Farmhouse rugs, modern rugs, neutral rugs, vintage rugs, printed rugs, geometric rugs, oushak rugs, Turkish rugs, the list goes on!

Have you ever felt decorating a room is just too big of a project, too overwhelming, and leaves you wondering where to start?

There’s one piece of under-rated decor that can transform your room and take all of the guesswork out of decorating – area rugs.

You can create the foundation of your room design AND find your style in just a few easy steps.

Keep on reading, because that’s what I’m sharing with you in this week’s blog.

In this post, you’ll learn how to: 

1. The one must have decor item to ground your room design around
2. Where to start and how to find the perfect size
3. How to find your own perfect farmhouse rug style
4. Bravely explore unordinary farmhouse rug designs
5. Don’t guess – How to ensure you’ve selected the right one for your home

The one must have decor item to ground your room

Over the years, I’ve worked with many different clients who just could not commit to their style. They didn’t know what their style was, loved too many different styles, or felt so overwhelmed by options they couldn’t get started.

I discovered this design hack after facing this dilemma over and over again. 

As an interior designer, I knew I had to help them LOVE their room design and decisions. Like my dear clients Johnny and Julie. They had no idea where to start – and this one thing got us to their dream living room. 

I’ll confess, I often use this tip in my own home decorating. You’ll see this soon on my upcoming office renovation. 

Here’s the secret sauce to creating your dream room every time:

• Start from the ground up
• Start with the area rug

I know what you’re thinking, “ugh that’s a whole new level of not knowing what to do or select!”

I gotcha!

Let’s start with the basics.

Where to Start and How to Find the Perfect Size

Before you jump into style, let’s narrow down the options with the right fit.

How big should an area rug be? 

There are many opinions out there on whether the area rug should be slightly larger or smaller, but if you want to do it the Farmhouse by Amitha way, this is the exact method I use in every room.  

Here’s what I do to make sure I bring the right-sized rug every time:

1. Make sure all the seating / furniture has a spot on the rug.
2. Test where your feet land when seated and mark it down with masking tape
3. Then write down that general size in your smartphone, so you’re ready to start looking

I love having a little bit of coziness from my farmhouse rug underfoot. Area rugs can also act as overflow seating for toddlers, babies, and pets. 

Don’t forget to take photos of the room on your phone! Also jot down the measurements for reference when you’re out shopping.

How to Find Your Own Perfect Farmhouse Rug Style

Once you’ve determined the size you need, visit your favorite home decor store, like Village Antiques, and start exploring. 

Why?

This is how you are going to discover many things about you and your style. Pay attention to:

• Colors you are drawing to
• Patterns you like
• Textures you love
• Colors and patterns you love but are surprised you love

If you’re redecorating high traffic areas, go for a rug that’s stain-resistant or easier to spot clean. Pay attention to materials and intricacy of the design, if an accident happens.

Whether I’m working with a client or shopping for my own home, I snap photos of the rugs I’m drawn to. This creates a sort of catalog for my style. 

I do this for a few reasons: 

1. It helps me organize and easily pull up patterns that I like
2. I start to hone in on my design choices when I notice that I save the same style repeatedly
3. It gives my clients and me the confidence to commit to a rug. 

Bravely Explore Unordinary Farmhouse Rug Designs

Here’s something you may not expect. 

You will find yourself drawn to rug options, colors, and patterns that you may have never considered before! You will go beyond what you think you love.

I love using this exercise for all of my clients and myself.

For example, in our guest room I used this same process. It began with a beautiful golden yellow, vintage Turkish rug as the foundation for my room design. 

Explore other patterns and colors you love but may have not thought about previously, and I promise you’ll find the perfect room.

Photographing rug styles out of my comfort zone gives me a chance to be playful and explore different styles. 

To stay on the farmhouse look, you can’t go wrong with natural fiber rugs and classic patterns.

There are some rooms in my home where I’ve gone for a monochromatic/low contrast color palette. I did this because I was working with a lot of furniture and textiles. But there’s another part of my personality that wants to explore bolder design aesthetics with brighter colors and patterns. 

Use this as a fantastic opportunity to take a risk and explore all the things you love. You can still keep it safe with your furniture, but go bolder and explore with rugs.

This is the exact same advice I gave my clients, Johnny and Julie, when we went to select their rug.

I could see they loved soft muted color palettes, but also enjoyed pops of color like yellow and green. 

We were able to identify a gorgeous farmhouse rug with the colors and patterns they love. Now they have a grounded space to build the room design around. 

Don’t guess – How to Ensure You’ve Selected the Right Rug for Your Home

How do you know if it’s the right farmhouse rug for you?

Bring the rugs you love home, and try them out. This is a signature feature we offer at Village Antiques, to try it at home. This helps take the stress out of making a huge design mistake.

Adding a rug pad underneath your area rug is also a must do. This is especially necessary if you’ve chosen a natural fiber rug. It prolongs the life of your rug by adding cushioning between the rug and the hard floor. This stops the fibers from getting crushed and keeps it in its place.

In my living room, I didn’t have much furniture, but I knew I wanted a subtle and monochromatic design. I started with a large area farmhouse rug (oushak rug) that filled in the space. From here, I was able to build on top of the rug’s design with accent colors in furniture and textiles. 

It’s not all neutral and monochrome in my house—There’s also a little playful side to my family. We let that show in our guest room with the yellow, vintage Turkish patterned rug. In this case, we wanted to use a rug to ground the space with a pop of color. 

For this space, I went with a yellow, cream-colored farmhouse rug. This is a very vibrant color for me, even though it’s not supersaturated. I loved how it was the perfect shade to create that foundation of all the colors I wanted. Bringing this area rug into the guest room created a warm and welcoming guest room for my family. 

Why I Follow this Process By Starting with the Perfect Farmhouse Rug First

Often, many of us find ourselves staring at an empty room wondering what to do. Finding a farmhouse rug that makes your heart sing is the perfect way to ground your design. It helps you navigate all of your subsequent design choices.

These steps make the design process a lot less daunting. By first measuring the size of the area rug you need in your room, you can hit the stores and start exploring different colors, textures, patterns, and shapes. You’ll notice a pattern to the styles you’re drawn to most. 

Cataloging your rug options while you shop helps you make a better commitment too. Believe me, it’s worth it to take the time to go through this process! It can help prevent you from making design mistakes like a cluttered, miss-matched, multi-style room that doesn’t capture how you want your home to look and feel. 

I encourage you to try it. Get your measurements, hit the shops, and explore different styles and see what speaks to you. There is no right or wrong answer. 

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Keep using your amazing gifts to create heart in your home, 

Amitha

P.S. If you need help with your search for the perfect rug, we just launched a new collection in a variety of sizes and colors. Come by to check them out before they’re gone!