Persian rugs are a versatile home décor accessory. They come in a vast array of colors, sizes and styles that can be used in a variety of ways to transform the look of any room.
There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to decorating with these colorful, multi-patterned pieces of art.
We’ve put together 10 easy-to-execute ideas that you can implement to add a dramatic flair to any of your interior design projects.
Table of Contents
1. Choose Rugs With Subdued Colors For Heavily Patterned Walls And Vice Versa
Persian rug designs range from simple motifs in subdued colors to elaborately stylized motifs in a wide palette of colors. Both look equally good but both types may not be the most appropriate for all settings.
When deciding between subdued and heavily patterned Persian rugs, you must take into consideration the look and design of the walls and upholstery.
A heavily patterned Persian rug will add a punch of color and uplift the look of a room with subdued wall coloring and upholstery.
However, the same rug may create an overly busy, overwhelming look in a room with heavily patterned wallpaper or upholstery. For this type of room, a Persian rug with more subdued colors and designs may be a better choice.
2. Opt For Natural Fibers Such As Wool, Silk, And Cotton
Natural fibers such as wool, silk and cotton stand apart from synthetic fibers in every way.
Natural fibers feel so much more comfortable and plush for walking, sitting or lying down to relax against the soft surface. They have excellent insulating properties and are easy to maintain.
Natural fibers don’t break like synthetic fibers too. They are more durable and will look good longer, so you get better value for your money.
3. Choose The Largest Rug You Can For The Room It Will Reside In
Besides colors and patterns, size is another major factor to consider when buying a rug. Persian rugs come in a wide range of sizes, from small round and square rugs to medium-sized rugs, extra-long runner rugs, and large room rugs.
The size of rug you choose can impact the look of the room. A small rug will look out of place in a large room, while a rug that’s too large may take over the look of a smaller room.
When it comes to size, choose a rug that’s large enough that it can fit under the front and back legs of every item of furniture.
For the living room, you want the entire sofa set to fit comfortably on the rug. For the dining room, the rug should be large enough so that all the chairs fit on the rug when pulled out.
This helps to keep the furniture steady and not wobbly. It also prevents trips and falls.
4. A Rug Should Blend In Perfectly With At Least Two Of Your Accent Colors
It’s almost impossible to find a rug in colors that exactly match every other color in your room and that’s okay.
A room that is made up of assorted items in the same shade of color can look rather flat and characterless. On the other hand, too many clashing colors that do not complement each other will create a sense of chaos that can be overwhelming and stressful.
Ideally, you want to choose a rug that complements at least two accent colors in the room. This will create a sense of harmony, balance, and continuation, which are all conducive to a peaceful ambiance.
5. Be Creative By Mixing Rugs
With their endless range of colors and sizes, Persian rugs offer plenty of opportunities to showcase your creativity in many different ways.
One way to add a creative flair to a room is by placing two rugs together in the same space. When mixing two rugs in the same room, the key is to make sure that both rugs complement each other while also blending with one or more accent colors in the room.
There are several ways you can mix two rugs together in the same place. Simply rearranging the rugs can give the room a brand new look. This is an easy and cost-effective way to refresh the décor of any room.
6. Use It As The Valuable Décor Accessory That It Is
Oriental rugs are truly a valuable décor accessory. These are not mass machine-made items. Each Oriental rug is hand-woven by skilled weavers and is a culmination of several years of history and tradition.
Every rug tells a story as narrated by the weaver who created it. Rugs such as these fit perfectly with classic style furniture and a global style décor that incorporates ethnic style elements from different corners of the globe. But that doesn’t mean you have to be restricted to using these rugs only with classic furniture.
Combining an Oriental rug with modern furniture can look just as trendy, especially in keeping with the increasing popularity of eclecticism.
7. Rugs Are A Welcome Element Of Interior Decorating
Unlike most other décor items that are merely decorative in nature, rugs provide both beauty and function in ample measure.
The living room, bedroom, kitchen or entryway tend to look stark and bare without a rug. Simply adding a rug to any of these rooms instantly changes the dynamics of the room. The room goes from cold and unwelcoming to warm and inviting.
It’s not just the look that changes. Walking across the soft, warm rug surface feels cozy, comfortable and inviting too.
A runner rug can make a dramatic difference to the entryway, transforming it from bare, cold and functional to colorful, lively and welcoming.
8. Place Similar Style/Colored Rugs In Connecting Spaces
Placing rugs of similar styles and colors in connecting spaces is an interesting concept and one of the easiest ways to connect two rooms in a way that creates a visual connection between them.
For example, you can choose two tribal rugs in large, bold, geometrical motifs or you can go with two city rugs in an intricate layout of small floral elements filling the field of the rug.
This arrangement of two rugs in similar styles or colors placed in connecting spaces creates a lovely sense of continuity and coordination as it draws the eyes from one space to the other.
9. Use Your Persian Rug As Art Work
There’s no denying that every Persian rug is a work of art – each one a labor of love, created by highly skilled weavers who spend weeks and months painstakingly tying one knot at a time. The result is a magnificent and versatile piece of art that is both decorative and functional.
While you may relish the idea of placing a Persian rug on your floor for its decorative value as well as its warmth, character, and sound proofing benefits, it’s not the only way to use these creations. Richly patterned Persian rugs can make gorgeous, eye-catching wall hangings too.
Have a large bare wall in the living room or dining room? Use a Persian rug as a wall hanging to fill that empty space and see the difference it makes!
It will infuse not just the wall but the entire room with color, dimension, and drama. And the best part, you will have paid only a fraction of the price that you would have had to pay for a traditional work of art.
10. Make Sure To Take Into Account The Layout Of The Room
Every room in your house will be laid out differently, in terms of the dimensions, the furniture in it, and even the other fixtures such as door frames, electrical outlets, and air vents.
Each of these elements must be taken into consideration when choosing a Persian rug for that particular room. If you’re buying a Persian rug to use as a wall hanging, make sure you get a size that does not cover up any electrical outlets, air vents or the door frame.
When buying a Persian rug to place on the floor, it’s important to consider the type and layout of furniture in that space.
Overlooking these aspects may result in you having to compromise on how or where to place your rug, which can be disappointing if you’ve already visualized your room a certain way.
Placing a Persian rug in a room is a great way to showcase your creativity and make a style statement.
Your choice of rug, where and how you place it and the many other smaller aspects related to choosing and placing a Persian rug speaks volumes about your creativity and your innate ability to mix and match design elements to create a harmonious, cohesive look in any home.
2 thoughts on “10 Interior Design Ideas With Persian Rugs”
Made 2 mistakes buying my LR rug. Furnishing a new house, sales helped me pick to go with. Turned out I didn’t think of size so it’s too small. Then we picked a mainly red and 2 Berger’s chairs in mainly red. The 2 patterns are similar in size so clash; one red print should be smashed than the other red print. Distracting.
in my opinion, people should buy a rug first (the one that really likes) and then add furniture that matches with colors and pattern of the rug.