How to Choose an Area Rug for a Hardwood Floor
- 1). Measure your space. You need to make sure that you know what size rug you need before you start looking. Since the idea is to enhance the look of your floors, you don't want to purchase an area rug that covers your entire floor, but you also don't want to get a rug that looks too small in your room. According to the World Floor Covering Association (see References 1), the best rule of thumb is to get a rug that will leave a 12- to 15-inch border of your hardwood floor showing.
- 2). Determine the style you are aiming for. Note the color of your hardwood floors. If you have dark floors, then you should go for a lighter-color rug, and vice versa. The contrast will enhance both your hardwood and your area rug.
There are many different patterns and colors to choose from. To select a good style for your floor, take into consideration not only the color of your floor, but the walls and the type of furniture and fixtures that are in the room. A rug can serve to bring together the whole room. There are traditional styles and there are modern styles of area rugs. According to Flooring and Carpets (see References 2), modern styles use angles, straight lines and pops of color. They are best used in rooms that have accessories and furniture that is mostly black, white and silver. Traditional area rugs are patterned with things like flowers or diamond patterns, and they make use of borders. These rugs would go best with lighter furniture and traditional cherrywood floors. - 3). Choose a texture. Texture is important to the feel of the room. According to Flooring and Carpets, there are many textures to choose from. A woven texture tends to be rough, braided is more relaxed and soft, and bamboo is rough and coarse.
Source...