Hey friends! I’ve finally managed to get another blog post prepared! OMG, I feel like I’m back in school and I just completed my English paper for ENG 101.????  Blogging is fun, but can be harder than it looks…especially when you’ve got life going on around you!

So, one of the topics my friends from Instagram were most interested about was selecting the perfect (and affordable) rug for a room. A great area rug can really transform a space. Some spaces don’t feel complete until you anchor the room with a gorgeous rug.

I feel like I’m perpetually rug shopping for my home.  I purchased my living room rug soon after we moved into our home last May.  It worked well in the space when I only had one big couch and a coffee table, but after buying our two new chairs for the space, I realize now that I need a bigger rug than the current 9×12 one from RugsUSA.com.

I also need a rug for my both of my daughters’ rooms, my son’s room, and our guest room. Now, all those spaces are carpeted, but I just love the look of a beautiful area rug in a space. In addition, having an area rug, especially in the kids’ rooms, will help extend the life of the carpet (my kids are notorious for “accidentally” bringing grape juice upstairs and spilling it. Lol!).

This rug from Overstock.com is something I’m considering for my daughter’s lavender room. The Safavieh vintage grey/lavender rug is only $77 for a 4’x6′ rug!

For my son’s room, I’m thinking something like this rug. Simple and classic. It will also be something that can grow with him as he gets older. This rug is only $67 for an 8 x 10′ size at Walmart!! Wow! Here is the link: Walmart Border Textured rug

I’m really loving this Safavieh rug from Overstock! I could use this in my oldest daughter’s room or if I can find a 10 x14 size I would love it for my living room! Here’s the link for the 9 x 12′ size: Safavieh Carmel/Blue rug. It’s only $292…which is really good for a Safavieh rug of that size!

To help with the process of picking out a new rug, I created a large list of my favorite affordable rugs from various online stores. Click on the numbers corresponding to the rug to be directed to the company’s website.   (#1 is my master bath rug, #2 is my playroom rug, #9 is my living room rugs, and #18 is my dining room rug)

1./ 2./ 3./ 4./ 5./ 6./ 7./ 8./ 9.

10./ 11./ 12./. 13./ 14./ 15./ 16. / 17./ 18.
RUG SIZE

The first thing you have to consider when picking out a rug is the size and how it will fit in your room. For a living room space, for example, I like to have the rug big enough that the rug sits under the front legs of the larger furniture pieces.  If you’re going to have a rug not be under the furniture in your living room, make sure the rug is at least as wide as the couch. A rug that is too small can make the whole space seem smaller.

I’m considering moving my living room rug to my bedroom and buying a 10×14′ rug to replace it. In our bedroom, I would put the rug under the end of the bed. That’s just my personal style preference especially when you’re placing an area rug on top of carpet. If I had hardwood floors in the bedroom I would definitely make sure the rug fit completely under the bed. For an office space, make sure both your desk and chair fit comfortable in the center of the rug.

For a dining space, you want to make sure that your rug is large enough that when someone is sitting at the table, their chair doesn’t sit half on and half off a rug. So my dining room rug actually breaks my own rules.???? I bought it for a different space and it’s not the right size, but since we don’t use our dining room often it’s not been a priority for me to replace!

STYLE AND COLOR

Next I considered the style and color of the rug and how that will enhance the space. I usually like to keep rugs fairly neutral, especially in my living space. I like to change out my throw pillows often and use many different accent colors, so having a neutral colored rug helps create a cohesive look no matter what seasonal decor or color you add to the space. That being said, a bold color rug can really add character and beauty to a room. So just go with whatever color you feel enchanes your space the most!

For bedrooms and other spaces that I don’t change our accessories and pillows as often, I tend to choose rugs that have a little more pop and character to them.

My playroom, for example offered the perfect opportunity for me to bring a fun vibrant color into our home. The rug from RugsUSA has a rich blue tone, but also a very sophisticated look. I think the rug absolutely transforms our play area! I chose this style of rug because I wanted something that would transition with the room as it goes from a playroom to more of a teen hangout as my kids get older.

 

My favorite style of rug is the vintage traditional looking rugs. I feel like they can work with many different styles of homes…farmhouse, traditional , eclectic, etc. I also like chunky, natural fiber rugs that while neutral in color can bring great texture to a space!

Whatever rug style and color you choose, make sure you love it and it’s something you will want to live with for a while. I, personally, try to stay away from rugs with a pattern that could be considered too trendy. But in the end, just go with your gut! if you really love it, go for it! Who cares if it’s trendy or a bold color…it’s your home right?! 🙂

Cost

The final thing I consider when picking out a rug is the cost. Honestly, I don’t like paying a lot for rugs. I have 3 young kids and a dog. Buying a super high quality and expensive rug right now in my life would be silly. It’s not if my kids would ruin it, It’s who would be the first one to spill an entire bottle of orange soda on it and not tell me for 3 days!! Lol!!

You guys, getting real here…I’ve never paid more than $300 for a rug. And unless you’re buying an enormous rug, I don’t think you need to spend more than that! In fact most of the rugs I’ve got linked are well below $300 for an 8×10 or smaller rug.

Parting Advice…

My best suggestion is buy rugs from companies who are well known, have good reputations, good return policies, and have lots and lots of reviews for you to read about their rugs. I bought my living room rug after doing extensive searching online and reading every review on rugs I was interested in.

A lot of times people only review an item if they don’t like it, but I wanted to see any issues people had with the rugs: were they too thin, were they poor  quality, did they shed, was the color true to the picture. Look at the pictures that people share on their reviews to check how the color of the rug compares to the product picture. I’ve seen rugs from reviews that people posted that look nothing like the pictures. Returning a rug is not fun, so you want to be sure you know what you’re getting.

Well, I hope this was helpful! Let me know what you think or if you have any other questions!