Living room rug design ideas

In many homes around the UK, the living room is our favourite spot in the house: the centre of all the action, the entertainment room, the family room — a place to relax after a hard day’s work. In fact, our recent survey revealed some enlightening stats:

• 65% state it is their preferred room to entertain guests — making it the most popular room to do so
• Outside of sleep, 65% spend the most time in the living room
• 34% believe it is the room that most reflects their personality, higher than any other room
• It is the room that most people feel proud of, with 34% confirming this
• The living room is also the first place 35% of us would redecorate in the house

So, if you’re looking for a simple and effective way to revitalise your living space, why not try a rug?

The great thing about rugs is there’s so many different designs, fabrics, shapes and sizes to choose from, whilst also being easy to clean and maintain — but you can’t just choose any old rug. Below, we’ve put together a practical guide on picking out a rug, to help you achieve the look you want in your living space.

Before thinking about colours, textures and patterns, it’s important to figure out what shape, size and purpose your rug will have in your living room. Do you want it to sit like an art piece to make a statement? Do you want it to unify or break up parts of your living room?

To begin, let’s consider the room shape and where the furniture sits within it.

• Just the coffee table on the rug. This layout is ideal for those who have smaller living spaces, giving the illusion of extra space. The size of the rug should be based on the dimensions of the seating area, so it fills the empty space created by the way the furniture is arranged.
• Furniture front legs on the rug. Great for those who have one piece of furniture sitting against a wall. The size of the rug should be big enough to reach all the front legs of each piece of furniture, to bring the room together.
• All furniture legs on the rug. For those who have furniture floating in the middle of a large room (not touching the walls), a rug that sits all your pieces on it — with space around them — will help to unify that area of the room.

Once you’ve defined its purpose, size and how it will be laid out in your room, it’s time for the fun part: picking out a design.

These rugs are a great way to complete a home with character. A traditional rug will stand out, with their beautiful patterns and deep shades — which is sure to create a warming and welcoming finish for your living space. If you’ve already got a lot of patterned items in your living room, we’d recommend going for a plain coloured rug instead, so patterns don’t clash with one another.

For those using organic colours and materials, a natural rug will really complement the look. Made from a vegetable fibre, jute rugs are strong, shiny and adaptable, with strong threads to create natural textures that are hard wearing — great for busy households!

If you’re looking for that stand-out piece, a patterned rug is just the thing for your living room. This style works really well with plain or block-coloured furniture, but if you’ve already got other patterned pieces there’s a risk they’ll clash with one another, so choose pattered rugs carefully.

When it comes to picking colours, it’s important to match accent colours with the curtains, cushions, and other soft furnishings, so that the rug fits with the décor. Why not try modernising your look with a bold geometric rug?

For living rooms with smooth walls, furniture and flooring, a textured rug is ideal for creating depth in flat spaces and complementing your look. Why not get a deep pile shaggy rug to form a beautiful contrast to the sleek contours of your room?

Lastly, a rule of thumb when it comes to rugs is ‘the bigger the better’! Large rugs are more versatile, and work better to create flow between space and furniture, tying your room together.

Want to see which rug would look best in your living room? Why not upload a photo of your room to our Visualiser Tool and try different styles before you buy.