Easy Tips to Match Rugs to Floors!

Easy Tips to Match Rugs to Floors!

Choosing the perfect area rug to complement your floors can feel like an interior design obstacle course. With so many styles, textures, colors, and patterns to consider - not to mention getting the right size and shape - it's easy to get overwhelmed trying to create that perfectly cohesive look.

However, with a few simple guidelines for coordinating rugs and floors, you can streamline the process and end up with a gorgeous finished space every time. These easy tips will help you master the art of marrying hard and soft surfaces so your rugs beautifully enhance and flow with your wood, tile, or other flooring choices.

Consider Floor Color & Undertones
One of the most important factors in selecting an area rug that works with your floors is taking cues from the floor's undertones and color variations. Analyze if your wood floors lean cool with ashy grays or redder russet undertones. Or see whether tiles have warmer beige or cooler blue/green notes.

Then, look for rugs that either complement those tones or provide an intentional contrast. For example, a rug with hints of cool grays and blues can make an elegant pairing with wide oak plank flooring in a warm honey stain. Or unite multi-toned travertine floors with a lively tribal-style rug incorporating a blend of rich warm and cool hues. To see some budget-friendly options for adding style, check out our post on 5 Budget-Friendly Home Decor Trends for 2024.

Matching Cool with Cool
As a general rule, cool foundation pieces like light wood tones, grays, blues, blacks, and greens tend to pair best with cooler, more subdued palettes in your area rugs. Shades of soft blues, watery teals, mineral grays, and understated earth tones will harmonize nicely.

Patterns and designs with more muted or monochromatic hues also complement cooler floors beautifully. Think timeless Orientals, updated transitional styles, or even a solid textured wool weave. The clean aesthetic allows your floors to shine through while creating a gorgeous, soothing flow. For more ideas on enhancing the look of your current rugs, explore our tips on 5 Inexpensive Ways to Upgrade the Look of Your Favorite Area Rug

Warming With Wood Tones
For medium to darker wood floors with prominent warm honey, red, or orange tones, you'll want to seek out area rugs that can hold their own and enhance that cozy richness. Rugs with deep terra cotta, rusty red, golden yellow, or earthy brown shades will complement the wood grain while adding dimension.

Oriental and Persian-style rugs, classic transitional designs, and artfully distressed bohemian weaves all work well to accentuate wood's natural warmth. Spicier hues like cinnamons, paprika, or brick will create a bolder look while softer golden beiges provide more subtle beauty. If you're curious about why some rugs might be pricier, check out our explanation on Why Are Area Rugs So Expensive?

Make Sure Tones Don't Clash
Even if your floors have cool and warm tones blended together, take care to avoid clashing rug colors and patterns that battle those natural variations. For example, you wouldn't want to pair a bold cherry red or orangey rust rug with gray-toned floors that have cool undertones. The warm and cool elements would compete and look disconnected.

Instead, the best rug choices for floors with mixed tones are those with soft golden tones or beiges with hints of both cool and warm notes. Or choose patterns with a good balance of warmer terra cotta or cool blue accents. Working within that neutral, well-blended middle ground ensures the most cohesive and intentional look.

Coordinate Patterns & Textures
In addition to considering color connections, pay close attention to how the rug's scale of pattern and overall textural vibe relates to your hard flooring. A heavy hand-knotted wool Oriental may look stunning and luxe over gleaming hardwoods but seem a bit formal and stiff over something like rustic terra cotta tiles.

For wood-look tile or high-variation wood floors, a chunky natural fiber rug like a woven jute or a modern shag lends beautiful texture and visual interest without clashing. Smooth or low-profile floors pair well with rugs that have an all-over intricate design like an updated Persian-style pattern or distressed tribal print. For more tips on maintaining your rugs, especially with pets, read our guide on How to Keep Your Rugs Looking Great with Pets

Create Intentional Contrast
If you want your rug to serve as more of a bold contrast over your floors, feel free to get creative and buck conventional tips! Sometimes an unexpected juxtaposition of elements like a vintage Southwest-style runner over sleek gray tile floors or a super plush ivory shag over rustic reclaimed wood creates an impactful, eye-catching statement.

Playing with different tones and textures gives you the opportunity to spotlight your rug's character while allowing the floors to be a neutral backdrop. Just be sure to pull tie-in hues from your rug into other areas of the room's decor for a cohesive overall look.

Don't Be Afraid to Add Layers
Layering multiple area rugs of varying colors, textures, and sizes is a fabulous way to master the art of combining rugs and floors - even if the initial pairing doesn't seem perfect. Use a larger neutral woven rug as your base piece, then top it with a smaller patterned or accent rug in complementing or contrasting tones.

This rug-on-rug technique allows you to introduce beautiful splashes of color and visual depth while still grounding the room with your floors. It's a foolproof way to incorporate vibrant hues and patterns in a way that still flows with your hard flooring. For more ideas on using rugs to warm up your home this fall, see our article on 6 Stylish Ways to Warm Your Home This Fall

Get the Right Size & Furniture Placement
Ultimately, pulling off that picture-perfect rug and floor combination comes down to selecting the proper rug size and placement. Area rugs should fill the space properly so exposed floor borders create purposeful, well-defined area boundaries. And all major furniture pieces (at minimum the front legs) should rest on the rug for a balanced, anchored aesthetic.

So take some measurements, follow rug sizing guidelines, and play with different rug orientations until you strike the ideal proportions for your space and floors. With the right rug underfoot, you'll be amazed by how seamlessly it ties your whole room together!