For many years, people have been using carpets to decorate and insulate their homes. But if previously only wealthy people could afford a wool or silk carpet, now the range of carpets is so wide that it can satisfy buyers not only with any wallet size, but also with various stylistic, color and texture preferences.
Obviously, any space in which a carpet is laid immediately becomes warmer and more comfortable, the interior is transformed depending on the chosen covering design. But in addition to its aesthetic properties, carpet can also perform other functions - serve as a means of sound insulation, zone a room, and create interior accents. Besides, what could be more pleasant than walking on the warm pile of the carpet with your bare feet, instead of stomping on the cold floor?
As a rule, the carpet is selected for an already finished room, but it happens that the design of the carpet is so unique and original that the entire interior is created in accordance with this focal point of the room.
Based on sisal
Nicole Gibbons, blogger and creative director at So Haute, mixes styles and textures in her New York City apartment:
“I'm not one to follow fashion, but the layered rug look is definitely a hot design trend. I see it everywhere, from popular home furniture catalogs to the portfolios of top interior designers."
Her advice for beginners: If you're laying rugs over hardwood or laminate flooring, leave at least a foot of space on all sides so you can see the contrast between the rugs and the floor.
- Combination: sisal carpet and leather in light colors.
Subtleties of form
When everything is clear with the choice of material, you can move on to the form. Rectangular canvases are quite traditional. But their functionality is limited. Canvases in the shape of an oval and a circle, on the contrary, are more functional.
Oval carpets were first used in Europe. Royal homes in France, which were known throughout the world for their love of luxury, were the first to use oval carpeting. The rounded shape softens the space and adds grace to it. Today, the choice of round carpets for the floor is not as wide as rectangular ones. They will be effective in all interiors, but the shape is very original and unusual, which attracts buyers.
Interior design specialists recommend canvases of this shape for those rooms where there are arches or bay windows. If the room and the furniture have rounded shapes, then the whole ensemble will look no less than a chic aristocratic salon.
All the pieces together
Sometimes a rug just isn't enough. Let’s say you saw a doormat at a reasonable price. But its size is neither here nor there. Then arrange several rugs of the same pattern (or similar themes) to fill the space. Look at the photo where kilims of the same color are laid in layers. They are in harmony with the furniture that stands on top. Well suited for placement in corridors throughout their entire area.
“The idea was to make a large patchwork collage of different kilims for a relaxed, effortless effect,” says photographer Mieke Taken.
In this case, think carefully about the design of the carpet so that the composition does not look like a sloppy copy of Ali Baba’s tent.
Tip one: where are you going?
First, you will need to clearly understand which of the many or not so many rooms in your house you are going to lay this almost legendary piece of furniture in.
Depending on where it will be thrown under your feet, you need to decide on its texture and color. This element will also help you zone the room, clearly separating one area from another. This way you can highlight:
- living room;
- bedroom;
- dining room;
- children's room
A bedroom or living room will look great against a background of a carpet with a long and fairly thick pile. In the dining room or lounge, a more practical choice would be the short-haired varieties of this outdoor pet. They are much more amenable to frequent cleaning.
Personalize
Kelly Burt-Deasy, a manager at Cost Plus, has seen the trend toward layering in design over the past few years. She says customers walk away with several rugs at a time.
Her advice for those who want to combine several rugs is to choose rugs with a similar weave, but in colors that you remember.
“It makes the rooms very personal, one of a kind. It adds your own character, a touch, rather than making the room look like a catalogue.”
Tip two: flavor identical to natural
When choosing a carpet, try to ignore its appearance , no matter how attractive they may be, and focus on the composition of the fabric. This will save you from disappointments and simply downright toxic products, and will allow you to decide which option will last you long enough.
The most seductive, at first glance, type of carpets are natural products, but they are also an excellent breeding ground for all sorts of harmful animals, such as dust mites. It is also quite easy for them to burn out and wear through holes, and in some cases, feed moths.
The most budget-friendly options that can be found in nature, or rather, in the store, are products made from synthetic materials that delight the eye with bright colors, are unpalatable to insects and are fairly easy to clean from any contaminants. However, they will soon lose their presentation or simply become horribly wrinkled.
When choosing between different options, pay attention to what kind of lifestyle you have now, whether you have pets and how many times a week (per day?) you can fully care for the product. Opt for the most unpretentious models, such as synthetic ones or made from a mixture of materials.
Build on a Neutral Base
Large rectangular living rooms are blank canvases for experimenting with rugs. Layer a jute rug with a more expensive wool option, as Los Angeles-based designer Kristen Hutchins did.
“I love jute because it’s softer than seagrass and stains better than sisal. The key to layering is to keep the base rug neutral. If you start there, then it’s easy to add a fun patterned rug on top to separate just the seating area.”
This means that, for example, the carpet will completely separate the living room, and the top carpet will zone the sofa, armchairs and coffee table.
Modern floor carpets and interior styles: how to avoid dissonance
Carpets fit into absolutely any design direction. It is only important to understand which options are more appropriate in a particular interior. Let's talk about three groups of styles that are found most often.
Classic and neoclassical
Ideal carpets in a classic interior are designed in soft pastel shades. For example, beige, gray, brown. If these are products with an ornament, then the design should be refined and laconic. For neoclassicism, models of symmetrical shapes that correspond to the dimensions of the room are suitable.
