When you’re thinking about how to coordinate area rugs in adjoining rooms of your home, there is basically only one rule that you need to remember.
And it’s this: All of the large area rugs you can see while standing in a single spot should complement each other.
So when it comes to adjoining rooms, how to coordinate area rugs properly so that they don’t become an eyesore in your home?
In the case when you see your living room and dining room from the hallway, according to the rule above, the area rugs in these three rooms should complement each other.
The rug designs can be similar, taking advantage of the same themes but in different ways and in different tones. Or, on the other hand, rug colors across the three rooms could be arranged in a way so that their unique designs can define each of the three rooms. But you should stick to one kind of style, such as traditional or modern.
However, other interiors like the kitchen and bedrooms could have completely different rug styles and types.
What Is an Area Rug?
An area rug is a floor covering, made of different types of textiles, which is used over another finished flooring surface. It’s basically a carpet but much smaller than the dimensions of the room, and covers only a selected area.
The rug can be used for décor purposes is often spoken of as a unique artwork for the floor. It can also create a guideline or a frame in which to place pieces of furniture, and accent or define a space.
Are Area Rugs Necessary for Home?
You may be contemplating whether you really need an area rug for your home. But if you prefer not to use rugs on your hardwood floor, it’s totally up to you. Hardwood floors make an excellent addition to all homes but they may not consistently pull the room together as you had thought they would. In many cases, placing a small carpet on the floor can add the finishing touch that creates a noticeable theme across the interiors.
Even though are rugs are not a must, there are plenty of practical and aesthetic reasons to have an area rug in any of the rooms in your home.
They provide comfort, warmth, and decorative theme with their colors, patterns, and textures.
As they help to reduce noise, they make the interiors quieter due to the sound-dampening effect. That’s a big plus if you have small children or a pet, and neighbors downstairs!
A rug acts as a cushion and is a protection against floor damage. Protect your hardwood floor from furniture marks, pet claws, accidental sharp or heavy objects falling, and other unsightly scratches that might happen to your floors.
These small carpets are regularly favored over wall-to-wall coverings because they are not difficult to clean and wash. They’re lightweight, portable, and can be removed at any time. Also, in case you get tired of the look, it’s easy to switch it out and replace it with a brand new one.
Rugs help to warm up your space and make it feel cozier. As they trap warmth in your house, it becomes more efficient and affordable to use these floor coverings.
As for the cost, they are considerably cheaper to buy than wall-to-wall carpeting, while replacing it is not a major expense.
Probably the most obvious reason to use area rugs at home is for their looks. They offer an extraordinary way of bringing together all of the elements of a room. For example, they can pull together various colors used in the interior style.
However, decorating floors with an area rug is not always straightforward. The collection of designs, colors, and textures can be overwhelming. Yet, if you get it right, the results can be amazing!
How to Select Area Rugs that Coordinate in Adjoining Rooms?
Living room
You need either all the furniture legs to rest comfortably on top of the rug, just the front legs need to be placed on the rug, or all furniture off the rug. If a layout with the sofa on the rug is what you have in mind, the rug needs to extend at least 6 inches on each side for proper scale.
One of the most common mistakes when rug shopping for the living room is buying one that is too small. On the off chance that you have a room and furniture in a standard size, make sure that the rug fits comfortably under all furniture in there. Putting all furniture on the floor covering will unify the pieces and create a defined seating area.
Dining room
The dining area is not the place for a heavy shaggy floor covering or any other carpet that requires significant care and attention. Instead, a large flat weave mat will not only be more manageable to clean in case a food accident happens.
Let the seats be a guideline. The floor covering needs to be large enough that the chairs sit on the surface even when pushed back from the table. The mat should extend beyond all sides of the dining table to allow for chairs to move back and forth without any problem.
Bedroom
Your bed should be the base for rug placement, which means that the rug needs to frame the bed. A high heap floor covering that runs the width and length of the bed can offer a soft and warm embrace for your feet even on the coldest of mornings. Front feet of bedside tables can sit on the rug’s edge. At the same time, it will further define the bedroom space.
Do Area Rugs Need to Match in Adjoining Rooms?
Decorating your adjoining rooms with area rugs provides several benefits for your interior design. The rug in each room will set a specific mood or tone for the whole interior and will help give shape to a space that would be otherwise undefined.
In any case, if you have two or more rugs at home, do they all need to match?
Without any doubt – no! Try to think of the rugs you have as fine art. You surely would not want to hang the artwork around your home that show exactly the same image, with the same color and pattern at the same time. That would be really confusing for your guests. No matter how much you like a particular painting, it should be unique. Duplicating it around a house is like having too many exactly the same area rugs.
Does the Living Room Rug and Dining Room Rug Have to Match?
Instead of matching rugs in the living and dining areas, try utilizing different rugs that have one or two colors in common. When linked by the color, the rugs may also have different designs.
As far as their sizes are concerned, you have much more margin to mix and match. Let’s say you have a 7×9 inch rug in the dining room, you can still place an 8×10 inch rug in the living room, or they could be the same size. Coordinating the size of the rug to the shape of a room is more important than matching sizes between multiple rugs.
Can You Use the Same Looking Rugs in Different Rooms?
The main principle for choosing area rugs in adjoining rooms or an open-plan space is to use rugs that have complementary patterns and have one or two colors in common.
Imagine that you are a visitor who is taking a tour of your home for the first time. As you walk from one room to another, can you immediately notice a consistent design aesthetic? Or, do some interiors give the unsightly impression that they have not yet been updated?
On the off chance that after this tour you decide to redesign any of the rooms, where would you start?
