areas like hallways. They can be brushed or vacuumed.Chenille rugs can be made from cotton or synthetic fibres, and are designed to imitate luxurious silk fibres. This makes them delicate and not suited to high-traffic areas. Great for decadent luxury, though. They can be carefully cleaned with a hand brush or vacuum fitted with a nozzle attachment.Other Inspiration and Ideas for Rug BuyingCheck out our Instagram page to see how our customers are styling their rugs! We also have a couple of great Pinterest boards here and here full of gorgeous inspo for you to browse.Check out our other buying guides!Decorating a narrow roomDining Room InspoSofa Buying GuideDining Table Buying GuideDining Chair Buying Guide
