An effective interior design tool, a rug can completely transform a space, but rug texture can often be overlooked in favour of colour and style.
Furniture and decor textures can make a big difference to the vibe of a room. Soft textures make a room feel more inviting and warm, whereas firmer textures can add drama and dimension to your home interior.
Choosing a rug for various rooms in your home involves a lot of consideration and with various rug textures to choose from it can be hard to know where to begin. Think about where the rug will live, and the purpose it will serve. Is it purely functional, or do you want it to add a sense of luxury?
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Desired aesthetic
A rug can often be the first thing you notice when entering a room, so you want to pick the right one for the space.
Rugs can anchor a space and infuse it with personality, style and warmth, so consider what texture fits the mood you’re wanting to achieve. Consider how the rug texture works with other furniture and decor pieces within the room.
You want to use a rug to create your desired aesthetic and set a visual mood. Do you want to create a cosy space, or something elegant?
For an inviting texture, wool rugs add feelings of warmth and comfort, while also providing luxurious appeal. A silk rug can look glamorous and chic, great for a formal sitting room designed to impress. Rugs made of natural fibres, such as jute rugs, can make a room feel more relaxed, giving off casual vibes.
If you have wooden or tiled floors, a rug can make space more inviting, with the inclusion of a softer texture adding comfort and warmth.
A floor rug can brighten a room instantly and make a big impact on the overall look and feel of a room. The right texture can add depth and layers to the design of the room. Create contrast with existing textiles to add interest.
Think about the pile
Consider the comfort factor when choosing rug texture. Rug pile affects the texture of a rug, and you can choose either a low, medium or high pile. The longer the pile, the softer the rug.
Low pile or flatweave rugs have a flatter texture, with dense fibres. These types of rugs are generally sturdier and can be easier to vacuum and keep clean.
High pile rugs feel plush and incredibly soft. They add a lot of texture to a room, though as the piles are longer, food and dirt can more easily become trapped within the fibres, making them a bit more difficult to clean. You may need to get rugs with a high pile texture professionally cleaned more regularly.
Lifestyle can impact what texture may be best. Low pile rugs can be easier to clean, whereas high pile rugs can require more maintenance, so if you have children or pets you may want to choose a more durable texture.
Consider foot traffic
While a high-quality designer rug may be more of an investment, it’s a worthwhile one, as it will last longer in your home and look beautiful for years.
Durability is an important quality of any floor rug, but especially one that will be placed in a high traffic area. Wool and natural fibres are generally more long-lasting and hold up well against wear and tear while adding texture and style to a room.
Low pile rugs work well in spaces with a lot of foot traffic such as hallways and kitchens, whereas a high pile plush rug or a silk rug is better suited to quieter areas, as they can show dirt and stains more easily.
Wool rugs are often a popular choice for high traffic areas as well as the quieter spaces within your home, due to offering both durability and softness. They add cosy texture, while still being easy to clean.
The right texture for the room
Think about the purpose of the rug, as this may differ for each room, and certain textures may be better suited to various rooms in your home.
For bedrooms and living rooms, you want something soft and comfortable underfoot, and also for sitting on. Warm and luxurious, wool is the ideal texture for bedrooms and living rooms, giving you a soft surface to lounge around on.
For kitchens and dining rooms, you may not want a rug with too thick a fibre, as food will get trapped more easily and it may be harder to keep clean. A dining room rug should be stylish and practical. While cosy, a fluffy pile is not ideal, as people need to be able to move chairs in and out easily, so a rug with a flat weave or short pile is generally best.
When choosing hallway runners, you want a durable material, as people may be walking on it with shoes. Wool rugs or rugs with synthetic fibres allow you to add texture and character to your hallways and are generally easy to clean and suitable for high traffic areas in the home. Synthetic rugs can also be good for damp environments, so if you’re looking to add some texture to your bathroom, they are a good choice.
While silk rugs can add a lustrous element to your home, it’s important to keep in mind that silk rugs require professional cleaning due to their delicate fibres. They work well in a home office or an adult’s bedroom. Alternatively, to get the luxurious feel and style of a silk rug anywhere within your home, consider wool rugs that feature silk highlights for a more durable option.
For high-quality rugs in Melbourne, available in a range of textures, colours and styles, visit Hali Rugs.