Many interior designers start with choosing the floor covering as a start point when decorating a space. It makes it much easier to find complementary fabrics, home accessories, wallpaper, or wall paint colors. In any case, it is important to understand to what extent the area rugs in adjoining rooms need to be matched.
For example, you can use two matching rugs for the living room and eating area. Next, add variety by selecting different hues for the upholstery in both rooms, such as yellow and gold for the living room, and red and gold for the dining space.
Here are some suggestions for matching rugs in different rooms, which will answer your question:
Pick a Complementary Color Pairing
A different kind of matching would be to get two solid-color or patterned rugs that look good together in adjoining rooms. The most common, safe color pairings include: blue with orange, yellow with purple, or red with green. These color combinations are at the end of the color wheel, so they are visually perceived in a pleasing way when you have clear visibility into the following rooms.
Emphasize One Solid Rug With a Colorful Pattern
In the case where you have an open floor plan or you can easily see another adjoining room, you can let one floor covering visually stand out the most. For example, the best way is to center or divide functional areas by using one rug with a splashy pattern and one with a solid color. The balance can likewise create the perception of distance or draw attention to a specific point in one region of your interiors.
Use Multiple Rugs in the Same Style
It’s quite possible to blend rug patterns across open spaces. However, they just can’t look completely different so they compete. Find rugs that share a common style, no matter whether they share age, pile height, or texture. A great, although a bit risky choice, would be to use oriental area rugs, e.g. Persian rugs.
Mix Multiple Rugs in the Same Color
You must use a dominant color when mixing different patterns of rugs. This way, your floor coverings will still look tastefully designed and beautiful across all your rooms. The patterns on your rugs do not really matter, they may be striped, dotted, floral, or with lines. But as long as there is one dominant color, it’s all relative. You should also match the size of the patterns so that they are evenly scaled. This way the rugs will look complementary in adjoining rooms.
For the best effect, you shouldn’t be lining your walls with furniture if you’re using mixed rug patterns. When you place solid-colored furniture onto these floor coverings, it can strengthen the edges. If you want to try bolder decor, break up two neutral color rugs with a heavily patterned runner.
Try Using Consistent or Contrasting Textures
Play with mixing the textures of your rugs. This is a simple way to make them look more interesting.
Neutral textured rugs make a great partition for open spaces and they are extremely versatile. As your taste evolves, you may switch your furniture and at the same time, keep a floor covering that’s timeless.
For example, cowhide and calfhide, sheepskins, and other floor coverings that are made from natural materials will not only match every color and style. They will also be a fascinating addition because of their unusual, coarse textures.
An easy way is to add a cushioned floor covering to divide a lounge or a reading area. Do this by pairing an armchair with a footstool and floor lamp to arrange a cozy corner in open floor space.
Now, you’re almost ready to go rug shopping. One last thing left is to read the tips below, which will help you make the right buying decision.
How to Choose a Rug Color?
You should take multiple samples of your home color scheme. This is because you need to buy a rug that complements the two or three main colors of your interiors.
When going to a store, take with you a small sample of a throw and pillow fabric, swatches of your curtains, furniture, flooring samples, or paint chips of wall colors. Otherwise, without any reference, you will find it very hard to visualize how all the colors are going to work together and whether they will tie the look of the room.
How to Choose a Rug Material?
There are different kinds of rug materials being used to make rugs and they range from natural fiber to synthetics. When selecting a material that’s best for your interiors you have to consider how the area will be used, what kind of traffic it will receive, and how much warmth and coziness it should provide.
Let’s have a look at the most commonly used materials for rugs.
Wool: This most widely used material is known for providing softness and durability. Due to its good water and stain repellency, it’s recommended for high-traffic areas.
Silk: Associated with luxury, silk rugs feel extremely soft to the touch and offer a delicate luster. Because of their fine texture, they are suitable for low-traffic areas.
Cotton: Usually less expensive than wool or silk. Cotton is often used to make flat weave floor coverings such as a Dhurrie and a kilim.
Natural grasses such as Sisal, Jute, Sea Grass: These are renewable, very strong and durable materials. Therefore, they fit well in sunny and high-traffic areas.
Animal skins: In the form of complete hides, stitched panels, or woven strips of tanned leather. Rugs made from animal skins are soft and durable but not suitable for high-traffic or damp and humid areas.
Synthetics: These are artificial fibers like viscose, nylon, and polypropylene. Synthetic rugs are so versatile, easy to clean, and suitable for different types of spaces and uses.
How to Choose an Area Rug Size and Shape?
Choosing a rug size that will fit your space comes down to three things.
Always go for a larger option as the bigger it is the better, especially if you’re choosing between sizes. A few inches more can make all the difference between the rug pulling the space together or making it feel disconnected.
Choose the rug size according to your room size. Ensure that it’s proportional to the space, e.g. having a large room requires a large rug. The rug’s orientation must also match the room’s dimensions, e.g. a long room requires lengthwise orientation.
To imitate the rug placement before purchasing, use painter’s tape on the floor. This is a simple trick that will let you visualize the final look and check that you’ve got the right fit from every vantage point.
Interior designers often apply the principle of putting round shaped rugs under round or square tables, and rectangular shape rugs under rectangular or oblong tables. However, you don’t have to always stick to this rule. You could use a round rug in a rectangular area to soften the edges.
On a Final Note,
It’s important to remember not to match the colors of the rugs to perfection. The rooms will lack energy and excitement when colors are matched too closely. It is against interior design principles to decorate rooms this way. The colors of different rooms should be related but not the same.
Coordinating area rugs that show different tones of the same color, or rugs with just one or two colors in common will create a more sophisticated look for the adjoining rooms in your home.