Rug Color in Decorating Small Apartments

Small-Space Design Principles

• Rugs offer a quick way to alter the appearance of a room and, best of all, they can be changed whenever you choose. According to The Art Institutes, light or neutral rug colors are the best choices for small spaces, as they make an apartment feel bigger by “visually expanding the space.” Similarly, the Harrington College of Design recommends placing a neutral or light-colored rug with a subtle pattern atop a wood floor. Using rugs and other decor of the same color -- a monochromatic color scheme -- or no color -- achromatic -- also makes a small room appear larger.

Cool Colors

• Colors are categorized as cool or warm. Cool-hued objects appear lighter, larger and farther away, creating a spacious feeling in a room. However, according to the University of Kentucky, cool color schemes can feel too “sterile” and “cold” if they’re not balanced with some warm accents. If you prefer an apartment with a peaceful, airy look, choose cool rugs in blues, purples or greens with blue hints. White is a cool color when it has blue undertones.

Warm Colors

• In contrast, warm colors appear closer, smaller and heavier, creating a cozy, intimate feeling in a room. Dark or intensely colored rugs have the same effect. A warm color scheme also benefits from contrasting touches of cool color. Warm colors include red, orange and yellow or white with red undertones.

Emotional and Physical Response

• People tend to have emotional and physical responses to certain colors, a factor to consider when choosing rug colors for your small apartment. Even neutral colors such as white, black and brown elicit responses. These responses are culturally specific; for example, in many Western cultures, white is associated with purity and cleanliness, while in some Eastern cultures, it’s linked to death and mourning. Black suggests strength, power and wealth, but is also linked to death in Western society. Brown is restful but can be depressing unless accented with a warm color. Cool colors have a calming, soothing effect while warm colors have the opposite effect; red is associated with energy and activity, yellow signifies optimism and cheer, and orange is linked to informality and approachability. Colored rugs can even elicit physiological responses. According to the University of Kentucky, people in rooms with blue-green decor reported feeling cold when the thermostat was set at 59 degrees Fahrenheit, while those in rooms with yellow or red decor didn’t feel cold until the temperature hit 42 degrees Fahrenheit.