There are few pieces within your home that tie your living room together as effortlessly as a rug. In the living space, a rug can help to define zones and it can bring warmth to any areas that can feel cold underfoot such as your tiled floor. A rug can be a finishing touch to a room but finding the perfect rug for your living room can be challenging. 

For example, if your rug is too small, it can instantly make the room feel off. If the rug is too large, it can overwhelm your living room. The right rug can pull your room together to make it feel finished. The wrong rug will remind you of the money you wasted, not to mention the money you will have to spend to change it out.

To help get you started, we have put together a guide to help you on your journey of picking a rug for your living room in Singapore. 

Size.

A too-small rug creates an unfinished, unsightly floating effect that detracts from the design. In contrast, a rug that’s too large for your space will make the room appear tight and overstuffed.

Still not sure if you're on the right track? Your area rug should fit entirely or partially beneath all major furniture in the room. If you're working with a smaller area rug, position it at least halfway beneath all your key furnishings (think: sofa, bed, armchairs) to create a cozy and secure floorplan.

It is important to work around a room’s obstructions when planning a rug purchase.

If your sofa is against a wall, ensure that at least its front legs and the front legs of the neighboring armchairs are on the rug. In a large living room with a floating seating area, the rug should contain all furniture, front and back legs, with space around.

What about small rugs that float in the center of a room, untethered by sofa and chair legs? Many experts advise against them as small rugs tend to look a little bit lost and the room unfinished.
In all areas, a bigger rug can be the difference between pulling your space together - or not. Go bigger every time; it will be worth any extra expense. Let the room orientation be your guide when deciding which way to have the rug running. In a long room, it is best to place a rug lengthways. 

Pro Tip: Using masking tape to mark where your rug will help to visualise the final look and is a pro tip that ensures the rug is in the right spot from every angle.

Colour and Pattern. 

When it comes to choosing an area rug, think long and hard about the color and pattern. 

Choosing a patterned rug can be a great way to add color and interest to a room with neutral furniture and walls. Likewise, a solid rug in a neutral color can be a nice way to soothe an eclectic room. Keep in mind also that a patterned rug will be better for hiding dirt and spills while a solid rug is more likely to show stains. A boldly patterned rug can serve as the defining feature of a living area, but because it has so much impact, it’s a choice that requires courage. Deciding whether to go with a graphic statement rug or something more understated comes down to personal preference, as well as your overall design vision and where your home is.

If you have a colourful room and still want a colourful rug, try to find something that will connect and pull all the colours together. The idea is to make sure they don't fight each other; otherwise, you'll end up with a visually cluttered space.

Remember that the flooring has a huge impact on the overall look of the room, so choose something you can live with and won't tire of quickly.

 Pro Tip: Black or white? Don't choose black or too white rugs for living room spaces. Of course, choosing a rug colour is completely a personal preference. However, consider avoiding a purely black or white rug for high traffic areas, particularly if you have a young family or a pet. Include upkeep as part of your selection criteria so you can spend more time enjoying your rug, and less time vacuuming it. These rugs can look super glam in other, quieter areas though.

Materials.

Rugs come in many materials, including plant-based fibres like cotton, linen, sisal, jute and allo; downy, natural fibres like wool, silk and mohair; and synthetic materials like nylon and solution-dyed acrylic. There are also non-woven rugs made from stitched-together materials like cowhide.

Each offers a different look and feel, with varying characteristics related to how well the materials wear and how easy they are to clean. They also range widely in price.

Rugs made from plant-based materials are often among the most affordable and offer an easy, casual look. But different fibres have different durability: Cotton and linen, for instance, age fairly quickly, while sisal and allo can take more abuse.

There is a seemingly endless list of descriptors that encompass the aesthetic classification of a rug. But more often than not, the material it’s made from is what informs the style of a piece. 

Natural fibres: Wool, cotton, silk, jute, sisal

Pros: Durable and long-lasting; wool rugs, specifically, are amazing at hiding soil.

Cons: Often pricier and require professional cleaning; dyed silk rugs can run if exposed to water spills.

Synthetic fibres: Acrylic, polyester, polypropylene

Pros: Affordable, easy to clean, usually stain-resistant.

