Area rugs dos and dont's

Area rugs define your space by dictating where a group of furniture should be placed, and unifies the space. If, for example, you have a large room that serves both as the living cum dining room, area rugs will help define the living room and the dining room. Rugs also boost the look of your space by making it feel complete through their colours and patterns.

But this does not mean that you just walk into a shop, buy a rug, and place it anywhere, anyhow. There are certain things you need to consider, hence, the dos and don'ts:

• The size of your rug should match the size of the room. Ideally, when you place the rugs, let the front legs of your furniture sit on the rug. Letting the rug run under the furniture gives an impression that the rug continues indefinitely, making your space feel larger. For the master bedroom, let the rug run beneath the bottom two-thirds of the bed. This way, you can step on it when you get out of your bed in the morning. The rug in your dining room should be large enough so that when you pull out the chairs from the table, they are still on the rug.

• A rug should not look like a post office stamp on an envelope. Many people place it on the floor just to anchor the coffee table yet it is meant to anchor the entire living room. Ensure your rug is not dwarfed by the surroundings.

• Ensure the spaces you leave on all sides of your rug are the same so that the rug looks centred in the room.

• If your rug has beautiful patterns, do not hide it with bulky furniture.

• Mix your patterns: Ideally, a patterned rug would call for plain curtains and vice versa. However, you can still have a patterned rug and patterned curtains as long as the scales of the patterns are different.

• Select your furniture before your rug since you are bound to keep your seats longer than the rug. It is cheaper to change rugs than furniture so whenever you are bored of the look of your one, you simply change the carpet.

• Never leave a tiled floor bare. A tiled living room without a rug looks literally bare and is very cold. Rugs make the arrangement of the room look better and feel warmer under the feet.

• Even if your floor has a wall-to-wall carpet, an area rug on top will give it a more finished look.

• The trafficked areas in your room should all be covered so that when people are walking they have both feet on the carpet.

• Some rugs like Persian rugs can be quite costly. Don't put them in places where there is a high likelihood of spills and accidents because some spills are difficult to clean.

• If you are looking for a long-term rug, don't buy a smaller one since these have fewer options when it comes to placements in the room.

• Experiment with your area rugs by rotating them once in a while to get a different feel for your space. Like I shared recently, you can also hang them on the wall. How about trying an area rug in the kitchen too?

• Make a bold statement by using bright colours and patterns. Your home is your pride and should display your personality.