What Is The Best Type of Area Rug For Hardwood Floors?

The Best Area Rugs For Hardwood Floors

The timeless beauty and warmth that hardwood floors bring to a room makes them prominent features in some of the most stylish homes. But many people wonder about the best way to make beautiful area rugs work with a magnificent hardwood floor to highlight each other’s best features.

There are a few different ways to think about using trendy rugs with hardwood floors.

The main points to keep in mind when decorating your home with area rugs against hardwood floors:

• How they work within different decor styles.
• What practical considerations might dictate.
• What rug size is ideal for the room.
• If there are any special things to keep in mind about protecting the hardwood floor.

This article will look at each of these rug related questions more closely and help you find the perfect rug to bring out the beauty of any home.

What Type of Rugs are Best for Hardwood Floors Based on Decor Style?

The real answer to which rug you should choose for your rooms is the one you love the most, but it can be helpful to have some guidelines to get you started. A rug can set the stage for the feel of the whole room, so it is useful to think about which style you are trying to evoke.

Here’s an example of the same room with rugs of very different styles to illustrate how big an effect the rug can have in rooms with hardwood floors.

This antique Persian rug features a unique take on the traditional Tree of Life rug design. The earth tones and edge both designs (which symbolize eternal life) give this space an opulent, traditional ambiance. The rich reds and browns really highlight the visual interest in the hardwood floor as well.

Tree Of Life Design Antique Persian Bakshaish Rug

This vintage Scandinavian rug color palette conveys an almost hypnotic feeling of depth and movement to the space. It gives the room a feeling of a sophisticated design with its quality and simplistic yet vibrant look. The repeating pattern of the rug also highlights and elevates the pattern detail in the hardwood floor.

View the Large Size Vintage Scandinavian Rug

This antique Romanian Bessarabian Kilim rug makes the room feel elegant and romantic, and its visual appeal is so strong we can almost smell the delicate scent of roses. This style of rug was inspired by popular carpet designs in the French and Russian courts and the soft colors blend beautifully in this space and compliment the beauty of the hardwood floor beneath.

View the Antique Bessarabian Flat Weave Kilim Area Rug

What Kind of Rug Should I Use on a Hardwood Floor Based on Practicality?

Hardwood floors are a wonderful blank canvas for showcasing the intricacies of a well-designed rug. And using a rug on top of hardwood flooring can add some practicality too. For instance, adding wool rugs on hardwood floors gives feet some extra cushion and warmth, while also adding visual warmth and textural interest to a room.

Beautiful rugs can also be used strategically, to protect the floor in a heavy-use area (like a kitchen). Choosing a durable rugs from strong materials and time-tested hand-tied construction means that your rug can stand the test of time and protect your floors. On the other hand, more delicate fine quality rugs for hardwood floors in a living room, with less foot traffic, can make this space feel warm and inviting.

How Big Should a Rug Be on a Hardwood Floor?

In general, since rugs make such a statement for a room, you want to use the largest size that fits well for the space you are defining. Here are three ways you can use this principle:

1. Fill the Room – If you choose large area rugs for hardwood floors, and plan to use them to tie together the entire room, make sure your rug is a few feet smaller than the room on all sides. This frames the rug nicely and leaves a pleasing outline of the floor around the rug.
2. Define a Space – If you plan to place and position the rug to define a space within a room, like a seating area, make sure that the rug is large enough that the front furniture legs of the space fit on the rug. It is a common mistake to choose rugs that are too small, so it may make sense to start with a larger rug to avoid that mistake.
3. Layering Rugs – If you fall in love with a rug but it is too small for your space, rug layering is the perfect solution. You can place the smaller in the center of a larger rug to visually create a larger piece, or layer multiple rugs overlapping to add more visual interest to a room For more guidance on rug layering, read our popular article about layering rugs in your interior design.

What Area Rugs Are Safe for Hardwood Floors?

The last important consideration when you think about rugs for your hardwood floored rooms, is to ask what should you not put on a hardwood floor? For hardwood floors to stay beautiful, you want to choose a high-quality rug.

Rugs made of synthetic fibers, especially those with a latex backing, restrict airflow and can trap moisture against flooring—damaging it over time. Inexpertly dyed rugs can leech dye onto a floor, causing discolorations in the wood. The adhesives in rug tape (which some use to secure their rugs in place) can damage both the floor and the rug.

At Nazmiyal Rugs, our natural fiber rugs are made with care, meaning less worry about floor damage. Using a rug pad made of wool or another natural material will keep your rug from sliding without risking damage. Regular cleaning to remove dirt and debris will protect both the floor and your rug, keeping them looking their best for you to enjoy for years to come.

Here are some of the prettiest and / or very best rugs of their kind from our collection to grace your hardwood floors:

Browse our extensive selection to see what antique, vintage or modern rugs we have available.

This post about the best type of area rug for hardwood floors was published by Nazmiyal Rug Gallery In NYC.