Rugs come in a wide variety of colours, shades and tones. When researching how to choose a rug, both the colour and material will need to be considered. The right rug colour can enhance the atmosphere and ambience of a room, complementing existing furniture, and adding character. The wrong colour rug can make a room feel dark or lifeless.
In this blog, we’ll give you some Rug Love advice on how to choose a rug with a colour that will add, not detract from a room. We’ll also cover how to pick a rug for the living room that will ensure cohesion, and create a room that suits your style and taste.
Understanding the Role of Colour in Interior Design
Colour plays a role in interior design, influencing the aesthetic and emotional aspects of a space. Colour is a powerful tool that can enhance the functionality and beauty of a room while influencing your emotions as well.
Mood Setting: Colour theory explains how different colours can affect our mood. Colour theory applies to rugs as well. If you want to know how to choose a rug that will create a desired mood, the basics of colour theory tell us that cool colours like blue or green create a calm, relaxed atmosphere while warm colours like red or orange generate energy and warmth.
Complementing Existing Furniture: When considering your colour preferences for how to choose a rug, it’s also important to select a rug colour that works with your existing furniture, walls and other elements. That is unless you want to get new furniture as well as a new rug! By considering existing shades and tones, you can create visual cohesion in the room.
How to Choose a Rug Colour: Factors to Consider
Because your brain is involved in colour perception, your subconscious mind is also at work when it comes to how you receive and respond to colour.
Room Size and Light: One point to consider is the availability of light sources in your room. When a room has natural light available, this light bounces off the flooring. Lighter colours can make a small room feel bigger, while darker colours add intimacy and warmth to larger spaces.
Flooring Colour: Another consideration for how to choose a rug that will work for you is to look at the shade of the floor. It is important to recognise that the flooring will impact the rug colour choice—neutral rugs won’t stand out on neutral floors, so consider bolder shades for contrast.
Functionality and Traffic: Also consider the amount of traffic in the room. Lighter rugs may need more cleaning, while darker rugs are more practical for high-traffic areas. Darker colours often hide stains or dirt better. Your choice of material might also impact your colour options, so you need to know how to select a rug by colour and texture at the same time. Wool rugs come in a range of colours, but there may be some colour limitations compared to synthetic rugs.
Popular Rug Colours and Their Benefits
Each shade and tone will add something to the experience of your living room.
Neutral Tones: Neutral rug colours like beiges, greys and whites will never go out of fashion. Rugs in neutral tones have a timeless appeal, thanks in part to the versatility they offer. Natural tones fit easily into any room and give you the opportunity to instead create interest or drama with your furniture or fittings. Brown rugs in tones like beige will provide gentle warmth while grey creates a cooler feel.
Bold and Vibrant Colours: Rugs in brighter and bolder colours like reds, blues and yellows can make a statement and energise a space. If your room is lacking colour, then a bright rug can add contrast with a pop of colour. Using brightly coloured rugs is not just about picking a colour you like, it’s also about how that colour creates mood and ambience within the room. This is why you need to know all about how to choose a rug for living room requirements.
Patterns and Accents: Patterned rugs have been highly admired and sought after for centuries. Patterned rugs incorporate multiple colours, adding complexity and a visual anchor to the room. And there are so many options for you to consider! From traditional floral or Oriental to more modern rug designs like stripes, there are plenty of patterns to explore and play with. Themed living spaces also impact how to choose a rug that will add rich character and depth.
Find the Perfect Rug Colour to Elevate Your Living Room
The right colour rug will make all the difference. Find your perfect colour at Rug Love!
Rug colour recap:Colour is a key consideration when trying to find out how to choose a rug for your living room. Not only do you need to think about your colour preferences, but you also need to be deliberate about the mood you are seeking to create. Colour theory can help you understand common colour associations, and will inform how to choose a rug for your desired effect.
Find your perfect colour match atRugLove: Your perfect rug is a simple yet powerful way to transform your living room or shared space. If you have a colour in mind, you can search our website using the colour catalogue. If you are leaning towards a grey rug, black rug, or white rug, you can filter your results to see your options. Or if you want a blue, green, red or pink rug, we have heaps of choices for these too.
Browse the colourful Rug Love collection: At RugLove, we have a finely curatedcollection of rugs, in a huge variety of colours, shades, tones and prints. Our handy website search tool can equip you with all you need to know about how to choose a rug that works for your living space.
