When people find out what I do for living, I usually hear one of two things:
-"I need your help,"
or
-"you can never come to my house." How rude!
I think people worry that I'll analyze and dissect their home, looking for everything they're doing wrong. And that's just not true! Not for me, anyway.
It's like I have a switch in my brain that is completely OFF until someone asks for my opinion on a problem area in their home, and that's when my switch turns ON.
However, there are two things that my OCD brain sees right a way.
One of them is the size and placement of an area rug.
And the second is if your art is crooked. (Don't judge.)
OK, let's talk about rugs.
Size
Standard-size rugs come in 4x6, 5x7, 6x9, 8x10, and 11x14 feet.
If you manage to find the right size for the right area and the right price, it's a good day. In reality, the standard sizes rarely work in the spaces I design. Let me explain.
There are few rules to follow when placing an area rug:
1. It must be at least two feet away from the walls of your room.
2. To look best, two-thirds of your sofa needs to be on the rug.
3. You may get away with less, but the front legs of all sofas and chairs must be on the rug.
4. Runners. I personally like them to be wide, like this:
I prefer runners to be no more then a foot away from the kitchen island, cabinets, or walls on each side. Few runners come that wide, unless you are willing to pay a higher price. I personally don't want to have an anxiety attack every time my kids help in the kitchen because my runner cost as much as my first-born child.
(I will teach you how to solve this little problem later in this post.)
5. You still need an area rug even if your room has wall-to-wall carpeting. The rug will unite the room's elements and bring interest to the space.
Here are two affordable ways to get the rug you want and follow all the rules:
First
If you find a rug that you love but the size is wrong, getting a bigger size might solve your problem. Here is how:
You can trim a rug to fit your space. Look at the pattern of the rug. Will trimming it disrupt the pattern? If not, ask your local flooring store if they can trim and serge it for you. My local store will trim and serge rugs for $5/sq ft. I did it with my kitchen runner and was very pleased with the results.
This rug was a bit too wide, but the perfect length and price. I was able to cut about 6'' from each side without disturbing the pattern. Now I have a rug that fits my space perfectly for only $75! So when I get sick of it in a few years (or sooner... don't judge), I can easily replace it.
A few things to keep in mind when looking into trimming your rug:
1. Jute rugs are a no-go for this trick. They are hard to serge.
2. Some rug patterns, as I mentioned earlier, may not allow you to trim them. Usually if there is a border (like on this one), trimming it won't look right.
Whereas this one will look just as uniform after it's trimmed.
Second
OK, I seriously feel like I'm letting you in on a trade secret here.
Do you know that you can custom make any size area rug out of carpeting? Just visit your local carpet store. Some of those carpets are begging to be made into an area rug. SO. MUCH. FUN!
Oh, right, here is the last little bit, and I will let you go do your thing.
I would hate for you to experience this:
So here's a little something that really works:
The best Rug Gripper for solid floors is this one. Once you attach it, your rug will not move. A rug pad will help to stabilize and protect both your rug and the surface underneath. But I just use Rug Gripper.
P.S. One more thought to throw out there:
Rug layering is a fun trend that's circulating the globe these days. Kind of fun!
Did you enjoy this read? If you've learned something new, my time was well spent.
See you here next time,
XO, Anya