Finding the perfect rug for a small room can be a bit of a process—you want something that will complement your space and décor without dominating the entire room. When decorating any room, it’s all about maximizing space, so most of us want to make our smaller rooms look more spacious with a stylish rug. However, unlocking your room’s potential doesn’t happen by chance; it takes an eye for design and selecting the right rug.
If you have no idea where to start, have no fear—this is the perfect place to learn more about styling your home with a cleverly placed rug. Follow Tufenkian’s tips and tricks to discover how to choose the perfect rug to make a room look bigger and more inviting.
Why Add a Rug to Your Home?
Rugs add a sense of completion and elegance to your home and can help tie everything in a room together. Most of this article will discuss how rugs can make a room feel more expansive and comfortable, but there are other benefits, too.
Comfort. Especially if you love hardwood floors, a rug can add softness and warmth to your home. This is especially true for a living area where people gather or in bedrooms. A smaller living area that is used for hosting guests can especially benefit from a rug that makes the room look bigger.
Quiet. While tile or hardwood floors are going to enhance the many noises of a busy home, carpets and rugs absorb noise and create a more peaceful environment.
Better health. Carpet tends to trap allergens that are traveling in the air of your home, so if you vacuum regularly, those that suffer from allergies or other breathing conditions can enjoy a more comfortable environment in space that has a rug in it.
Rugs are a cozy, plush, and classic flooring option that will elevate any room, especially a small space. Let’s get into the features you should look for when buying a rug for a smaller room.
Use 1 Large Area Rug
The key to using rugs to make a room look bigger most often comes down to size. A correctly sized rug gives the illusion that your room is bigger than it is, though other factors contribute to that vision. Most commonly, people tend to choose area rugs that are too small, shrinking the room and making it look choppy. Some people try to use multiple small rugs to cover more area, but that will only make the room feel both smaller and more divided.
Instead, you should opt for a larger rug that brings the room together and creates a unified space. You can even get an “oversized” rug as long as it doesn’t overcrowd the room too much; to avoid this, place the rug at least 12 inches from every surrounding wall. Then there’s the furniture—you can have some overlapping furniture or you can place the rug in the center of the room with a couple of inches bare around all sides.
It can be better to buy your rug after you know the space and furniture you’re working with since the rug size will depend on the furniture you have in your room. Don’t be afraid to let your furniture sit atop the rug not outside of it if that works better for your room—some people believe this creates a smaller-looking environment, but that’s a common misconception. You can even have just the first two legs of a piece of furniture on the rug and still have a cohesive arrangement.
Select A Rug with Little or No Texture
Remember, small rooms get crowded quickly and don’t need a lot added to them in order to look and feel complete. It’s natural to want décor that has personality and excitement, but while a lot of texture is visually interesting, it can overwhelm your small space and do more damage than good. We do love a strongly textured rug, but save it for larger rooms that have the real estate for high-interest area rugs.
A lighter rug can still be plush and soft without drawing too much attention from the rest of the room. These rugs are also going to be easier to clean, so especially if you are working with a high-traffic area, lose the texture and stick with a low- to mid-pile rug.
Color 101
Many people wonder what color carpet makes a room look bigger since color is one of the most visually stimulating elements to design. You may find an intricately-colored rug that you love, but if we could give one piece of advice that works for practically every smaller room, go with lighter tones. Darker colors are going to absorb a lot of the light in the room and draw the eye, but lighter colors reflect that light and give it back to the room. So, using light-colored area rugs in your small space will make the room itself feel lighter, brighter, and therefore more spacious.
The best strategy is to use pale pastels, natural-looking neutrals, and off-white to brighten the room. Neutrals are great for a clean, minimalist look and will also be usable for years to come. If you’re going to spend the money on a large, luxurious rug, a neutral one will go with dozens of designs, even as your personal style changes. If a neutral feels too plain for you, a pale pastel can uplift the whole room while adding a pop of color. Either way, light colors create a larger feeling atmosphere in your small space.
Do’s and Don’ts of Patterns
Patterns are a great way to spruce up your room, but similar to color and texture, not all patterns will lend to brightening and opening up a room. If you want to use a pattern on your rug. Make sure the scale of the pattern is appropriate for the size of the room.
For example, when trying to create a larger feeling in a smaller space, we suggest using a larger pattern that's not too busy. However, if you have a lot of furniture that fills up most of the room, you can go for a smaller pattern that will balance out the room. If you don’t know quite what to go for pattern-wise, we recommend thin strips and lines—this will give you a classic and timeless look without overwhelming your space.
What Kind of Rugs Make a Room Look Bigger?
Here are the highlights that we’ve discussed in this article when you’re on the lookout for great rugs to make a room look bigger:
Get an area rug large enough to fit all your furniture atop it or one that has an 8-12 inch border of free space around it.
Stick to little to no texture when it comes to material.
Go for light or muted colors, like neutrals or pastels.
Try a run with large patterns, especially with lines or stripes.
If you’re ready to start browsing top-quality floor furnishings to take your home to the next level of comfort and luxury, check out Tufenkian’s selection of area rugs. Shop Tufenkian rugs today to find the perfect fit for your small space.
