Although you might have an energetic and bold personality, the majority of people are still afraid to express themselves with colour in their homes. When it comes to decorating, people generally stick with neutral colours because they’re easy to accessorise and widely accepted by others. However, there are ways that you can add a splash of colour to your home without painting all four walls. Rugs are never a permanent fixture and are much more subtle than wall to wall carpeting, wall paper or painting all four walls. A bright green rug, for example, is nowhere near as dramatic and bright as a wall painted in the same colour. A bright rug therefore, can be the perfect thing to complement a much calmer interior colour scheme.
If you’re not sure about rug dimensions then consider buying the same rug in a few different sizes and trying them all out in your home – remember to check the retailer’s returns policy before doing this though.
The colour that you choose will have a lot to with the final effect that the rug has on your room. Shaded rugs are darker examples of the original colour, because black is added. A tinted rug on the other hand is lighter, because white has been added to it. If you have a large space then a darker rug will help to make the room feel smaller and cosier, whereas if you have a smaller room a lighter rug will give the illusion of more space.
This rule should be ignored if you’re placing the rug in high traffic areas. If this is the case then stick to darker colours because lighter colours will show up dirt much more easily. If your heart is set on a lighter coloured rug, or your space is too small to accommodate a dark rug then consider a washable rug that can quickly be popped in the wash each time it gets dirty.
It’s not only your choice between shades and tints that will dictate the colour of the rug, the direction of the pile also makes a huge impact. You may have noticed before, when vacuuming a carpet, that depending on the direction you’re vacuuming, the texture and colour of your carpet varies. The pile of a rug always leans to one side, rather than going straight up and down. If the pile is leaning towards you then the rug is absorbing light which makes the colours look much darker. If it’s leaning away from you then the rug is reflecting light which means it looks lighter.
Before picking the shade or tint of your rug you need to have settled on the initial colour. Your choice shouldn’t just be based on the colours that you like, you need to consider how the colours that you choose will influence your mood and the ambiance of your home too.
Colours such as purple, green and blue are said to create a calming and relaxing environment, whereas warmer colours like red, orange and yellow create a lively atmosphere, lifting moods and increasing energy levels. The base colours that you choose will also depend on the style that you’re trying to create. Dark, rich colours like burnt orange and burgundy, for example, will create a traditional style; bright colours, such as blue, yellow and red will help to create an airy room with Scandinavian influence. Black and silver lend themselves to a much more contemporary home and neutral colours and pastels work well in a shabby chic environment.
If you’re unsure about the colours, shades and tints to use it’s a good idea to use a colour wheel to ensure you create colour harmony in your home.
Get Social