Interior styling: Does the area rug come first or last?

One of the most effective ways to finish off the look of a room is to add an area rug. However if you have the opportunity, it is often best to build your décor from the floor up!

Often decorating with rugs is based on the principles of proportion. When possible, choosing your area rug first will set your palette, act as an anchor point for the room and can help define different areas in a room. For example, you could use a rug to differentiate and ground a living room from a dining space.

Things to consider when buying an area rug:

  1. Size: Getting the size right is important and can also dictate a more contemporary feel if all the furniture is sitting on the rug or a traditional look where the furniture is around the rug and only a coffee table is on top.
  2. Style: Consider circumstances of your lifestyle, whether it will be a high traffic area, if you have pets, children etc. Do you want it to be a feature in a room or add texture to finish off a space?
  3. Look: A rug can be a great way to introduce texture and colour into a room. You need to balance against all the other elements in your room like the colour of your paint and fabric used on the furniture.