When faced with decorating a room, sometimes it can get overwhelming when you’re trying to figure out where to start. Coming up with a central theme or décor element is always a good place to start, as it provides a focal point, and offers colors and styles to follow throughout. Consistency is key, as is attention to detail. That’s why it’s so easy to decorate a room around your favorite area rug.
Furnishing a room around your favorite area rug is a great design idea because textiles have built-in curated color. The trick is to create a palette that forms the basis for your room.
You already know you love the colors and patterns of your rug, so it stands to reason that the rest of the décor will fall into place and offer a high level of visual interest. It also helps to have an interior design consultant on your side who knows area rugs inside and out and can provide further assistance to bring all the elements together.
In the meantime, here are some tips to follow.
Make the Rug the Focal Point
Many Oriental rugs are colorful with intricate patterns. Because of that busyness, the rug should be the dominant factor in the room. Think of the rug as the main actor, with all the other accents and furniture pieces playing supporting actor roles. To find those supporting actors, pull from the colors in the rug.
Amplify a Non-Dominant Color
If you’re taking cues from your area rug, try to pull out the least expected hue. For example, if the main background color is a pink/orange color, don’t choose fabrics and furniture with those dominant hues because they will fade into the background. Instead, pull out a less-dominant, more interesting shade. For example, if the rug’s border is a teal blue, pull from that color, offset with other pieces in a taupe for instance.
You want your furniture to look distinct from the rug, not get lost in it. Echo the rug’s dominant color elsewhere, such as for throw pillows and blankets.
Use Solid Sofas
Don’t go with a busy pattern for your sofa. Instead, try a muted tone that won’t upstage the beauty of your custom area rug. A contrasting fabric color adds energy.
Stay Away From Exact Matches
Yes, you want to draw a color from the rug, but avoid hitting it exactly to prevent monotony and boredom. In other words, you want the same color family, but just a bit off for a dynamic variation that sparks visual interest.
Offset Pattern Size
Let’s say your rug has a large-scale pattern. When choosing drapes to complement it, go with a small-to-medium pattern rather than the same large-scale pattern as the rug. This doesn’t mean you should shy away from patterns. Go ahead and choose an interesting pattern, as solids can be considered a lazy fashion choice.
Carry Color Through the Whole Room
The goal is to balance the rug’s color and pattern on the floor, with the walls and even ceiling. You can carry that color theme with artwork, wallpaper, or window treatments. Throw even more of those colors into your pillows and other accessories.
Choose Patterned Rugs
As we said before, most Oriental rugs feature busy patterns anyway, but be sure to go with a patterned rug in a main room that gets a lot of traffic. That way, spills, stains, pet hair, and wear and tear will remain hidden.
Rug patterns tend to look quieter once laid flat on the floor. Studies have suggested that patterns appear muted when not at eye level. This gives you the freedom to choose a bolder, more vibrant rug for the space than you may have otherwise been comfortable with.
Mix Patterns
Many people get intimidated by mixing patterns, but don’t shy away from this concept. If the colors coordinate, many pattern types can co-exist in harmony at once (solid, stripe, geometric, floral). Don’t shy away from color, either. The easiest place to add a lot of color is on your floor. In this location, it has less impact than a bold pattern placed anywhere else in the room, while still enriching and energizing the space.
Get Interior Design Help From Roja Rugs Consultants
Our interior design consultants know all about the interior design rules for rugs, modern decorating with Oriental rugs, and even decorating with Turkish rugs. In fact, we are the area’s premier authority on interior design rug rules, so contact us to book a consult today. Roja Rugs is your source in Marin County for fine rugs for sale, with designs that are original and carefully curated to meet a wide range of home décor tastes and budgets.