Living room rug ideas

Pick out a pile style to anchor your space.

Habitat jenni flatweave Cotton Rug with circular high gloss circle table and grey sofa bed.

More for your floor

Rugs provide cover to your floors and comfort to your feet. They can be used to complement, contrast or cheer up your décor, and can help to zone, tie together, or divide rooms. In this Habitat rugs buying guide we help you decide what will work best in your space. So, if you need help differentiating between what's available, what each can bring to your room, and where to lay it, just walk this way...

What are the different types?

Woven with love

At Habitat we favour natural fibres, and our biggest, heaviest creations are wool rugs, which are created in wool pile on a cotton backing. Always with an eye on the craft element, we tend to categorise our rugs according to the technique with which they're made.

Hand-tufted - Durability is the watchword with hand-tufted rugs and each is incredibly hard wearing over time.

Hand-knotted - The pile of these rugs is made from individual threads being hand twisted around the warp. As the most labour-intensive of all types, hand knotted rugs tend to be real investment pieces.

Flat-woven - These rugs can be formed of a mix of materials, usually cotton, wool or a blend of both. They're created via a more traditional loom-weaving technique.

Handwoven - Our handwoven rugs come in a variety of patterns and colorways. They are woven, rather than tufted, resulting in a thick, more relaxed pile.

Rug materials

Treat your feet

When choosing a rug for your living room, it's important to think about the material it’s made of, what kind of traffic it will receive, and how cosy you want it to be.

Wool - Highly durable and the hardest wearing fabric for a rug, making it perfect for heavy traffic areas.

Viscose - Known for its silky-soft texture and subtle sheen, this statement fabric is extremely soft underfoot.

Cotton - Lightweight and easy to clean at an affordable price, cotton rugs are great for those who like to change up their interior.

Jute - Very natural and surprisingly soft, jute is a great way to add a minimal, rustic look to your home.

Other considerations

A blue-green patchwork rug on a wooden floor beside a navy blue sofa.

Perfectly positioned

There are lots of things to consider when you’re choosing which rug is best, from colour to how much of the room you want to fill.

The first question is where are you going to put it?

In smaller living rooms, you can create the illusion of space by arranging your furniture around the edges of the rug.

For larger rooms and open plan spaces, an area rug can help define and section off space as well as tie together your furniture pieces.

Remember, every space is different, so take time experimenting with different placements before you decide on the best match for you.

A blue rug with large cream circles on a wooden floor.

Rugged good looks

The design of the rug you choose is of course entirely up to you. But as a general rule of thumb, it’s worth considering other pattern and colour within the room’s decor before you make your selection. If your pictures or textiles are busy, a neutrally-patterned or block coloured rug will sit better among them. Hand knotted and flat-woven styles are both ideal for this.

For rooms that are minimalistic in look, or plainer and more pared back in their design details, texture, pattern and a mixed palette can add interest. Think hand-tufted or flat-woven in these cases.

Rug care

An abstract pastel coloured rug on a white wooden floor beside a navy blue sofa.

Cleaning your rug

We always recommend that our rugs are cleaned by a professional carpet cleaner but check the individual care label because some flat-woven styles can be spot-cleaned.

What you can do to maintain your rug

Regularly brush or vacuum to gently maintain its fibre lustre (in the case of hand-tufted and handwoven pieces).
Carefully cut loose threads to remove them – never pull.
Store your rug flat where possible, or if rolled, with the backing on the outside. Don’t fold it.
Dry, well-ventilated areas are the best spot for a stored rug. An airtight bag is not.
Some shedding may occur, but this is normal. It will reduce over time and with regular vacuuming.
Colour variation may occur between covered and exposed areas of flooring over time.

A round, two-tone grey rug with a game laid out on top of it.

Effects of sunlight

Some natural fibres can discolour slightly when exposed to natural light over long periods of time. If only some parts of your rug are exposed to the sun during the day, regularly turning it will help to ensure it doesn’t become patchy. Where you have a rug, you may also notice a difference in colour between covered and non-covered areas of flooring over time.

Safety - At Habitat we always advise an anti-slip mat is used beneath our rugs when they’re placed on uncarpeted floors.

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