14 rugs that really tie a room together

Available in any shape, size, colour and tread, rugs are used to fill in empty space between seating elements or to conversely border other areas – such as dining spaces – encouraging and enclosing the activity within. More than this, however, when soft and deep enough, rugs provide additional furniture to sit, lean, lie, stretch out and relax on; they double up as hardwearing yet washable flooring that stands up to abuse from traffic; and, perhaps, most importantly, they pitch interactive artworks onto the floor, expanding an interior’s decor onto a fifth surface.

Blending colour and softness in thick- or short-pile rugs

A rug is forced to become makeshift seating when visiting company means a home’s incumbent furniture is in need of assistance, but even when more formal seating is available, the wide expanse of a comfortable rug gives low-seated users the space to stretch out and use however they wish.

With a thread length of 30mm and the ability to blend up to three of 75 colour options together, the Touch Me rug from Christine Kröncke offers a visual depth to match its deep pile. The Caméléon rug range, meanwhile, from CSrugs, blends together various hues of different colours in its own thick, up-to-25mm-high pile to gradually change and bring focus to a certain point.

Alternatively, the more defined edges of colour that are possible in the neater cut of shorter pile rugs are visible in the Diagonal Gradient rug collection from moooi carpets. Meanwhile, the same brand’s dedication to the beauty of artistic ceramics transfers onto the floor in the Deft Blue range, which applies the original hand-painted, two-tone design to rugs.

Artwork for the floor: rugs that set the scene

Artwork of any typology brings visual interest to flat surfaces or 3D environments, but can also instantly set the tone and ambience of a space, whether it be intellectual and reserved, thoughtful and meditative, comforting and relaxed or joyful and optimistic – and many, many more. The effect is magnified, however, when art is applied to the interactive surface of the floor.

The recognisable patterns of traditional Persian rugs give interiors a feeling of affluence, but in doing so can also demand a certain propriety. By applying the same traditional patterning within a monotone palette, however, many contemporary rugs like Domestic Nature from Yo2 make themselves more welcoming. Hinting at the past while embracing the future.

Yo2 offers many other artistic styles in their rug designs meanwhile, from abstract modernism in Modernisme to a more minimalist version in Nova. And the bold colours, thick lines and geometric shapes of cubism combine with traditional African patterns in Patchwork.

Utilising uniformity and randomisation in the rugiverse

Rug designs inspired by stylistic artworks present themselves with confidence as soon as you enter the room. Whereas those with cleaner, more subtle and simplified geometric patterns such as the OFFSET rug from Calligaris, with overlapping hexagonal layers, for example, still have the ability to embolden spaces, without the demand for attention.

For any domestic rug in a well-used area, career-ending stains are but a small spill away. And no matter how ‘stain-proof’ the product claims to be, the best way to cover it up is not to notice it. Rugs with pre-weathered designs like Abstracts from Thibault Van Renne offer an abstract artistic style of their own, but also an opportunity to hide stubborn stains and decolourisation in plain sight.

The shape of things to come: directing spaces with shape and imagery

By applying modern art or graphic patterns to rug designs, they can be positioned anywhere and in any direction, but by defining the position of the rug with photography, such as Yo2’s Fantasmagoria rugs, for example, designers can easily direct how spaces are used, bringing homely psychological comfort when seen from a certain point in the room.

It’s not just what’s on a rug that changes how it’s used, of course, but also the shape of the rug itself. Long rectangular rugs or runners like Geometrie Volanti from antoniolupi can direct users through longer spaces like hallways, landings and the free space alongside a bed. But while rectilinear rugs are more common, homelier circular versions, like Moooi Carpets’ Walking on Clouds rug – which offers a new take on ‘weathered’ design, provide a contrast to square furniture layouts.

In shape too, along with colour, pattern and design, there are as many options as you can dream of. Yo2’s Deep Complexes collection, for example, lets creativity spread not only in the restrictive shapes of a rug’s pattern, but in the exterior lines of its form, as well.

Head to the Architonic Magazine for more insights on the latest products, trends and practices in architecture and design, or find inspiration in a whole world of projects from around the globe through ArchDaily’s architecture catalogue.