I’ve always preferred the look of area rugs over wall-to-wall carpeting. A great rug can take a room that’s drab, and make it interesting, colorful, fun, or cozy. It’s like a huge piece of artwork that lives on your floor. They can tell a story through their patterns, origin, or provenance. They can even be hung on the wall as a piece of art.
My favorite rugs are the more traditional Persian rugs. I love the colors, patterns and the stories about the patterns and how they were created.
I like to put antique rugs like this with streamlined contemporary furniture to create transitional rooms that are comfortable, not fussy.
I also like some of the more contemporary rugs and can easily see how they could look fabulous with more traditional furniture. For instance: the rug below could look great paired with some French country pieces done in pale to medium colors of French blue, pinks to rich reds, and even yellows.
Some dear friends of mine who are architects had a wonderful Flokati rug mixed in with mid-century modern furniture. When I first saw it I thought of the bad shag rugs of the 70’s, but their Flokati was beautiful and really worked in the room.
And of course I have to throw in animal prints. I love them! They can take anything from ultra traditional to ultra contemporary and add a touch of whimsy and a dash of fun.
With so many interesting choices out there, what are your favorites? Do you like rugs or prefer carpeting? Do you worry about not being able to “match” things to patterned rugs? I say, mix it up and be bold!