Home Décor: The Ultimate Luxury Rugs Buying Guide

When it comes to interior design, one of the most common misconceptions is that soft furnishings require less thought compared to large furniture pieces.

Soft furnishings, in fact, play a vital role in laying those crucial foundations and making a house feel like home. Therefore, they should be chosen with the same attention you would dedicate to picking any other pieces for your interior.

Rugs have always been a signifier of pure luxury. They bring plenty of qualities to interiors, while at the same time offering warmth and comfort, along with color, pattern, and texture. You can use them to divide spaces, define a state of mind, or even parade the art of tapestry across the floor.

Where to Find the Best Rugs?

There are several things to consider when buying a rug, including size, style, cost, and where to buy. While many home stores offer a good selection of rugs to complement their own furniture, other furniture stores specialize specifically in rugs, and there you will find an even larger selection.

With the range of materials, piles, and styles available out there, making an investment is not always easy. Luckily, you can find a Vintage Rug Auction online that offers fine and rare Antique and Vintage rugs, as well as new decorative carpets to discerning consumers and collectors from all over the world.

That said, if you’re after a slender hallway runner or perhaps a living room showpiece, this luxury rug buying guide will provide ideas on choosing the best rug for your home.

Choosing the Right Rug Sizes

 

It can be difficult to visualize the true scale of rugs, both online and in-store. Therefore, it’s important to get the accurate size of your rug and space it will sit in.

A rug should be surrounded by exposed flooring. Because if not, it will lose the effect of it. Large size rugs may overpower and look like a carpet, while a rug too small can get lost in a room. So, to ensure accuracy, consider using a steel tape measure and masking tape or ribbon to plot out potential sizes so that you can realize your dream dimensions.

Size guidelines can help you decide on your rug’s dimensions. However, you need to keep in mind that interior design should never be confined by hard and fast rules. Each space is different, and this approach should only be used as a starting point.

Bedroom Rugs

In a master bedroom, consider adding at least 50 centimetres to each side that is not touching a wall to make sure the rug sits perfectly past the bed frame. Bedroom rugs are bliss first thing in the morning—this positioning and size will ensure your feet hit the rug whenever you climb out of bed.

Dining Room and Kitchen Rugs

For rugs beneath dining tables or kitchen, consider measuring the perimeter of the table and adding around 150-160 centimetres to the length and width. This ensures your rug size is proportionate to the table and gives extra space, so the chairs remain on the rug when you pull them out.

Living Room Rugs

For a living room rug, consider subtracting around 50 centimeters from the width and length of your space to get an ideal rug size. If you are using a large rug, play around with the settings of your room to see what works. Remember, if your rug has a beautiful design, it’s always better to showcase it.

Hallway Runners

For hallway runners, consider measuring your subtract and space around 60 centimetres from the length and 40 centimetres from the width for a neat fitting and perfectly-sized rug.

Different Types of Rugs and Rug Materials

 

Now, think about the look you want to achieve and the purpose of the rug. This will help you choose the most suitable rug and rug materials.

Areas with high footfall need rugs that are durable and easy to clean. In the less populated areas of your home like a home office or master bedroom, you can experiment with more delicate fabrics.

Silk Rugs

Benefits

The fibers of the real silk rugs set the bar when it comes to high lustre and shine. The material’s been the go-to for fine Oriental and Persian rugs for centuries, thanks to its tensile strength that enables textile artisans to weave it into solid, intricate patterns.

Also, silk fibers respond well to dying processes, boasting a remarkable ability to hold color.

Drawbacks

Due to the delicate nature of silk rugs, they’re better suited to low-traffic areas of the house. They’re prone to collecting snagging and dirt, and they can be costly and difficult to repair.

Also, silk rugs come with a high price point, but that reflects their long lifespans along with the top level of expertise required to build them.

Wool Rugs

Benefits

Wool rugs boast exquisite natural beauty and resilience. They are highly insulating and carry a natural springiness, meaning they maintain a fresh appearance for many years.

Wool’s texture enables it to recover fast from crushing and indenting caused by furniture or footsteps, and the material has better stain resistance compared to other synthetic fibers, thanks to the natural lanolin coating its surface.

Drawbacks

Wool rugs are vulnerable to color fading if they are exposed to direct sunlight on a regular basis. The processes used to dye them, however, can help to boost resistance to fading.

The material is highly absorbent too. This makes it prone to mildew if you place it in a damp space. Since wool is the benchmark material for all luxury rugs, the price often reflects its excellent natural properties and the high-skilled techniques required to build the designs.

Long Pile Rugs

Benefits

Pile density impacts greatly on the performance of a rug. Shaggy long piles make a room more comfortable. On top of that, they rarely need to be groomed. They also display textural depth, thanks to the long, luxurious fibers.

Drawbacks

Long pile rugs are susceptible to snagging. Therefore, they aren’t the best option for children bedrooms or homes with pets. They are, however, long-lasting, so you might want to consider that.

Long pile rugs aren’t as suitable as short pile rugs for high-traffic areas of the house. Speaking of which:

Short Pile Rugs

Benefits

Short pile rugs have a long lifespan and don’t flatten so easily under pressure, making them the best option for withstanding chair movements in the dining room. These designs enable a rather intricate patterns to be woven into the short fibers. Low piles usually attract less dust and hide wear and tear more compared to deep pile designs.

Drawbacks

Short pile rugs display a flat look. You cannot see the individual fibers as you are able to on long-pile pieces. This means short pile designs are not as luxurious looking. Having said that, they’re far easier to care for when you compare them with long-pile rugs.

Wrapping Up

A luxury rug can elevate a house into a home. If placed well, you can create the illusion of having more space, even when working with cozier dimensions. We hope this comprehensive guide helped you find a rug that suits your needs.