Cons: Can become contaminated with mildew and bacteria from repeated spills or pet accidents; may need replacing sooner than wool or natural fiber rugs.

Artificial silk: Viscose, bamboo silk, banana silk 

Pros: Very affordable; busy patterns can conceal dirt.

Cons: Viscose is like an absorbent sponge—it not only attracts moisture and oil but even a plain water spill can ruin fibers.

Pick a Material

Think about how you want the rug to feel before you make a purchase. Wool rugs can add warmth and softness while natural materials such as sisal and jute are a bit rough. Silk is soft and beautiful but also expensive and tough to clean. Take these things into consideration when shopping.

Pile.

The “pile” of a rug is a point of reference for the density, or thickness, of a piece. Rugs that are coarser will always have more pile to them than fine and intricately designed pieces.. Rug pile generally falls into two categories:

• Low-pile rugs: These rugs have shorter fibres and loops (think flatweaves), making them best for high-traffic areas such as the kitchen.

• High-pile rugs: These rugs have taller, looser fibres (think shag or Moroccan rugs), making them more plush and ideal for the bedroom or living room.

Care and Cleaning.

It’s inevitable that, at some point, you’ll find yourself with a soiled rug, so you’ll want to think about care and maintenance before you buy. Ironically, older or vintage pieces tend to be more durable versus newer, budget ones that may not have the same structural integrity. Here’s how to care for and clean different materials:

• Synthetics: Spot-clean, steam-clean, or vacuum. They may appear dirtier since they absorb dirt and oil, though most (such as acrylics) will be stain-resistant.

• Wool: Natural oils (lanolin) keep spills from penetrating the fibres. For hand-knotted rugs, you can blot the stain to soak up any excess, then use a toothbrush with dish soap and water to tease it out. Resist the urge to scrub, which can damage the fibres.

• Cotton and silk: Enlist the help of a professional to prevent making stains worse by trapping them deeper within the fibres

If spills and stains from children and pets are a concern, it may be a good idea to choose an indoor-outdoor rug made from a synthetic material like solution-dyed acrylic, polypropylene or PET (polyethylene terephthalate), which are now often so soft and appealing that they can be hard to distinguish from indoor-only materials.

Homes with muddy pawed pups and sticky-fingered children should choose a rug that can withstand the chaos of everyday life without falling apart after 6 months. Machine washable and performance fabric area rugs are ideal for busy households and indoor-outdoor designs are wonderful, too. Natural rugs (think: jute, sisal, seagrass) are also great options for bustling areas and we especially love that natural rugs are readily available at budget-friendly prices.

High-end area rugs with high-piles or woven from silk viscose make enviable additions to homes with lower foot traffic, calm pets and households with older children that are less prone to mess.

Multiple Rugs.

To add a little more interest or define your space a little more, try layering area rugs on top of each other. It can add a little more colour and pattern and it's a particularly great trick for seasonal decorating. In the colder months layering rugs can add cosiness, then in the summer you can edit them and create a lighter look.

There is no rule that says you have to limit yourself to a single rug in the living room. Designers often use multiple rugs in larger rooms to define different areas. So how do you know whether one or a few is best?

A boldly patterned rug can serve as the defining feature of a living area. Smaller spaces, and living rooms enclosed by walls and doorways, usually benefit from a single large rug.

Sprawling, open-concept spaces, are more likely to benefit from multiple rugs, which help ground disparate groupings of furniture and can be used to separate a living area from a dining or media area, in the absence of walls.

Consider your flooring.

Do consider your flooring. It is the base your rug will be placed on and some colours just work well together. Warmer toned timbers work much better with warmer rug shades, whereas modern, light timbers look great with grey, navy and white rugs. Have tiles in your living room? Look at rugs that complement your tiles.

Getting a Rug Pad.

Once you’ve secured your dream piece, it’s all about ensuring that the rug can withstand the test of time. That means getting a rug pad. Not only do they protect you from slipping on a bunched crease, but they also prevent dents by cushioning heavy furniture and damage to the floor.. 

Finally.

Do consider your neighbours. If you live in an apartment complex, rugs can be a great sound insulator, particularly for busy areas like a living room. A strategically placed rug will absorb sound and stop your neighbours from hearing every move you make and will soak up some of their noise too.​