How Do I Choose An Area Rug For My Dining Room

The dining room is one of the most frequented rooms in any home. It is also the first place homeowners typically go to when planning their home décor.

An area rug for a dining room is a great starting point to deciding what you want for this room. Finding the right rug relies on your astute eye and judgment. What’s the tone you want to set inside your dining room – that’s what you want your rug to be, in a nutshell.

A Functional Rug

A rug serves a function. It protects your flooring. In a dining room, it’ll keep spills and chairs from sliding around and damaging the floor.

An area rug is also meant to withstand foot traffic. If you have high-value flooring, this is the function you want to remember when selecting a rug.

A Blend With Furnishings

A dining room has very standard furnishings and decorations. Even so, a rug must blend in alongside these and not conflict with the look in any way.

This means being careful selecting an antique rug for example and how that relates to mid-century modern décor.

The Right Size For A Dining Room Rug

Even the loveliest of rugs is not going to work if it’s not the right size. This comes before color, patterns, and pile. You’ve got to get your size down. A rug that’s too big is overwhelming. Something too small will look silly.

So what is the right size for a dining room rug – it should be large enough to fit your dining room table and its chairs when you pull them out such as what’s done when a person is going from sitting to standing.

The Right Colors And Patterns For A Dining Room Rug

Here’s the fun part. Colors and patterns. First off, you want a color that won’t be ruined by an accidental spill. To this point, a white rug is a terrible choice for a dining room. The moment someone spills, it’s ruined.

You want a color or pattern that will disguise stains to a degree and which won’t look tarnished when there is an inevitable food or drink spill.

A rug will also camouflage with what’s in the room. If it’s very busy, a bold and simple pattern is perhaps recommended. If the flooring is chipped and cracked underneath, a bright color or artistic pattern adds prestige.

The Right Shape For A Dining Room Rug

A rug for any room should be similar to the shape of the room itself. Ideally, a dining room is rectangular and a square-ish or rectangular rug will work best but this isn’t always the case. A round room will take a round rug shape.

Possibly complicating things is that your dining room rug should mimic the shape of your table. Make it easy on yourself. Have a table the same shape as the room and then a rug to add emphasis.