How To

How to Choose the Right Rug

Solids and colors and patterns! Oh, my!

You’re almost ready to start rug shopping. First, take a quick inventory of your color scheme. To tie the look of the room together, you’ll want to select a rug that complements the two or three main colors in the room.

If you go to a store, we suggest you take a throw pillow and a color swatch of your drapes, furniture or wall colors with you. It’s incredibly hard to visualize how the colors will work together without any reference. And if you’re considering a Ballard Designs rug, we strongly suggest you order a swatch first.

Use these basics to get you started on your hunt:

• If your primary furniture, such as a sofa, is a solid color, consider selecting a patterned rug.
• Match the secondary color in a patterned rug to your sofa. Match the third rug color to your pillows, drapes, wall color or other accents in the room.
• If your primary furniture is upholstered in a pattern or is elaborate in design, a solid-colored rug would work really well.
• Make sure a solid-colored rug complements your sofa color, and match it to the accent colors in the room, such as artwork or a vase.

Since a rug serves to anchor the room, the color and style of your rug can establish the mood.
Dark, rich colors help define a more intimate space while lighter colors make a smaller space
appear larger. Spicy hues such as yellow, orange or red add warmth while cool colors create
calm, especially in a sunny room.

Got it? Now it’s time to go rug shopping. Happy hunting!

Tags: area rugs