Area rugs can provide color, texture, and a sense of cohesiveness to make an open-concept home feel more unified and inviting. They can help to define distinct areas within the home and infuse each space with personality and style. Whether you opt for subtlety or bold contrast, the right mat can visually separate each area in your home, creating a sense of rhythm between all of the rooms.
Benefits of Area Rugs
Area rugs can be used to redefine how you use and interact with the different rooms in your open-concept living space. Here are a few of the benefits of using a mat or two to make the most of your space:
- Cost savings: Area rugs are an economical way to change up your home’s decor without having to invest in new furniture or expensive flooring. With so many styles, sizes, and colors available, you can quickly change the look and feel of any room.
- Increased definition: If there’s nothing but undifferentiated space between rooms, it can be difficult to create a sense of order and purpose. An area rug is an effective way to define different areas within an open-concept space, marking out distinct “rooms” without necessarily closing them off.
- Increased comfort: They bring warmth and comfort underfoot, making them perfect for living rooms, dining spaces, and bedrooms alike. They work especially well with hardwood floors where they help reduce noise from foot traffic as well as provide extra cushioning for those moments when children jump around or people move furniture from one room to another.
- Added beauty: Rugs add texture, color, and pattern that brings more life into a room without necessarily committing you permanently to one design concept or style.
Different Types of Area Rugs
Most area mats will fit into one of the following categories:
- Traditional: offering classic sophistication that never goes out of style
- Modern: featuring geometric designs and bold motifs
- Transitional: marrying traditional and modern elements in an updated look
- Casual: often featuring organic prints or floral motifs, casual area rugs can add warmth to any room
- Outdoor: designed to withstand the elements while still adding design interest
Each type of rug offers its own unique characteristics, which can be enhanced by choosing the right material. From wool to synthetic, cotton, and jute, each material will bring its own unique element to your space. Be sure to read about each one before making a purchase so that your new mat reacts well with existing furniture and décor.
Tips for Choosing
When choosing an area rug to section off different zones in your open-concept home, there are a few important factors you should consider. Taking the time to select the right mat size, style, and color will ensure that you get the best end result.
Size
Choosing an appropriate size is key when it comes to defining different areas in your home. Though small mats can work moderately well too, it’s best to choose a rug that is large enough to cover most of the space and carpet it as desired. Bear in mind that an area rug should never be an afterthought—it’s usually better to plan ahead and determine which size of rug you need before shopping for one.
Style
The way a mat looks and feels can be a great addition to any room or space in your home, helping tie together various sections with consistency. Flatweave types are often popular for open-concept homes since they allow for more versatility with décor changes and can improve both texture and color variation in any given area.
Color & Pattern
With properly chosen colors and/or patterns, you can use rugs to signify distinct regions within one large house or multiple rooms; create unique effects such as illusions of depth or motion; complement properties of walls, furniture, and floorings; or even portray connecting bridges between two adjacent areas of your home design. For those who enjoy minimalistic style trends, neutral colors may bring the best result—while if striking statements are what you’re aiming for, bold color/pattern combinations or statement designs with vivid colors should fit perfectly!
How to Place an Area Rug in an Open-Concept Home
Consider which areas of your open-concept home you need to define then choose a pattern and design for your selection of area rugs that reflect your room’s purpose. Here are some tips for correctly placing your area rugs:
- Choose a single large mat over smaller rugs for larger rooms
- Don’t leave too much bare space between furniture and the edge of the rug
- Ensure that any different textures or motifs complement each other
- Create balance by using similar colored hues throughout all spaces
- Let furniture dictate where an area rug should go; don’t force it around items such as coffee tables or TV stands
- Leave some room at the edges so that it doesn’t appear crowded
In Your Living Room
A medium-sized rug can help add comfort and definition to your living room while keeping its primary purpose intact – conversational seating. Whether you prefer a patterned or solid mat with luxurious textures or subtle ones, they all work together to create focal points giving character and breaking up big walls into cozy nooks – especially when layered beneath the furniture.
In Your Dining Room
Installing an indoor/outdoor runner along one side or directly below seating can help define dining spaces within an even larger room like the kitchen’s great rooms. The same applies to breakfast nooks – by adding a graphic or patterned rug that complements kitchen islands’ softer tones. You could also incorporate round mats under tables as emphasized by semi-circular couches for a more unified look.
Next To Bedrooms
Use flat weaves or lower piles on rugs placed next to bedrooms in order to transition from normal traffic areas where people walk barefoot – padded versions are generally easier on feet walking from bedroom carpets onto wood floors or tiled surfaces! Super soft shags would be too plush near bedrooms as they would look out of place if extending into common areas’ hardwoods/laminates/tiles etc.!
Conclusion
At the end of the day, area rugs can be used in a variety of ways to define different spaces in your open-concept home. Whether you’re creating distinct zones within a large living space or adding warmth and color to an otherwise neutral home, area rugs have a lot to offer when it comes to decorating.
