Size isn’t everything – shape matters too

When you think about a new rug for a room, probably the first thing you do is reach for a tape measure. Obviously, the rug has to fit the space – there is nothing worse than buying a large rug and then finding you can’t open the door – but you should also consider the shape as well, because using a round rug can really give a floor space some definition. Most rooms, perhaps obviously, are square or rectangular and this is reinforced by how we place the furniture – normally around the walls or opposite other items. Think two sofas facing or a couple of bookcases and chairs around the wall. If you introduce a round rug into this scenario, it gives a bit of fluidity and makes the whole area look less formal. 

Read the full article at the Rug Zone Blog 

Mixing and matching shapes and sizes of rugs for a co-ordinated look

When you move into somewhere new or just fancy a change, using rugs to stamp your personality is a really easy thing to do. Are you a bit of an old-fashioned person who likes to hang on to family pieces and memorabilia? Traditional rugs will probably suit you best. Do you like to chop and change and move the furniture around? Looking for rugs for sale at bargain prices will probably be your best choice, because you can make a difference without spending a fortune. If you like minimalist designs and not too much clutter, you can make a statement with a shaggy rug in an accent colour. But to stop it all looking a bit like a ‘bulk buy’ you can use different shapes and sizes in the same overall style.

Large rugs

Most rugs come in a variety of sizes and you can use this to your advantage whatever style you choose. Traditional rugs, even totally modern ones, use certain design features which are repeated in a specific way. This means whether you choose a  small, medium  or large size rug, you will always have a common element which ties them together, even if you choose different colourways. Using one large rug in the main room and then continuing the theme round the house using smaller rugs or even carpet runners in the hall and up the stairs will make your home seem very calm, even if you choose bright shades. It is the repetition which makes a cohesive décor look and this is subliminally calming.

Keep all the features except the shape

This is another way of making your rugs all ‘hang together’. Whether you go for shaggy rugs, designer rugs or traditional ones, choosing round rugs in some rooms where you have had square or rectangular in others still has the all-through effect. Shaggy rugs in particular look great in the round option and if you have an open plan lounge/diner you can use different shapes in the different areas, sticking to the same colour (or colour family) and texture. Many coloured rugs come in a palette – keep to just one such as autumnal, blues and greens; red is best kept alone as it clashes with almost everything, even itself!

Designer rugs with carved pile

A very popular choice for an accent in a room is a cut pile designer rug. These often have very bold colours and are best left as a statement, but by taking one of the background colours and buying a neutral rug, you can tie the look together very stylishly. In this particular instance, you can also keep to the same size or proportions – changing too much at once can lose the all-in-one design element in your décor. Whatever you decide, with rugs which share a design feature, you can change rooms as and when you wish without spending any more money.

When the house just seems too small!

It isn’t always easy to move to somewhere larger with house prices rising and mortgages still hard to get. The rental market is very strong as well and many people are finding themselves stuck somewhere that is just too cramped for their use. This is especially true for families where the children are getting older and are sharing a room unwillingly. The secret is to make little corners of the house the special place for just one person, so that boundaries are kept up and no one feels that they have no privacy.

Living rooms

Living rooms often suffer from the fact that the television is in there and so anyone trying to do something that takes concentration is having to compete with the noise. There are several ways to look at this and both involve headphones! It is possible to buy sets of headphones and a sender which plugs into the TV so that only people watching will hear. This also works if one person is deaf and needs the volume up. This can give a rather surreal effect, though, because the people watching will react and it can be just as disturbing. The person not watching TV could wear the earphones instead – there are various apps for white noise that block out extraneous sound without breaking concentration.

Use physical dividers

Using furniture is one way to divide up a bedroom or lounge diner. Putting different floor coverings down – for example take a look at these  large traditional rug in the sitting area, or maybe a less formal shaggy rug in the family room – will also demarcate what each bit of a room is to be used for. In children’s bedrooms, round rugs in the ‘communal’ area will clarify who had which bit as their private space. You can also use colour to show that you are in another’s territory – neutral rugs giving way to jazzy colours will soon show who owns what.

Courtesy will win the day

The problem with families is that they often forget that they have to be as polite to each other as to other people. ‘Please’ and ‘thank you’ are words you sadly don't hear very much inside the average home and that is a shame. Showing that you are grateful for things done for you by others is a way of making them feel valued, as is showing proper respect for another’s belongings and space.

Charity shop chic

Upcycling and charity shop furnishing is all the rage these days but there isn’t really any need to make alterations or do funky things with paint and decoupage if you buy well to start with. There are some things that perhaps are not what you would want in your home without some serious cleaning and detoxing – second-hand shaggy rugs would probably fall into this category – but antique persian rugs along with any furniture with no upholstered parts are often fine after a wipe through with a damp cloth. If drawers or cupboards smell a little musty, it is easy to put that right with a bag of bicarbonate of soda in a corner, perhaps with a few lavender flowers added to perfume the space.

Things to watch for

Believe it or not, woodworm is not an automatic ‘no-no’. If there is no sign of new infestation then the chances are that the piece has been treated already and will be fine to bring into the house. New infestations of woodworm show ‘mealy’ deposits around the holes, which look a little damp and fresh. Even if you have active woodworm, it is easy to treat and as long as it isn’t disfiguring a piece you otherwise like, go for it. If you are buying for fun, you don't really need to worry too much about whether a piece has been stripped or over polished but if you think you have spotted a potential money-spinner, buy with care in these circumstances because with the patina of age gone, you may have said goodbye to the value too.

Buy what you like

Fashions in collectables come and go and it is never worth buying something because you think it is worth money. Apart from the dubious morals of buying something for pence in a charity shop and making money from it – the clue is in the word ‘charity’ after all – buying something you think is pretty hideous because you might make money down the line can come back and bite you. It is fair to say that not many people think Clarice Cliff pieces are ‘beautiful’ because the painting is a bit rough and ready at best and their value is dropping in the marketplace today, so tough luck on all those people who bought as an investment. You have been warned. On the other hand, a lovely mellow traditional rug made by the old knotting method will give much pleasure and they are holding their own, price wise.

What can you do with round rugs?

What shape comes to mind when you think about rugs? Some people will immediately think of square or oblong rugs, while others will imagine hall or carpet runners that are long and thin. Either way you’re missing out on one particular shape that can be well worth looking into.

We’re talking about round rugs, and the good news is they come in lots of different sizes. You will always find they are measured across the middle, so you know the widest point before you order. Often they come in several sizes, so you can pick the most appropriate one for your needs. You might even decide to pick several of different sizes to create a more unusual effect for your home.

Before you order, have a think about where the rug will be situated. Do you want to order one to go beneath a round table for example? Perhaps you just want a couple to ‘dot’ around a room instead of being in a specific place. Either way it helps to visualise where they will go so you can imagine what the finished effect will be. If you are planning to put furniture on top of your new rug, make sure the furniture will fit. If you have a table and you only have one or two legs sitting on the rug, it might make it uneven or unstable, so bear this in mind.

Colour is another important thing to think about with regard to round rugs. If you opt for plain colours, why not get a couple of round rugs that are of different colours? Providing they complement each other they will look just fine. Alternatively you may prefer to get a stripy rug if your floor surface is already plain. It’s a fast and easy way to jazz things up a bit.

Smaller round rugs are easy to move around from room to room as well. They also have the advantage of being easy to move while staying in the same place. Rotating the rugs means you won’t get wear in just one area, and yet the rug stays in the same place to achieve the effect you want. Make the most of your creativity with the round rugs you’ll see here. With some confidence on your part and a great selection of rugs to choose from on ours, you’ll get the perfect combination you seek.