Living Room Rug Ideas

With many people having to work from home over the last year and half, redesigning their homes - and specifically living rooms - has been extremely popular. The rug industry noticed a sharp rise in the sales of living room rugs during the first lockdown, which led us to think about writing an article based on living room rug ideas for any UK home, small or large.

Living room rugs have the potential to completely transform the appearance of a room, but they can also be used to subtly complement the existing interior design without becoming the focal point. In this article, we’ll be looking at a few of our favourite living room rug ideas for small and large living rooms to help you breathe new life into your living room.

With that in mind, we have also written an article on how to place your living room rug the right way (you’d be surprised how many people don’t know how to position them)! We cover everything on how to position living room rugs, from placement below coffee tables and throw pillows (for a bohemian vibe), to buying and placing rugs in large and small rooms.

Anyway, back to our best living room rug ideas.

Choose a Rug that Matches Your Living Room

Simply buying one large area rug without much concern over how it will match the rest of your room is a rookie error. Take a look at your living room before buying a rug and take note of its size and where the rug (or rugs) could go. For example, if your living room is open-plan, you can place multiple rugs in different areas to separate your living room into sections, like an eating area and a relaxation area. This is a great idea for people who either have large living rooms or those living in one bed or studio apartments and want to separate the space a bit.

The rug(s) you choose will depend on your decor, if your living room boasts a farmhouse design, stick to jutes, beige flat weaves or possibly something traditional. Warm colours work well with farmhouse living rooms.

Pile on the Rugs

This is certainly one of the more unusual designs when it comes to living room rug ideas, but consider buying two or more rugs of the same Pantone and piling them on top of each other. This living room rug idea works well for room decors that boast light colours, oaks and beach vibes.

Layering rugs is a unique way to combine different textures and patterns into the fray, offering a comfortable and versatile living room space. Place the rugs under your coffee table, scatter them underneath your TV or place them under your living room table.

A great tip would be to buy a larger rug and then some smaller ones to act as the top layers. This way, the rugs won’t move around too much when they come into contact with foot traffic. Keep the larger rug a neutral colour, like jute, and then choose a patterned or colourful rug in either the same shape.

Choose a Rug for a Nook

Depending on the size and shape of your living room, one living room idea you may want to consider is a nook rug. Again the colour and design you choose will depend on your personal preference and the design of your living room, but nook rugs typically have a bigger pile height and are usually plain in colour.

The placement of a nook rug is important because as the name suggests, the rug should take residence in the corner of the room, by a sofa, in-between an L-shaped sofa or generally somewhere cosy you can relax. Nook rugs should look comfortable and be comfortable, they are not designed for heavy foot traffic. Dot some pillows around the nook rug for additional comfort or pop a coffee table in the centre of it.

Go Vintage

As far as living room rug ideas go, nothing is more classy than a large traditional or mosaic pinned centre of the room. These are statement rugs, rugs that want to be noticed and adored. Vintage rugs look great in both traditional and modern living rooms, and even if you did want to mix a vintage rug with a modern room )or vice versa), it would give your room a truly unique design - not one straight from a catalogue.

Take a look at our mosaic, traditional and Persian rug designs for some inspiration.

Cover Your Floor - The Renter’s Dream!

This living room rug idea is ideal for those who are renting and aren’t too impressed with the flooring in their living room. Buying a large quality rug can help mask any imperfections of the property’s flooring or simply give the room a complete makeover without having to literally rip up the floorboard.

The key with this type rug idea is to go big and make sure your living room furniture fits comfortably on the rug. We’d personally pick something lighter with minimal patterning, or something with a border for some added depth.

Go Stripes, Go Neutral

For the neutral lovers out there, choose a rug that blends nicely with your living room’s existing colour palette. A neutral coloured rug won’t be a stand-out piece in your living room, but will instead bring the room together. For example, if your living room is predominantly blue with a mix of whites and woods, you want a rug that compliments that.

Still Unsure?

We understand how difficult it can be flicking through rug ideas only to be left with too many favourites. The key is to have an idea of size, shape and design before browsing rugs online. Do you want a small rug or rugs to dot around your living room? Or a large rug to cover most of the floor? Take a look at your living room, do you like how it’s designed? If so, use this as a template for the rug you eventually buy. If you don’t like your living room’s decor, consider redecorating before you buy a rug. Just be mindful

If you’re ready to start looking for rugs, head over to our living room rugs section and shop around. Alternatively, take a look at the best placements for living room rugs.