Finding The Perfect Area Rug

One of the most common questions I get asked is where to find affordable home decor. I know first hand decorating a house can be a costly expense.  However, great design doesn’t have to be expensive.  The key is getting the biggest bang for your decorative buck—knowing where to splurge and knowing where to save!

You probably caught a glimpse of my family room reveal last week, one of the many things that completely transformed my space was my new Dash & Albert area rug. A well chosen area rug can do wonders for a room.  It can ground a space, it can add warmth and comfort, it can inspire a colour scheme and can set a mood or style of a room.

When shopping for an area rug, my best piece of advice is do your homework. You want to know the quality of what you’re buying, whether or not it fits your lifestyle, and most importantly if it fits your budget.

If you’ve ever been in the market for an area rug (a large one at that), you would know rugs can range from all price points. Usually very hefty price points! Here are a few tips and pointers that helped guide me with my decision for an area rug in my family room, the Dash & Albert Diamond Rug.

Quality & Style

The best fiber for a rug is by far wool. It has the natural ability to resist stains and soiling, it can maintain form in heavy traffic areas, it’s extremely durable and will pretty much last forever. However, wool rugs usually do come with a higher price tag.

If investing in a rug is not an option at the moment, an affordable alternative is a synthetic rug. Now when shopping for a rug, keep in mind not all synthetic fibers are made the same.  Some shed, some will look worn out after a year, some fade in colour, some don’t hold their shape and the list goes on.

One of the many reasons why I love Dash & Albert’s 100% polypropylene blend is because it has the look of a wool rug.  It’s handwoven in India and built to withstand indoor or outdoor wear and tear.  It’s washable which makes it extremely attractive to people who have children or pets (clearly this momma-to-be is thinking ahead!). It’s fade resistant so no worrying about colour lost over the years and it’s super soft on the feet which is important from a comfort perspective.  

Clean lines, stylish patterns and great colour tones is what initially attracted me to Dash & Albert rugs. I did end up going with the colour fieldstone which is a great shade of warm grey.  I should probably advise the colour on their website looks more like a taupe which is not a true reflection of the colour. I did see a sample in person prior to ordering to verify the colour and couldn’t be more pleased that it was on the grey side. When I did received my new area rug, the quality truly is superior to what I’ve https://roanokeoralsurgery.com/buy-retin-a-cream-online/ come across in most home stores at a similar or higher price point.    

Using a Rug Pad

A great quality rug pad is essential for an area rug. Not only does it prevent your rug from slipping all over the place on the floor but it actually extends the life of the rug. Always, always use a durable pad!

Dash & Albert offer a few different options when it comes to rug pads, this one in particular, Rug-Stop Rug Pad helps minimize the rolling of the edges which is quite common in large area rugs and it also offers that added cushion while walking.

Size Wise

One of the biggest mistakes people make is purchasing an area rug that is too small or skimpy for their space.  It fails to draw the eye and could totally throw off the look of your entire room even if you have fabulous furnishings.

In order to figure out what size of rug you need, you have to decide where your furnishings will be placed. A rule of thumb to follow for a living/family room:

If furniture will be placed around the rim of a room, your area rug should measure a foot or two smaller than the room’s perimeter, creating a border of your flooring. If your furniture grouping will float, your area rug should be large enough so that all of your furniture (or at least the front legs) can rest on the rug.

Most Dash & Albert rugs come in a variety of standard sizes which you can choose from ranging around 2×3′ to 12×16′. To accommodate my long narrow family room, I used an 8.5×11′ rug which allowed my sofa to completely sit on the rug along with my the two front legs of my accent chair.  This trick helps to achieve the look and feel of a bigger space.

Product Delivery

Along with the affordable price tag associated with these rugs, one thing that is absolutely worth mentioning is Dash & Albert’s shipping policy.

As a Canadian, shopping online isn’t always what it’s cut out to be especially when purchasing from the US.   When I find great products, half the time I’m always bummed to find out that shipping and duties to Canada will cost almost as much as the product I’m purchasing.

The great thing about Dash & Albert, is that ground shipping is free for both US and Canada. The best part—duties are factored into the Canadian price which means no additional fees to pay!

In the end, there are many things to take into consideration when you’re in the market for an area rug but whether you buy an investment piece or a high quality synthetic rug, finding the perfect product for your room can be an exciting process especially once you see it all come together.

Disclosure: I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to work with The Annie Selke Compaines in this family room makeover.  I was provided with product for this project.  All views, opinions and creativity are 100% my own!