How to Decorate a Home With Rugs

Select a rug that is visually appealing in the room you plan to place it. This includes choosing a color or pattern that complements your furniture and choosing the correct size. The longest side of your rug should be at least 2 feet shorter than the shortest length of the room. For example, a room that is 14-by-12 feet should not have a rug longer than 10 feet wide.

Place the rug so it grounds the furniture in a visually appealing way. Your living room furniture can be completely on, completely off or one-third of the way on the rug. Your bedroom might include runners on either side of the bed, the foot of the bed or sticking out from the bottom one-third of the bed to cover all three areas. A rug in the dining room should extend at least 18 inches further than the table in each direction so the chairs are completely on the rug when people are sitting in them.

Use more than one rug in a room with different groupings, such as a living room with a smaller reading corner and a larger media area.

Hang the rugs on the walls, like you would hang art, if you want to display the rug but not step on it. The method for hanging the rug will depend on its quality and makeup. Common methods include sewing Velcro onto the back of the rug and mounting the matching piece to wood, which is hung on the wall, stretching the rug over a wooden frame and hanging the frame or by sewing a casing along the backside of the rug, which is slid over a wooden rod that is used to hang the rug.