The Ultimate Guide To Choosing Modern Rugs

Whether you’re looking for something sleek and stylish, geometric, abstract or anything else, a modern rug can really transform an interior space. Coming in a huge variety of sizes, shapes and styles, the importance of these soft furnishings is often overlooked – it shouldn’t be, however. Ellen Priors from Persian & Modern Rugs wanted to talk through some of the key features of modern rugs, questions you should be asking before purchasing one, and ultimately, which rug to buy!

What’s Your Budget?

Undeniably the most important question for most people, your budget is going to be the primary factor dictating which modern rug you ultimately buy. Clearly, the price of a modern rug depends on several different factors, including size, style and materials. As a rough estimate, though, a rug measuring at 3.6m x 2.7m (which is a solid size for most rooms in the house) will set you back between £300 and £600. Again, though, it’ll very much depend on the rug you’re looking at, in particular.

What Room Is Your Rug For?

Another important consideration is which room your rug is actually being purchased for. You might want a very different modern rug for the bedroom, for example, than you would for the living room or dining room.

Different rugs evoke different moods and feelings, and given that different rooms in the house also do that, you want to make sure you’re getting a rug that suits the room, in question.

You might want something soft and plush for your bedroom, for instance, whereas for the living room you might want something a little ‘heavier-duty’, that can take a trampling from the kids, will be easy to clean and that’s going to be able to take more of a beating day-to-day, so to speak.

Choose A Rug To Complement Your Interior

It might seem obvious, but you should choose a modern rug that complements and enhances your existing space, rather than worsening it. Now, most people aren’t consciously going to choose a rug to deliberately worsen their space, that’s only obvious, however sometimes people get so blinkered about their love for the rug, that they don’t think about how it’s going to sit within the room.

A traditional rug, for example, is a beautiful thing, truly something to behold – but if you put it in a minimalistic new-build apartment, the chances are that it’ll look out of place, with neither the rug nor the space looking better as a result. Similarly, if you live in a picturesque, chocolate-box thatched cottage in the heart of the countryside, then unfurling a geometric or abstract rug is going to seem similarly poorly suited.

A General Rule

Generally speaking, the darker the hue of your rug, and the thicker the material, the warmer and cozier the feel that it’s going to create. Conversely, if you’re looking to create a lighter feel, then opting for lighter colors; cream, pale blue, white, etc. is going to be a better choice.

Similarly, choosing a finer, thinner material will help create a similarly light and breezier feel. What you choose? It’s entirely up to you, just remember that simple idea! Darker equals warm and cozy, and lighter equals fresher, brighter and more open!

What Are The Different Modern Rug Styles?

Modern rugs are by no means a one-size-fits all kind of thing; whether it be their differing shape, size or style, there’s a huge amount of variety in the rugs out there on offer. So, what styles actually are there? The following list provides a fairly comprehensive idea (though not exhaustive) of the kinds of modern rugs that you can look to buy:

• Abstract
• Designer
• Subtle
• Plain
• Lattice
• Stripes
• Circles
• Floral
• Geometric
• Medallion
• All-Over
• Patchwork
• Over-Dyed

Tips For Choosing The Right Rug

There are several key tips to know before purchasing a rug, that’ll make your life so much easier, and more straightforward, when you do.

1. Know Your Room Measurements

For a start, know your room measurements. There’s nothing worse than finding your dream modern rug online, before going on to realize it won’t fit your room, or it’ll be so small that it’ll just look ridiculous. Save yourself heartbreak, embarrassment and a great deal of frustration by getting those measurements memorized in your head before you go browsing!

2. Don’t Forget About Corridors & Smaller Spaces!

Don’t rule out your corridors! Another key tip is not to forget about your corridors; in fact, these non-rooms can often make the best location to place your rugs, helping turn an often-forgotten about part of the home into a welcoming and comfortable zone of transition. But a rug isn’t going to fit into a corridor, right? Wrong.

Runner rugs are a special, narrow type of rug specially designed to fit into narrow spaces – corridors being the perfect example. Because of their usually diminutive size (at least, when compared with rugs designed to cover an entire room) runner rugs are also often cheaper, too, making them an ideal option for those people decorating on a budget.

3. What Rug Should I Get?

Look out for how your rug has been made; there’s no one ‘best’ type of rug, of course, but hand-knotted/handmade will usually be the best quality available. That said, these also tend to be more expensive and machine-produced rugs (known more commonly in the trade as ‘machine-loomed’) are by no means a bad alternative if you’re operating on more of a budget.

4. Don’t Forget The Underlay!

One of the most important things when buying a rug, yet also ironically one of the most commonly forgotten about, is purchasing underlay (or a pad) for your rug. Pads help anchor a rug, preventing it from slipping around, as well as providing an additional comfy springiness to your rug, too.