There are many things to consider when choosing a rug. The correct size and placement and also how child and animal friendly it will be for the particular lifestyle you lead.

We like to use artwork as the feature of a room and steer away from bold colour on the floor. It allows for more creativity in adding cushions and decorator pieces that mean something to us and don’t risk overcomplicating a space.  We concentrate more on quality, texture and longevity of style and not on trend. We use rugs to ground the space and create welcoming zones.

How big should a rug be?

When it comes to size we tend to go for larger rugs that allow at least the front legs of chairs and sofas to sit on the rug. If you have two opposing sofas with a coffee table in the middle the rug should be around 3m by 4m.

Like oversized art, we choose to style with the biggest rug that will complete the room.

The rug size and shape you choose should also depend on the function to be served; is it a central feature of the room (larger the better); a living room rug that’s comfortable for the kids to play on (ensure not much texture to catch pesky crumbs or little fingers exploring those hand tufted feature bumps); something to protect floorboards (have an anti-slip backing or purchase anti-slip from the hardware store); or to add warmth (this can be visual with loads of texture or physically by adding a large rug with a deep pile); under a dining table to create a zone (no texture as it will trap everything spilt on it, also chairs will not slide without hooking up, make sure it is big enough to be able to have the chair pulled out to sit on without going over the edge of the rug anywhere there is a chair).

A bedroom rug can again create an informal or more formal looking space but definitely add interest to the room and make it feel cosier. If the rug is placed at the end of the bed, ensure to have the rug large enough to have about a 50cm overhang from three of the edges of the bed or it is a waste of time having one there. If the room is too small for this then you may choose to have the rug off to one side or maybe even a circular rug off from one corner of the bed (these two options create a less informal room but allow you to have a rug).