When to Go Round With Your Rug

If one of these 6 situations describes your room, unexpected curves could be your best bet

Neila Deen May 2, 2017

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At some point in your decorating endeavors, there will come a time when you tread into unfamiliar territory. Perhaps it will be when selecting wallpaper for the first time or installing a large chandelier. For some of you, it may be when you consider the often-overlooked round rug. When are the unexpected curves of a circular rug appropriate? And how do you make sure you’re placing it correctly?

Furniture typically has right angles, and so do the walls of most rooms, for that matter. So it makes sense that for most people, the classic rectangle or square area rug feels like a safe, uncomplicated choice. But there are some specific situations where a room could really sing with the addition of a round rug. Here are six guidelines to help you know when a round rug might be a great fit for your room.

Scott Sanders LLC

1. You want to highlight curved architectural details. Curved architectural details in a room are often unique and striking, so embrace this unexpected structural element by pairing it with a round rug. This will pull the overall feeling of the room together and underscore the room’s curves, turning them into an even more notable design feature.

Contemporary Living Room Contemporary Living Room

Here, the large round rug echoes the curved shape of the bay window. Further highlighting the circular shape is the round coffee table placed on the round rug.

Kyle Schuneman | Live Well Designs

2. You want to showcase another circular object. If you have a statement piece of furniture such as a round chandelier or a notable accessory such as a round mirror, placing a round rug in the room can underscore the shape of your featured piece.

BW Interiors

In this photo, the large round light fixture is a standout feature of the room. The round dining table highlights the curved lines of the fixture. And a round rug appropriately ties the room together and serves to further anchor the light fixture as the feature of the room.

Tip: If showcasing a round light fixture or dining table, make sure your round rug is centered under that piece.

Jamesthomas Interiors

3. You want to create a vignette or distinct zone. Whether your living space is an open-concept plan such as a loft or your room is simply large enough to include a separate functional space such as a reading nook, a round rug can help define that space.

Luisa Volpato Interiors

Make sure at least some part of all pieces of furniture touches the rug, as shown here. This will give the area its own cohesive appearance and help to define it as separate from the rest of the room.

Create Construction

4. You want to layer your carpet or area rug with a bold accent rug. Placing a round rug over wall-to-wall carpeting or a large area rug is a terrific option if you want to introduce a bold color or pattern to your space. The unexpected shape of a round rug will underscore the new bold or bright pattern and give it a more designed, artistic look in the room.

CSR Gyprock

In this youthful bedroom, the layered round accent rug coordinates with the furniture and wall decor, but it’s a stark contrast to the brown carpet. This creates a design feature and defines the play space of the table and chairs.

Tip: For an added design highlight, place your layered rug under a piece of furniture you want to feature.

Bidgood + Co. Interiors

5. You want to make a small room feel larger. Using a round rug in a small space is a trick designers use all the time to make a room feel larger. The curve of a round rug encourages the eye to scan across the arc of the room. The rug also makes the furniture appear fanned out, creating an appearance of fluid movement in a smaller room that otherwise might feel cluttered with furniture. A circular rug also creates visual interest, helping to distract from the limited space of a small room.

Transitional Home Office Transitional Home Office

Tip: When placing a round rug in a small room, try to choose larger pieces of furniture that are slim in profile, and have them just touch the round rug slightly. This allows the curve of the rug to be visible, as shown here.

Butler Armsden Architects

6. A standard rectangle shape doesn’t work. Rugs typically come in standard sizes such as 5 by 8 feet or 8 by 10 feet. Sometimes, because of the size and placement of your furniture, structural impediments like columns or even the space needed for door clearance, a standard rug size just doesn’t work. This is where a round rug might save the day. Compared with a rectilinear rug, its curved shape might take up less space and allow several of these room challenges to go unnoticed.

Sigmar

Tip: When placing a round rug in the center of a room, make sure the rug is big enough so that all of the large pieces of furniture touch it. This physical connection of key pieces in the room helps make the space feel cohesive and defined.

More: A Rug Can Make a Room — but What Kind to Choose?