One of the more popular trends in interior design today is the use of an area rug. One of the most versatile pieces at your disposal for home decor, this material can be used in every room of your home to cover space and add a beautiful decorative element.

While you can use this piece in any room of your home, there are still some common design rules to follow and uphold to get the full effect without messing up the balance of the rest of your interior setup.

Sizing

No matter what piece of furniture you are placing in your home, one of the most important elements to account for is the sizing and proportion for the rest of the room. Just like you can't have too large of a couch for a smaller living room, you also can't have too large or even too small of a rug in whatever room you are using it in.

If you are placing your area rug in your living room, balancing the size well with your furniture and room is key to making the area rug work. One of the best rules of thumb when placing this kind of piece in the living room is to have the front legs of your couch or sofa on the rug with the back two legs off of it. If you have too small of a rug for the room that is in between all of your furniture, this will; make your space feel much smaller than it actually is.

In contrast, an area rug that your furniture is completely on and stretches out to the edges of the room will completely throw the balance off in your room. If you find the rug is less than 18 inches away from the wall, it is too big for that area.

Just as much as the size of a rug is crucial to how a space works, the color and pattern of the piece is essential to pulling a room completely together. Many people tend to shy away from bold colors or flashy patterns. These attributes are what can tie an area together though as the rug can blend well with throw pillows and blankets.Color and Pattern

If you have a neutral couch with brightly color pillows on it, go for a rug that blends in with one or more of those pillow colors to really make them stand out without being too crazy.

When To Choose the Rug

More often than not, you will have your furniture for a much longer period of time than you will a rug. For this case, you should invest in your rug after you have your couch or chairs picked out for the space.

By having your furniture and accessories selected first, you will know exactly what colors and patterns to look for in rug, rather than getting bold with this piece right away and trying to match your furniture to it later on.

Follow some of these simple tips and tricks and you will be able to find the perfect rug for your space.