SHOULD YOUR RUG MATCH YOUR WALL COLOUR? HOW TO SYLE YOUR LIVING ROOM CORRECTLY

Choosing the right colour rug for your living room can be overwhelming, but don’t panic, I’ve got tips to make sure it matches your wall colour perfectly – and they might surprise you.

Winter is coming, and while those wooden floorboards seemed like such a good idea at the time, you’ve realised you want (read as: need) to add a bit of warmth to the living room.

photo: spacejoy via unsplash

There are an abundance of rugs available, but where to start?

As I always say, it’s about dissecting what you need and want from the rug, not worrying if your rug should match your wall colour. Start by asking yourself the following questions:

Will I be wearing shoes on the rug?

You can be honest, there is no judgement from me. My partner and I ~like~ to think we’re a shoes-off-at-the-door household, but then I still can’t ~quite~ bring myself to ask guests to walk around in their socks. And of course, there is always the dash back in the house for forgotten phone/keys/wallet – where my shoes stay firmly on.

So why does this matter? Well, you might want to go for a darker coloured rug, the marks won’t show up and you can be less precious about walking over it.

Do I have pets?

photo: Chewy via unsplash

The worst money I ever spent was on a hand-made checkerboard tufted rug, I had it shipped from Morocco and the wool sucked in every speck of dirt and debris my poochon, Sunday, brought in from the garden. It was difficult to hoover and it never looked clean. In its place, I went for a flat-weave, washable rug from Ruggable; I compromised a little on style for cleanability and I haven’t looked back.

Are you clumsy?

Always spilling wine? Coffee? Pasta sauce? Yeah, think about going with a darker colour scheme or a washable rug.

WHAT SHOULD THE RUG MATCH IN THE LIVING ROOM?

You want the rug to match the overall ‘vibe’ of the room. Now, I know you might be banging your head against the table at this point and shouting ‘what does ‘the vibe’ mean!’ but hear me out. If your living room is very traditional or it’s very gothic then you’ll want your rug to reflect that etc, etc.

When it comes to the colour of your rug, it doesn’t have to be the same colour as a specific design feature, especially not your walls. As a start, pick out the key colours you have in your wall art or on sofa cushions to tie it in with the rest of the living room.

Rugs are the best way to experiment with pattern and colour without being too committal. It’s not a permanent fixture so you can change it up, even swap it seasonally: have one for summer and one for winter.

SHOULD YOUR CARPET BE LIGHTER OR DARKER THAN THE WALLS?

It doesn’t really matter, however, as a (very) general rule, I’d steer away from your rug being the exact-same colour as your wall colour – you want to draw your eye somewhere as you step into the room.

But again, don’t get too caught up in thinking about a specific shade or colour if you like a rug. Instead, does it work for your lifestyle and does it complement how the room feels? That way, you can’t go wrong.

Want some more inspiration: shop my top rugs below:

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