Carpet in the living room in a classic style
Idea! Instead of a carpet in the hall, you can lay an animal skin on the floor.
Ethnic style
National ornaments and unusual color combinations look organic in the ethnic direction. The most common patterns: geometric shapes, plant motifs, ancient symbols and three-dimensional figures. Along the perimeter of the rug there may be decorations in the form of fringe or small dense pompoms made of wool.
Carpet in the living room in ethno style
Modern directions
This group includes styles such as country, Provence, and art deco. In these directions, plant motifs in discreet shades look elegant. Geometric patterns in the form of circles and ovals are also acceptable. Try to avoid products with clearly defined pattern lines. They distract too much attention from the decor of the room.
Plain bright carpets are suitable for loft and minimalism styles. Black specimens are also good. They will complement the asceticism of the design and emphasize the laconicism of the decor.
Carpet in the living room in loft style
Be in trend
Sydney-based graphic designer Danielle De Silva took inspiration from design blogs and gave her room a makeover, adding zebra skin to a lonely old seaweed room.
“I went for a large natural rug to zone the seating area, but my eyes caught on a small faux zebra skin. I decided to create a composition of two rugs to achieve contrast and an interesting look.”
Scale and shape are important: both rugs can be seen due to the irregular shape of the hide, and the seaweed provides a nice neutral background.
Tip three: two by eight or three by five
Look at the total floor area in the room where you are willing to wear almost all of the fluffy material. After that, figure out how much of this space you are ready to devote to a new member of the interior family.
In small areas where attention needs to be concentrated , it is enough to lay small materials such as a tiny bedside rug. A nice rug will fit perfectly in the corner with an electric fireplace.
If you absolutely want to place the entire sofa or bed on a fleecy island, choose options that will protrude beyond the boundaries of the piece of furniture. The carpet should completely occupy the sofa area.
Choose a pair - or a trio!
The benefit of layered rugs is undoubtedly the money-saving one: multiple smaller, affordable rugs can work together to fill an empty corner of your room or frame furniture with more personality. Here, one more expensive rug is surrounded by two smaller, cheaper woven rugs. Orange, flame and gray go together.
The key to this room from West Elm is to "layer rugs that share a common detail—color, material, or motif" to not only harmonize, but also create eye-catching contrast and save on design costs.
Why carpets do not lose their popularity
Everyone dreams of living in comfort and coziness. Therefore, anything that can help in instilling this comfort attracts interest. Not a single type of flooring that exists today can give the living room that unique look like an ordinary carpet. In addition to their high decorative characteristics, such coatings also have practical advantages.
Woven fabrics spread on the floors can protect against the cold and also easily regulate the level of humidity. It is known that carpeting can normalize humidity. Wool rugs are great for your feet. When walking on the carpet, wool massages the feet, warms them up, and also helps calm the nervous system. The carpet helps in the prevention of foot diseases. That's why people love carpets.
And such coatings also have excellent noise insulation characteristics. Carpets can easily dampen the noise of footsteps and prevent these vibrations from spreading across the floors.
In the flooring market you can find a huge range of carpets. When choosing, you should listen to the opinions of experts. This will help narrow down your search for the right rug.
Place it on top of the carpet
In this children's room, the carpet serves as the best soft surface for the child's first steps and protects against the first falls or accidental fights. In this nursery, a large white bath mat sits on top of the carpet, echoing the white color of the entire room. In the case of a child, putting a rug on top of the carpet seems like a good solution to protect the latter and prepare for frequent changes of the former.
Color
It is no less important than the shape of the canvas. If the room is made in dark colors, and the windows of the room face the north side, then you should give preference to products in light and warmer shades. This will help visually add sunlight to the room.
If the room, on the contrary, is too light, then choose darker carpets. In hot rooms it will become visually cooler from purple, blue or green.
Carpet making materials
The cost of the carpet will depend mainly on the material; it is clear that those made of synthetics will cost slightly less than those woven from natural materials, and besides, they require separate care.
The manufacturing method also matters - a handmade carpet is more expensive, but it also lasts longer thanks to natural materials. Factory-made products are cheaper and usually consist of synthetics
Natural carpets - raw materials such as wool, cotton, silk, bamboo are used for their production:
- They last a long time from wool; they mainly use sheep's wool to make them.
- Cotton fabrics are also distinguished by their durability. Manual labor allows you to create a unique product that will delight you with its unsurpassed quality and features.
- Silk is very elegant and skillful, but it is very difficult to care for and its ability to insulate is negated, which is why it is not often seen.
- Bamboo is not attractive due to the lack of lint.
Artificial carpets for the living room are made from polyester, polyamide, polyester, acrylic, polypropylene, viscose.
Such materials are characterized by wear resistance, dense weaving, bright patterns and resistance to the development of microorganisms. It should be noted that synthetic carpets are purchased more often due to the price-quality ratio and variety of choice.
What is a classic interior?
- Lack of bright colors, only classic colors and muted shades are chosen.
- Lack of prints, patterns, large number of decorative elements. No layering, no frills, one of several possible options for decorating the space is paintings on the walls.
- Symmetry is above all: everything in the interior should be harmonious and aesthetically pleasing.
