Biggest Mistakes Done When Choosing Rugs

Three of the Biggest Mistakes Done When Choosing Rugs and How to Fix Them

The problem people often encounter when buying rugs isn’t the lack of options, but the overwhelming number of alternatives they have to evaluate before making their purchase. You have to decide what style of a rug you want. Do you want something traditional or something more Bohemian? Perhaps you fancy something trendy you saw someone on Instagram had. Do you get whatever design as long as it’s on sale? Once you’re settled on a design, there’s the issue of how big the size of the rug should be. How does one make the right choice when there are thousands of options and combinations of those options? 

To make this daunting task a little bit simpler, you need to learn the common mistakes and pitfalls people make when buying rugs. This way, you can avoid them. Furthermore, you need to know the solutions to these problems and mistakes so you can fix them! To make it as simple as possible, it all boils down to three things. One is choosing the wrong rug size; you can’t go too big or too small. Two is choosing a poor-quality rug just for its price. And three is choosing a rug that is either too simple or too trendy.  

Choosing the rugs that is too big or too small

Living room with chairs
Photo by Josh Hemsley on Unsplash ​​

People usually make the mistake of choosing a rug that is too small although the mistake can also go in the other direction. Large rugs that take up the whole room can make a space feel smaller and swallowed up. If your rug was too small, it breaks up a room into even smaller sections, and it does not look very good either. Take note of all these mistakes because they are very commonly made. At the same time, they are also very easy to fix so you don’t have to worry about having to come up with complicated solutions.  

The general rule for living rooms is you want your rug to be a few inches bigger than the distances between all the furniture that surrounds it. The reason for this is that you want your space to look like it makes up a whole room.

 For the rug under dining tables, you want the rug to be big enough so that when people move their chair back to sit or stand, the legs don’t touch the actual floor. This not only distinguishes your dining area from other parts of your home (especially if you have an open floor plan), but it also protects your expensive flooring from the wear and tear of your dining chair constantly scratching against them.  

 

The problem with rug sizing and placement in the bedroom is that there is a lot of floor area to cover. You want the area rug to be big enough to go under the bed and a few inches under the side tables and still be seen. This usually costs a lot of money because it entails a very large rug. What’s worse is that you don’t even get to see the rug you spend so much money on because the majority of it is hidden under your bed. The solution most designers go for is moving the rug down halfway so that only half of the rug is covered. Some even go as far as only placing the rug a third of the way under the bed.  

 

Prioritizing quantity over quality 

Living room with a rug
Photo by Ryan Christodoulou on Unsplash​​

Everyone loves a good bargain, but your rug is probably not the best thing to thrift or buy from a flea market. Look for reliable sellers that use quality materials and have ethical labor practices. Be thoughtful when it comes to buying your rug because you want it to last years and years. You want something well-made with durable materials. You want something that is easy to clean or is resistant to stains. They also make washable rugs, so consider purchasing that sort if your household is particularly messy. 

While we’re on the subject of keeping the rug in good shape, also consider getting a rug pad. It might seem like an extra expense at the start but it’s going to save you a lot of time and effort if you just spring for a rug pad from the beginning. Besides, they are usually pretty affordable. Its purpose is not only helping your rug stay in place and preventing people from hurting themselves from slipping on the rug, but also providing extra cushioning for more comfort. Furthermore, if the rug stays in place, the less likely it is that the furniture on it will move, causing tears and abrasions to the fabric.  

Going too simple or going to trendy 

Beautiful rug
Photo by Kadir Celep on Unsplash​​

Let’s face it, scrolling through Pinterest for interior design ideas is fun and helpful, but not everything that’s suggested on our home page is going to be suited to our home’s aesthetic. Novelty tufted rugs might seem fun now, but what about in five years? Trends pass and they die out, so the safest way to shop for rug designs is to go for something timeless. Traditional area rugs are classic. They’re remained in style for hundreds of years and will continue to be fashionable in the foreseeable future. There are so many styles and colors to choose from, so you won’t get bored even if the rugs are “traditional”.  

 You can also go for simpler, more minimalistic rugs if traditional is not aligned with your tastes. But don’t be afraid to explore different types of modern and simple rugs. They don’t have to be just a solid color. They can have texture, simple geometric designs, they can be shaggy, and they can have abstracts prints on them. Don’t make the mistake of going too simple because you may get bored of what you get. If all the pieces of decor in your living room are just solid colors, then it’s going to look boring. Print is not the enemy or minimalism, you simply have to choose the right kind of prints.

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