Our Rug Buying Guide Makes Life Easier
27th Apr 2021Posted by Alice Ewens on 27th Apr 2021
What to look for and things to consider when buying a rug online
Rug 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 Sizes
Let's start with the basics. It can be hard to visualise sizes available on the market when rug buying.
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.
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
If your room is 6' x 7.5' / 183 x 229cm,
aim for a rug that is 4' x 5.5' / 122 x 168cm
If your room is 7' x 8' / 312 x 305 cm,
aim for a rug that is 5' x 7' / 152 x 213cm
Tip: Use painter’s tape or masking tape to mark out the space on the floor to visualize it.
You can also use our innovative
room planner!
How To Place Your Rug In Your Room
Rug Buying for Living Rooms
Shop our living room range here!
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.
Rug Buying for Dining Rooms
Shop our dining room range here!
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.
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 Bedrooms
Shop our bedroom range here!
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.
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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.)
What’s Your Lifestyle Like and What Room Will Your Rug Be In?
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.
How 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.
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 Buying
Check 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.