Your dining room should be a place of warmth and comfort, where friends and families can share a good meal and a laugh. It’s an inviting space that should reflect the decor of the rest of the house while also being elegant and functional. To complement their furniture, many people choose to have a rug in their dining room, whether they have wood floors or not. Rugs add texture and style, providing a frame for the space while also keeping your feet cozy.
There are endless options of rug patterns, colors, and materials to choose from, so we’re here to help you narrow down your choices to what makes sense for your space. The right rug will not only bring together the furniture in your dining room, it will also add aesthetic beauty and charm to a much-loved room of the house. Here are the tips recommended by our interior design team at our Charleston furniture stores.
Set the Tone for the Room
The beauty of purchasing a rug before any of your other furniture in the dining room is that you can use it as the focal point. You can choose a pattern or color scheme you love and then match your chair cushions and draperies to the rug, rather than feeling like the rug has to be neutral, which is often what happens when you add it last to a room.
For example, a rug with an all-over pattern can create drama in your room and it also conveniently hides spills, whereas a plain rug does not. If you are wanting a traditional feel in your room and know you will use an antique table, then an Oriental rug is a great choice. Natural fiber rugs, like ones made of jute, sisal, cotton, and wool create an organic and welcoming ambiance for a dining room.
Choose a Rug that Fits Your Lifestyle
If your dining room is going to be formal and only used for special occasions, then you can splurge on a decorative silk or cotton rug, like our Marmara Kilim Woven Cotton Rug.
These more delicate fabrics make for stunning rugs, but they can get damaged if you are constantly stepping on them or have children who are prone to spills. Wool and indoor-outdoor rugs are ideal for dining rooms that are used often because they are easy to clean and they don’t show wear as quickly.
Low Pile is Best for Dining Rooms
While you might fall in love with a rug with a high pile, they are better suited to a bedroom or sitting room where you won’t be eating as crumbs can easily get trapped in them.
In addition to cleanliness, a low pile, natural fiber rug is preferable to a thick rug because it is easier to pull your chairs in and out. You don’t want someone to trip with a plate of food because the rug is too thick!
Match the Rug Shape to Your Table
The easiest way to make sure you choose a rug that will compliment your dining table or vice versa is to match the shape between the two. If you have a square table, choose a square rug.
This will not only create a sense of harmony in the room, but should also spatially make sense as the reason you’ve selected a square table is likely because you have a square room.
Don’t Forget to Measure
While you might think a rug will fit in your space, it’s best to measure to make sure. A good rule of thumb is to have a rug that is four feet larger on all sides than your dining table. This extra room allows plenty of space to slide back your chairs without edging off the side of the rug.
Make sure to measure your table when it is at its largest with all the leaves in place and base your rug off of this size. You should also, of course, take into account the other furniture you plan to have in your dining room, from your bar cart to your china cabinet, and make sure the rug stops before extending beneath these objects.
A Customized Rug Can Be Cut Just for You
at Our Charleston Furniture Stores
Finding the perfect dining room rug often requires customization to get the right look and fit. Here at GDC, we have a fantastic team of interior designers who can help you find the rug of your dreams that will look beautiful and bring warmth to your bare floors. We can even make special cuts to our rugs to fit around fireplaces and other architectural details. To help you get a taste of the gorgeous rugs we have in our inventory, take a look below. We are currently having a big rug sale in store until July 17th, so stop by today!
Shop the Look
Kota Rug
Criss-crossed with a natural diamond grid inlaid with a quad of diamonds in each center, the Kota Rug will grace any entryway or high traffic area of your home with a regal welcome.
Marlo Rug
This bold, low profile, and tightly-woven rug is a stylish and sophisticated take on subtle patterning. Delicate, end-on-end mini stripes are intersected by intermittent bars of ivory overlay.
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Milo Rug
Naturally colored jute patterned with cream chenille cotton yarn brings beautiful integrity and its low profile is rugged enough for any level of traffic. Reversible to the inverse pattern.
Nile Rug
The Nile rugs are soft and strong, while looking great with many design styles, plus it is reversible. Finished with knotted tassels, this eco-conscious rug adds a new look and feel to hallways, and bedrooms alike.
Beachwood Rug
The handwoven Beachwood rug is handmade featuring 2 thin stripes alongside one broad stripe. This versatile rug comes in a variety of sizes and colors so that you can customize for your space.
