The ceiling is often referred to as the fifth wall in a room, but really it should be the floor that gets that title.
As the surface that is always within our eye line, the floor has a big impact on the feel and mood of a room.
In spaces where wood or tile floors bring a practicality and gravitas to an interior scheme, rugs are the key to introducing softness and comfort, and with that in mind, interior design house Neptune has curated tips on choosing the right rug for your space.
Lighting might not be your first thought when you consider dressing your floor, but sunlight streams through windows and refracts whatever colours it finds on the floors onto the walls.
Consider what tones you would prefer to have flood your space on a sunny day.
If you have a white walled room with a blue rug, for example, you will find that the walls of the room will have a blue tinge, which will impart coolness on the space.
While thinking about colours and tones, remember that if your overall scheme is simple, then a patterned rug can act as an artwork for the floor, and is easy to change with the seasons.
Likewise, a room with plenty of pattern will benefit form a neutral textured rug which will connect and calm the scheme down.
Next consider size and shape. A rug should act as an anchor to furniture rather than floating on its own, so avoid the mistake of selecting a rug that is too small for the space.
Ideally, at least two legs of the sofa, chairs, or bed should be sitting comfortably on the rug.
Runners are also useful for visually altering long, narrow spaces. Depending on the colour and pattern you choose, you can use a runner to brighten, lengthen or widen the area and give the illusion of more space.
Just as colour will influence the mood of the room, so will your choice of rug texture. Thick rugs, like Neptune’s Tolsey or Elgin, have a luxurious feel, while flatter, tighter rugs such as Cullingworth, Burford and Alderbury, are durable and easy to keep clean so work well in living and dining rooms.
Sisal rugs are a little coarse underfoot but great at hiding dirt, and hemp rugs such as the hard-wearing Whittington, are softer than sisal but just as long-lasting, and sheepskins such as the Tussock are incredibly soft underfoot, making them perfect for bedrooms.
Finally, in homes where many of the floors are timber or stone, rugs offer some soft relief as well as absorbing sound. To make them safe, always use an anti-slip underlay which will not only prevent accidents but also reduce the wear and tear on the rug.
