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jmckay8

Need rug advice for open concept

13 years ago
We just moved to this house and it's my first time in an open concept home. Is it okay to mix rug types, ie. muted rug in one room, bold rug in another? Or since you can see them all at once, is it better to leave them all similar in intensity/color? I LOVE my LR rug, but not sure about the entry rug or what to do in DR. No rug in DR? Black rug in DR to match/complement entry rug? The other issue is my DR table is HUGE (I love it!!) but the room is small-ish. An 8x11 will work but will be pushing it as far as having the end chairs stay on the rug while someone is sitting in them. If I go with 9x12, it will fit but the room is only 11x13. Any advice about any of the above is appreciated!!

Comments (24)

  • 13 years ago
    and any other comments are welcome too. I need LOTS of direction here. Be brutal! ;)
  • 13 years ago
    I am very tempted to say this is personal preference and up to you. Then I reflected on the hardwood floors or beige carpeting in places I have lived and realized that I buy rugs that I like and put them in locations that I like (meaning they go with the furniture in that room or they brighten up the floor or they are easy to wash and need it often because of the heavy traffic in that area, etc). Also I like to change up what I do from time to time on a whim - so I might leave your dining room without a rug for now and until you find you really miss one for some reason. The floor is so shiny and reflects so much light from the window that I would hesitate to darken that up with a rug under the dark table and bench - again personal preference. Though I might put a brighter or patterned runner on the table instead of the "quieter one" you have now. Personally I find the dark rug at your front door attractive and the simple geometric design echos the base color of the rug in the living area. So back to personal preference - if you like both rugs individually and if you like them together, then go with it. My guess is the rug at the front door will get dirty and worn with time and you will change it out more often - or maybe even as the seasons change you will want a change. Though I do think the dark rug at the front door works well as there is a lot of natural light there(at least in this photo)

    Back to personal preference and up to you. Have you lived here awhile? Does something displease your eye? Are you usually good at knowing when it works?
  • 13 years ago
    last modified: 13 years ago
    I agree that no rug is necessary in the dining room, which appears well balanced and pleasant. 2taniya makes good points, and the short answer to your question is that the overall design should flow, and so like components needn't match or compliment eachother, but should relate to something. Yours do.
  • 13 years ago
    I agree. However, I personally don't like rugs in dining rooms and think that you don't need one. One thing that might help with the dice if the table is to put the bench on the wall side and have the chairs on the outside. The floors look amazing and the only place with the least amour of traffic that I would feel comfortable exposing such a beautiful floor would be in the dining room. Best of luck! Hope that helped.
  • 13 years ago
    Black curtains might help tie the entry rig and dining room together. The contrasting white window trim will balance it out.
  • 13 years ago
    I like the entry rug near the d.r. curtains.... But, I don't see the black relating to anything else. It looks like you are ignoring the color of your sofas. I would pull the red color into the entry and the d.r. No rug in the dining room - maybe more colorful art. I think mixing bold and muted is fine so long as the bold is not too bright, or 'clean.'
  • 13 years ago
    Oh, gkemp! I'm seeing it in the artwork, the curtains, and as an undertone in the darker furnishings!
  • 13 years ago
    Thank you all for your great advice! I'm planning to get different sofas, as a couple of people have told me the red is "too much" in the space. I plan to go much more neutral so don't want to work with the red too much (though I always like a bit of red!).
  • 13 years ago
    last modified: 13 years ago
    @ studio10001, I'm not sure by your comment if you are agreeing with me or telling me that I am blind.... Either way, jmckay8 asked for, "any advice on any of the above." I am certainly entitled to an opinion. If you don't agree, you don't have to. Cross talk is rude. My apologies to jmckay8.
  • 13 years ago
    Neither. This being an open forum, I know that others follow without speaking, and merely wanted to point out where the darker elements might be drawn. Cross talk is conversation, your advice was not critiqued, and your opinion is of value as offering a different POV than those before yours....rather in the nature of what makes this site interesting, and why I am happy to engage with it. Happy Houzzing!
  • 13 years ago
    Your red sofas are what brings your personality into the living room...please keep them. As mentioned, perhaps put some red touches in other rooms open to the living area. Beautiful home, and it looks comfortable and not like catalogue photos
    jmckay8 thanked edithsmom
  • 13 years ago
    You have a beautiful home. You have put a lot of thought and heart into it for sure.
    jmckay8 thanked bschr
  • 13 years ago
    Thank you for your kind comments! On another thread where I was asking about different sofa colors, one person mentioned the red sofas are too vibrant for the rug. I hadn't heard that before and wondered if anyone else had that thought? My plan was to switch out the sofas, but now I'm considering the rug...
  • 13 years ago
    Those kilims are easy to clean and look great under the table. Plush nomad rug may add some warmth to the room.
    jmckay8 thanked Dorota Mitoraj
  • 13 years ago
    last modified: 13 years ago
    The photo is a bit dark for accuracy, but they don't seem too vibrant to me. I might be inclined to break the solidity of red by changing the pillows, or separating the sofas, if possible, and think the carpet looks understated, but appropriate.
    jmckay8 thanked studio10001
  • 13 years ago
    A little touch of red?
    There is more on www.domirugs.com
  • PRO
    13 years ago
    I think rugs plays an important role while defining area in an open room concept. On placing a rug in an area where you'd like to have a dining room table and then place another nearby where you'd like to ground the living room. Instantly you've got two separately defined areas that become two rooms.
  • 13 years ago
    I think it's rare to see two woods (dining room table and floor) compliment each other so well, so personally I wouldn't interfere with that by adding a rug. I think the area is very well balanced with various neutral tones both light and dark. Only thing I would suggest is replacing the rug near the door to maybe a beige colour to brighten up that space and match the curtains. Oh and by the way... I LOVE the dining table. Good job
    jmckay8 thanked honorik
  • PRO
    13 years ago
    I am agree that you do not need a rug under the dinning table, but you could have a runner on the side along the corridor to the living room. You just have to remember that when placing a carpet in a room there has to be some balance and also especially when you place carpets under a dinning table you have to ensure to leave at least 40-60 cm of the carpet from the edge of the table on all sides. This allows for the back legs of the chairs to stay on the carpet even when pulled out when seated.
    jmckay8 thanked CarpetVista
  • 13 years ago
    Jmckay where did you get your DR curtains? Love them!
  • 13 years ago
    Thank you amyz! They are custom-made from a local shop here in Raleigh, NC--Mill Outlet Village.
  • 13 years ago
    Thank you all for your taking time to help me out. I'm going to leave the DR without a rug, slipcover my red sofas, add some red/black into the throw pillows, and call it good for now! Thanks again!
  • 13 years ago
    I still love the red sofa's. :0)
    jmckay8 thanked bschr